Thrift-O-Rama

I've been busy!  I put some miles on the ol' Volvo and I have some fun finds to show you!  First, let me tell you where I've been.  Of course, the standard thrift shops everybody knows - Good Will and Salvation Army.  But, if you look in the Yellow Pages, you'll find lots of other thrift shops that benefit churches, schools, shelters and other organizations.  Stay out of consignment shops unless you want to pay their prices.  Most consignment shops have to hike the prices up so everybody makes a little money.  But, since thrift shops sell donations, the bargains are there for the taking. 

I am going to talk a lot about where I go in Grand Rapids, however, if you don't live here my tips apply to all areas of the country. 

If you set out to go thrift shopping in Grand Rapids, the first stop should be downtown on Division St.  You'll actually make two stops  - Salvation Army and St. Vincent DePaul (they are right across the street from each other) and this could very well fill your day.   The Salvation Army has two floors.  "The Good Stuff" is upstairs by the cashier and the clothing, and all the rest is in the basement.  Treasures are easy to find here, but there is also a tremendous amount of JUNK, TRASH, and CRAP.  But, spotting a gem is so rewarding!  Here are some of the good things I found at The Salvation Army on my last visit:


A pair of wing chairs - each $40.  They need to be recovered, but they were in excellent shape and had been well cared for.  They had arm covers still with them!  I love the curved back and the great angles.  I need to figure out how to reupholster  things, because these could be fantastic with a few yards of high end fabric.  Ugh.  Add it to the To-Do list!  That drop-leaf side table with harp base was cool, too.



Dining chair and bench. $125 for both.  The price was high, but so was the quality.  These were antiques and solid oak.  Recover the seat cushions and pull them up to a kitchen table or banquette for a great look.  Where else are you going to find that kind of quality for that price?




This little honey was a hand painted, collapsible card table.  I can just see the ladies playing bridge, drinking their cocktails, smoking their Virginia Slims and gossiping around this little table for $40.  The tag read '5-11-12' so since this has been sitting on the showroom floor for a while, they might have been willing to take a little less.



Someone is going to snatch these babies right up.  These cafe chairs were in terrific condition.  The chairs were sturdy and the caning was pristine.  $15 each.  In a tiny kitchen with a french bistro table, these would be SO CUTE!

Yards and yards and yards of never used Herman Miller office furniture fabric.  Seriously $2.50 per yard.  Office furniture fabric is meant to withstand lots of wear and tear.  These bolts were various colors of a burlap type fabric.  Would make great window treatments!  All you have to buy is the lining and hire somebody to sew!

Now, don't get creeped out - these are blankets.  This is the hand made blanket rack.  You would not believe some of the beautiful afghans you can find.  I know these look bed bug infested, Brady-esque, stink bombs, but someone took a lot of time and energy to hand craft these heirloom blankets.  It makes me sad that folks threw them out, but they go for big bucks on sites like Etsy.com.  You can add a great punch of color to any room by tossing one on a bed or chair back.  They go right in the wash so you can clean and sanitize it before you use!

 Across the street at St. Vincent DePaul, you might get a little overwhelmed with the amount of stuff they have on 3 floors.  Tons of furniture, and even more artwork and pictures.  They have a good selection of china and dishes, too.  I went up and down these aisles for over an hour.  I was exhausted.  When everything starts to look the same, it is time to call it a day.

Time to call it a day.  The next day, I went to Lowell.

Aside from the two spots on Division St (which is Mecca for thrifters, if you ask me), my very favorite thrift shop in all of Grand Rapids is a hidden gem in Lowell - Flat River Outreach Ministries.  It is a very large thrift shop in a building that I think was once some kind of school.  The building has many rooms down a long hallway and each room has more treasures.  The prices are perfect and the sweet ladies that run the shop are mostly retirees who volunteer their time.   This place is clean, well organized, and very friendly.  I found this great little tea table in that shop for $10.  With a coat of paint, this is going to be spectacular.  The shape of the table top is so popular right now.  It reminds me of the shape of  shortbread Girl Scout cookies - Trefoils.  Mmmm.

If you live in Grand Rapids, I can help you find many more!  I've hit them all.  If  you are out on Alpine, stop by Helping Hands Thrift - it benefits orphans in Guatemala.  I bought this cute stool there. 

You can find a Goodwill in just about every corner of the city.  Some are better than others.  I think that Goodwill is the most expensive of the thrift shops.  Goodwill also has quite a bit of NEW merchandise which I am not particularly interested in.  To me, the new items take up valuable floor and shelf space.  But, since many large retail stores donate their overstocks, it all goes to a good cause.  Recently, I found 2 cigar boxes.  One is older than the other and it actually used to hold Cuban made cigars.  I think cigar boxes look very cool stacked up on a shelf.  Collect them!  Get them from me on http://www.etsy.com/ search Affordable Adornment.

World Mission has a few locations of ValueLand which is an interesting place.  Kind of weird, actually.  However, this place offers a lot of furniture (albeit overpriced).  This place does not negotiate on prices.  Instead they offer considerable sales.  I hit it on a sale day and walked out with 6 items for $3.  ValueLand also offers new carpet remnants and lots of rugs.  Worth a look.  Try the one on 4 Mile off of Alpine - and forgo the one on Burlingame.  I ended up buying something really strange at one of the ValueLands...I purchased this collection of men's ties.  The colors are brown and orange and they appear to be from the 70s.  Funky and fresh, these could be framed in a cool way and hung in a bathroom or walk-in closet.  Check my http://www.etsy.com/ shop to purchase these!  Search Affordable Adornment!

Recently, Groupon offered $25 of merchandise for $10 at Exodus Upscale Thrift Shop.  It is in Kentwood and I rarely get that far south.  But, I bought the Groupon and went to spend my cash.  It is a great place and I will definitely go back.  I found some original artwork there priced just right and I will blog about the paintings and drawings I've found another time.  But, just look at this buffet/china cabinet that was there for just $125.  Holy smokes it was so cool.  I think if I look in the pages of Architectural Digest right now, I think I might see this piece painted a soft gray for $4000 from some fancy shop in New York.

I negotiated the price down to $100 and this is the inspiration for the guest bedroom project I am working on.  I am going to paint it and instead of storing china in it, we will place fresh towels, linens, and toiletries for guests.  YES!!