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Hello and Happy Wednesday everyone!!
If you are near a Salvation Army today … GO! I urge you!! Put on a pair of leggings, pick up your wallet and get in that car to DRIVE to your nearest S&A for what is known as “Family Day,” AKA the day that practically everything in the store is 50 percent OFF! (check out the Thrifting Dictionary for more helpful jargon definitions!)
Whew. That was some excitement there — pardon me! ;-)
But I’m not done talking about Salvation Army — and other exciting things!! — quite yet. That’s because I wanted to share with you my recent thrift fashion, home decor & antique finds from the S&A in my hometown, and the other “find” I found when there … a new friend!
I first “met” Amelia, the owner of New Old Fashion Vintage online shop, when I listed some of her fabulous pieces in the Shop Finds page of my site. We got chatty with Etsy messages because as it turns out, Amelia currently lives and teaches high school English in my hometown! How CRAZY is that!
So, I obviously had to make connection with Amelia, who is another 20-something vintage lover working her passion to spread vintage love & make style peace!
Keep reading after the jump to see how much fun we had thrifting at our mainstay Salvation Army (it’s located on Manheim Pike in Lancaster, PA — just FYI!) and all the fabulous finds (some even antique!) we discovered along the way.
And if you kindly could “like” New Old Fashion Vintage on Facebook, it would seriously make my day to help promote Amelia and what great things she does for feel-good style!
I’m sure you can all agree that thrifting with friends is so much more fun than thrifting solo! I find that I become a reclusive thrifter when alone, and a bit competitive with my finds. So not cool!
I love shopping thrift stores with friends (like I did in Maryland after a music concert last fall) because we can encourage one another’s adventurous style and when in a pinch, split & search the store separately so that we can hit every single nook & cranny.
I’ve thrifted some HUGE stores solo — like these two Salvation Army stores about an hour away from my hometown, one in Lebanon, PA where the vintage is gloriously abundant, and another in York, PA where the vintage is abundant AND one-of-a-kind.
I’ll be thrifting for the rest of my life, and I can’t wait for the “other” treasures I meet along the way … new friends, magical memories and awesome experiences.
I say this because I mean it: Please reach out anytime with your own thrift stories! I’m reachable on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and email!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
xx, SD
MEET AMELIA!
OWNER: Amelia curates & sells vintage in her Etsy shop, New Old Fashion Vintage. Check it out and send her some love on Facebook!
VINTAGE STYLE: I respect Amelia so much, because when reviewing a few particularly attractive pieces at the Salvation Army, Amelia decided not to purchase them because we couldn’t confirm by aesthetic and tags that they were truly vintage.
Often we find what some people in the industry call “fake vintage” for sale. There are arguments for and against qualifying secondhand fashion as “vintage” even if it’s not 20 years old, which is the technical age it should be to fit with marketplace standards.
Amelia respects the roots of the trade and does not want to risk selling something that isn’t truly “vintage” that she is marketing as such.
Amelia, brava, and thank you for being a positive example!
LOVES: Hot chocolate at Sheetz (see last picture in this post!), great hats (see the picture above!) and researching the Vintage Fashion Guild to geek out on new vintage fashion identification and style tips!
CRAZY THRIFT FIND #1
THE FIND: Novelty Native American “head dress” bright pink tee from the “Promised Land” of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pocono Mountains!
WHY I LOVE IT: This darling may be a bit oversize, but the design aesthetic is spot on for the always-in-style Native American trend for summer, PLUS there is major DIY potential here!
Just take some scissors and snip away the extra collar material, the sleeves and crop out the fabric below the feathers for a fun, fresh crop top with Daisy Duke shorts (pictured here!).
(BONUS!) WHO I GAVE IT TO: I couldn’t be a selfish thrifter and keep this find for myself. Instead, I decided to gift it to one of my best friends in the entire world, Julia Bartz!
She is a thrift queen from the land of Wisconsin who moved to Philadelphia and befriended me when I was a senior in college. She and her sister Andi moved to NYC, and we’ve been buds ever since!
Julia can pull off the craziest stuff (a lot like me!) because she has a tall, lean frame and a great personality for pushing the envelope! She is also a fantastic writer and literary critic — check out her blog, Book Stalker!
CRAZY THRIFT FIND #2
THE FIND: A Mickey & Minnie Mouse Walt Disney World “Safari” tank top … with buttons down one side!
WHY I LOVE IT: What kooky potential this piece possesses! I know it sounds crazy, but at 25-years-old I feel more connected to the memories of my childhood than ever before. Give me Mickey, give me Looney Tunes, give me Winnie the Pooh! I love it all!
Plus, you can’t beat finding a tank that shows love between two of pop culture’s most iconic cartoon characters … and I didn’t even have to vacation in Florida to get it.
CRAZY THRIFT FIND #3
THE FIND: A local sorority T-shirt in a muted orange with a very (tight!) fit.
