I put my faith in my favorite hobby as medicine for my downer mood. I headed out to a shop about 25 minutes away that I had only gone to once or twice before and hoped that it wouldn't disappoint. However, I have learned in the past: you can never go with high hopes or searching for anything specific. So, I kept my mind right and decided I would just weave the aisles for the sake of entertainment. Well, my mindset worked in my favor.
I walked in and pretended I would avoid my favorite section, accessories, so much for that! I made my way straight to the belts/purses.
My mom had requested that I use my skills to find her a vintage Coach purse. Keeping my eyes peeled I stumbled on a few hopefuls but initially saw nothing worth investing in. Then... to my great surprise a breakthrough! No, four breakthroughs!
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| Breakthrough #1: Not a vintage Coach, to my surprise I didn't even recognize the brand, nor did I write down the name to do any research. Nevertheless, it was a very cute look-a-like. |
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| Breakthrough #2: One vintage Coach finalist. The picture does not do it justice. It was in great shape and the adjustable strap was a good length. This was one that I would end up sending to Mom to choose from. |
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| Breakthrough #3: Another vintage Coach. Again, the picture doesn't do it justice, but it was cute. A great choice for Mom. It was very large despite its looks. Underneath the flap there was a front pocket. Behind that the main zippered compartment with an internal zipper pocket. And behind that another pocket. Very versatile. Very Mom. |
I sent Mom her three choices. I knew she would like the white one but she really wanted a Coach. The price tags weren't bad. The first small black one at $19.99. The unknown brand white one at $14.99. And the final black, multi-pocketed contender at $29.99. I told Mom I would personally rule out the white one but the decision was hers to make. She thought the smaller black one was too small and ended up choosing the larger black one. A great choice!
And for my precious find. =)
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| Breakthrough #4: The cream of the crop! One of the best kept vintage Coach purses I have seen at these stores! Not a single imperfection! |
I decided I deserved it. I hadn't gone on a thrift binge in quite some time so I would splurge this once for a true beauty.
I continued around the store. I never go looking for anything but I've had a list of thrifty items I have been searching for... At the top of the list is always vintage coach purses! I now have 7! After today's find =)
Other items on my list:
2. Cute blazer (any color)
3. A mexican blanket
4. Glass vases
5. Grandma sweaters (will explain)
6. Gold safety pins
7. VHS movies
So I had two things in my cart and thought I might find a few others with my already fortunate finds.
I wove through the aisles looking at shoes. I have a weakness for Minnetonka Moccasins and Sperry Topsiders.
On one of my last trips to another location I found a pair of both!
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| At $14.99 these beauties are no less than $30 less than the shelf price for new Minnetonka's and by the looks of them they couldn't have been worn more than a few times! |
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| At $14.99 these Sperry Lovelies are no less than $60 less than their shelf price for a brand new pair. They may have seen a few wet sailboats but they are genuine, probably more than a few years old and only have one flaw: One shoe could use a new leather lace as it is rather crusty, but a quick fix for a great pair of summer staple shoes! |
Back to this trip. I looked through sweaters, nothing. Trinkets, nothing. Housewares, one cute old wooden Budweiser crate for a whopping $49.99. I didn't need that especially at that price. Then I passed by the blankets...
Voila! The Mexican blanket I had been longing for!!!
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| Maybe not the best showcase but she is vibrant and perfect. Just enough fringe and the bottom to be authentic-ish and the perfect weight to bring to the beach or snuggle up with to read a good book! Checking that off my list! =) |
And for my last two finds. Not on really on my list but pretty great anyway.
First a vintage scarf! Well, not sure if its vintage but it has that vibe!
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| Very large. Will need to be folded into a triangle to wear but it can be wrapped around or doubled and looped through. Great for the fall with all of the bright colors and the black base! Now I just need a black fall jacket for it to go with... adding that to my list. Steal with a $4.99 price tag. |
My final purchase, of which I will not include a picture until I wear it. A vintage lace cardigan/sweater deal. I wasn't sure at first about it but I have a similar item that is a shirt that I love so I elected to purchase it so I wasn't regretting it later.
Oops almost forgot! I found a great blazer! I've decided you can never have too many! I'll take a picture of this too once I wear it but its a grey color with one button. At $9.99 I think the brand is Apostrophe which I think is sold at Macy's? Not sure. But it was cute with a pink satin lining and a quote next to the tag that read "luxury is a state of mind."
I think the quote is excellent. My boyfriend found it entirely too surprising that I thrift as often as I do for as much as I do. He calls me high maintenance but admires that I find so much at thrift stores.
It is honestly one of my favorite things to do. I think if you follow some rules and set some limits it is a fun and great way to find most items and save money. I know any of the purses I have found if I bought them new or at places like Ebay would cost a small fortune. And the Mexican blanket, I'm sure Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie have similar items for 5 times as much.
So I'll stick to thrifting. I think I've gotten quite good at it =)
In hoping not to jynx myself, after work tomorrow I'm heading over to another shop. It will be a new location for me, so if she's available I may recruit my roommate to accompany me. She is just as thrifty and we often find things that suit each other so we make a good team at new places.
Happy Monday!
-Hannah
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