WHY I LOVE IT: I wasn’t in a sorority in college, but I like to consider Sammy Davis Vintage a girls’ club of sorts. Except, there is definitely no “recruiting” (anyone is welcome!) and the only hazing involves many, many hours shopping vintage & thrift!
Maybe someday I’ll have Sammy Davis Vintage T-shirts designed with “vintage” spelled in greek letters, haha!
CRAZY THRIFT FIND #4
THE FIND: Bias cut powder blue ’70s dress with front, floor length pleats! And check out that crystal adornment below the chest!
WHY I LOVE IT: Throw me into a wedding situation, and this would be my dress du jour for the formal occasion.
It feels oh-so-very Cinderella, too — I think this was her dress’ EXACT color! (see below!)
CRAZY THRIFT FIND #5
THE FIND: Patchwork front-tie vest — almost looks handmade! (I didn’t give this one a strong enough look, it quite possibly could have been.)
WHY I LOVE IT: Hm, it’s hard to think of a reason why I DON’T like it!
First, it’s crazy enough to wear alone with leggings and still look like you made magic happen with your outfit.
Second, it may be a country-esque patchwork design, but this vest is SEXY … you can leave it open for some cleavage or tummy exposure like I did, or pop a white fitted tank beneath for just a body conscious look.
Extra bonus? Everyone is going to want to touch this thing — it’s a tactile connection! I could see this being a very successful “get to know you” piece for a date night!
CRAZY THRIFT FIND #6
THE FIND: Arts & crafts inspired “free” sequin tank top!
WHY I LOVE IT: Every single sequin is unique and one-of-kind … sort of like all of you reading this post right now!
It’s easy to pick up a sequin top that’s been manufactured seamlessly from an assembly line, but this top looks like some love and affection was invested into it.
I didn’t check the tag to see if it was in fact originated from a factory, but my first guess is that a design like this has no science to it … it must have been hand sewn, arts & craft style!
CRAZY THRIFT FIND #7
THE FIND: Lingerie “shorts” that double as silk Daisy Dukes!
WHY I LOVE IT: My favorite thing to do is turn the unexpected into something completely unforeseen … like wearing lingerie on the day-to-day.
Mind you, I live in NYC where quite honestly ANYTHING goes, but I could still see a hip rural chica or small town hipster rocking this lovely lingerie look with some extra coverage up top.
The default event for anything that screams “Daisy Dukes” (i.e. short shorts!) is a summer music festival. When sweating it out to songs, you want to be practically wearing a bathing suit. If you aren’t wearing one, mini shorts and skirts do the trick, too!
CRAZY HOME DECOR FIND #1
THE FIND: Oh, what DIDN’T I find in the home decor section of my hometown Salvation Army! Seriously, you could outfit an entire neighborhood of homes with the great bric-a-brac available here.
When I have my own home, I want a wall filled with awesome mugs. And I want my friends to come over for tea and to have their “favorite mug,” or perhaps they visit with an agenda to drink from a new mug everytime.
I would regularly change up & add to my mug wall, giving some away or selling them at garage sales in order to make room for new finds.
A great mug in the morning is a great start to a great day. We should all find happiness in our mugs!
WHY I LOVE IT: Mug designs just cannot be beat! While dinner plates usually come with some scrolls or floral design, mugs just go ALL OUT!
They are declarations of a message, of a meaning, or of a moment. They are pure magic!
CRAZY HOME DECOR FIND #2
THE FIND: Extra large platters or wall plates (whichever you prefer!)
WHY I LOVE IT: The purchasing of these plates for their original intentions just seems so deliberate.
Take the plate above as an example: You have a special “swan” themed event and you pursued this swan plate to use for the vegetable and dip platter.
I’m hypothesizing here, but that’s honestly 3/4 of the fun — your imagination can create “stories” behind what these great finds were used for originally!
CRAZY HOME DECOR FIND #3
THE FIND: Classic tea kettles with cartoon, child-inspired & fairy tale friendly designs
WHY I LOVE IT: Like I mentioned above when discussing my new obsession with Mickey & Minnie mouse, I just love a good cartoon character find!
Sure, you can stick to a sleek, silver tea kettle or even one of those electric ones that hook up to an outlet and boil almost immediately …. but what fun is there in that?!
These are the type of tea kettles that deserve tea cozies, so that you can take them from stove to table for guests and good times!
CRAZY RANDOM FIND!
THE FIND: A weight lifter’s belt by “Valeo.” This thing had a MASSIVE buckle that I failed to take a proper picture of … so let your imagination run wild! All I can say is that this weight lifting belt was not designed to be aesthetically pleasing!
WHY I LOVE IT: From a distance, this belt looks not half bad with my outfit! Too bad the buckle was a bit of a “dead weight” (pun intended!) but I think that something interesting could be accomplished with a piece like this of such high buckle & leather quality.
Oh wait … that’s right! I’ve worn a weight lifting belt before — tricked YA! ;-)
Check it out in the picture below … that’s me in the pink bandana a few years ago, dancing at a Girl Talk concert in Maryland! Can you see the black belt buckle hanging from my denim shorts? CRAZY girl I was!
CRAZY HOME DECOR FIND #4
THE FIND: Bric-a-brac proclaiming regional allegiance & appreciation!
WHY I LOVE IT: I used to have a “bucket list” life goal that I would collect a Starbucks mug from every city I visited in the world. I wanted to have a collection showing the cities and places I’d been to.
Well, I’ve moved on from Starbucks and into the idea that every city I ever visit I can obtain a piece of local flair with a visit to the thrift store!
But the awesome, totally realistic thing is that I can actually get “local flair” without ever visiting the area itself … like this Alaska decorative piece (it’s an igloo!) and the AWESOME Oklahoma head dress / Indian chief mug that I’m regretting not buying as I type this!
Both finds were found in … Pennsylvania! It really is a “small world after all.”
INSANE ANTIQUE FIND!
THE FIND: I really meant it when I said “insane.” LOOK AT THE PRICE TAG!
This is a bonafide antique “school desk” — yes, like a school room classroom, early 20th century style! — for only $40. Actually, it’s $39.99. It costs LESS than $40. Woah now.
WHY I LOVE IT: This is a piece that really shows how much historical fun you can have with vintage and antiques.
I would have loved to uncover where this school desk came from (my guess — an old Amish school house — they are educated within the community and legally do not need to attend public school) and to have that story to tell when my apartment visitors are immediately drawn to squeeze into this school desk!
VINTAGE VACUUM CLEANER FIND!
THE FIND: A very mod, marvelous vacuum cleaner! This baby had no frills or whistles but looks like it did the job in its day quite nicely, and most likely still has some juice left in it.
WHY I LOVE IT: I can’t help but think of the Jetsons when looking at this vaccum. Remember Rosie the robot? She would have LOVED this!
While I don’t think this vacuum is circa ’60s, it still has a very post mod, futuristic feel to it thanks to cobalt blue and stainless steel design.
CASHING OUT OUR FINDS
Amelia made out like a thrift bandit (oh, great new word for the thrifting dictionary!!) with her finds, above. YES! She took home the hat ;-)
I went home with the head dress pink tee for Julia and for me, those Daisy Duke shorts (with fringe and four button close!) and of course … that amazing Mickey & Minnie safari tank!
ENERGIZING UP AT SHEETZ
But the fun didn’t stop in the Salvation Army checkout line! When messaging with Amelia, I told her how much I love SHEETZ, the ultimate convenience and gas station of Pennsylvania. Think of 7-11 times 9308403948. That’s SHEETZ!
SHEETZ is also like a more affordable Starbucks. You can order and personalize just about any coffee drink — check out my receipt above to see how creative I got. It was a frosted MINT flavored espresso with soy milk … for only $3.17! That’s about $2 less than I’d spend in NYC.
Love the SHEETZ savings!
FRIENDS & THRIFTERS FOREVER!
I know that at some point today Amelia will be reading this post and probably giggling out loud at everything I say!
I hope to do more of this type of posts in the future … and would love to hear more about your “thrift adventures” with friends, too!
Don’t be shy to take a camera into the store to snap pictures of what you find and who you find it with. I’d love to share your snaps, so send ’em my way anytime!
i’ve noticed alot of clothing factories operated out of Warren, Pennsylvania within my vintage finds. So if these cities are close to Warren im sure there are plenty of goodies. looks like a fun thrift hunt for you and Amelia.
Girrrllll, you are too funny! You called it; I was giggling out loud as I was reading! I can’t believe neither of us nabbed that Oklahoma mug. Seriously, what were we thinking? What a blast! :)
Could that be a turkey platter, rather than a swan? I’m pretty sure my mom had one of those for Thanksgiving dinners — :-)
So jealous of that blue dress. Great find!
Best,
mel
Fun post! The sequin shirt reminds me of the sparkly arts-and-crafts-y fish-shaped necklace those gay gentlemen gave you at my first bday in New York. Just because they wanted you to have it.
I’m a big fan of Salvation Army & Goodwill!
You have to get your patootie out to San Francisco – we’ve got lots of good fun thrift stores like Buffalo Exchange and Crossroads :)
I love thrift shops – and especially family day. I don’t have as much style as you, but it really stretches the family budget to get 50 cent shirts for the kids. Here’s a video I made about a Salvation Army trip in July 2010 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKPnXEMZwLQ It’s has a Harrisburg, PA address.
You really make it appear so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be actually one thing which I feel I would by no means understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I’m taking a look forward for your next put up, I’ll attempt to get the hang of it!