Why go Thrift Shopping?

WHY GO THRIFT SHOPPING?

So many reasons. I am sure you already know about the importance of thrift shopping for environmental reasons (stuff not ending up in a landfill, manufacturing waste...), you already know that you save money (duh!), you already know that most thrift shops are non profit and the money goes to some sort of charity and gives people jobs. So I am not going to bore you with the stuff you already know. If you don't know that stuff, you should.

Reason 1: I don't  want to support greedy big box stores? umm...Walmart, really?

Reason 2: I don't  want to have the exact same tee shirt from Target or Aeropostle that every other person walking around has.

Reason 3: I don't  want to have the same table lamp that everyone else bought from the same furniture shop down the street that was having a big sale that weekend.

Reason 4: I don't want to spend $450 on a purse? (okay, money saving that you already knew about, but still...)

Reason 5:  Its fun. No really, it is a lot of fun. 

Reason 6: Everyone needs a hobby.

Reason 7: You never know what you're going to find. Maybe you will find that million dollar oil painting (doubtful, just saying...) Maybe you will find that hilarious piece of junk that you can't imagine that someone actually owned at one time. OR maybe you will find that perfect dress that you have been looking for. With matching shoes if you are having a good day.

Reason 8: This is an important reason. We live in a very wasteful culture. People buy stuff they don't need, want or like. And they keep it for awhile until they need to get rid of it to make room for more things they don't need, want or like. So it ends up getting dumped at a thrift shop with all their other items that they didn't need, want or like. Many of the items that you will find at a thrift shop is still new with tags. Yep. BRAND NEW merchandise with thrift shop prices. New toys unopened, clothing with store tags still attached, New games still in cellophane wrap, books with not a crease at the spine...The list goes on and on. NEW stuff! 

Reason 9: Why pay retail? Seriously are you rich? If you are rich, congratulations! Do you want to stay rich? Do you like wasting money? 

Reason 10: (Refer to reason 8) I bought my daughters school uniforms at a thrift shop. All items were NEW with tags. I bought 4 pairs of navy and khaki uniform shorts for $2.50 each (she still has white polo's from last year.) I also bought jeans for my daughter and son. I got 8 pairs of jeans for $2.72 each. My friend just complained how much she spent on her child's jeans ($45+ a pair) Um..No, I don't think so! I got 8 pairs for about $20, and at least half of them were brand new with tags. 

Reason 11: My son likes to wear vintage rocker tees, and vintage shirts in general. He has a closet full of rocker tees, a few Simpsons tees, and I just picked up this weekend and vintage Woody Woodpecker tee shirt. (score!) My daughter also snatched up a super cool Ren and Stimpy shirt (wish is was in MY size!)

Reason 12: School supplies, art supplies, office supplies, craft supplies. GALORE! You know how you will see something cool on Pinterest? So you go and buy the supplies, Then it comes out wrong, so you buy more supplies and it still looks crappy, so you buy more supplies and then you lost your ambition. Then your spouse is sick of seeing all the shit all over the house and 1 year later, you think its best to part ways with your 5 boxes or craft supplies, and you get drunk one night and then cry about your lost dreams to be a super amazing crafter, so the next morning you pack it all up and donate it? Same with all the scrapbook crap that you never got around to doing because it ended up being too much work. All that stuff is now at the thrift shop for the next inspired person to waste their time with. But at least they don't pay full price to have shattered dreams. 

I'm sure there are at least another 100 reasons, These are just some of the top of my head. I used to shop thrift when I was younger and HAD to. Now I shop thrift because I am older and WANT to. Funny how that worked out. 

Meanwhile, here are some goodies I just picked up this past week, Actually on Monday, National Thrift Shop Day!

They are listed in my shops:

RANDOM GOODS VINTAGE

AND 

RANDOM GOODS BOOK ROOM

I got about 4 packages of these mid century bobby pins. I think they are the cutest thing ever!

Large first edition Wonder Woman book. Girl Power!

I snatched up about 6 or 7 different retro "stained glass" kits, All different. Put the color crystals in the chambers and bake and then stare at your creation in awe!

Because why have an ugly tissue box in your bathroom, when you can have this groovy accessory?

School starts in just 3 days. Which means more shopping for me. YAY! 

Follow me on Instagram and Pinterest for more shenanigans and vintage goodness (oh, and coupon codes, gotta follow me on Instagram for those, they are top secret, shhh) 

Any other reasons that you shop thrift that I failed to mention?

Thrift Finds in St. Augustine

Any summer that the family and I don't have big vacation plans (which is most summers) We spend a week in St. Augustine. Its about a 3-4 hour drive from our house. My sister in law, who is stinking wealthy and really awesome, does vacation home swaps, so we get a huge condo, on the beach for half the price as they normally charge. This was our 4th time staying at this condo. We have been there enough, and done all the touristy things, so there is time to hit the thrift shops. (There is ALWAYS time to hit the thrift shops)

I was looking most forward to visiting the one I went to 2 years ago. It was a ginormous warehouse that was stacked high with stuff. Seriously, the most stuff I have ever seen at a thrift shop. Decades of stuff stacked to the ceiling. Okay, bad news, its closed down now. Devastated. Anyhow, carry on.

The pickings were slim, surprisingly for such an old city. We (my son, Evan and I) first stopped at one that looked fantastic on the outside:

You cant really tell from this picture, but it had ton of stuff on the outside, and was really large in the inside. It was called Omega Alpha Thrift Shop. Mostly crappy stuff and newish stuff, ALL overpriced. Evan got a cool EXIT sign for $10, now we just need to figure out how to wire it.



Then we came upon this gem:

Complete with the homemade "thrift store" signs. I thought, "this has got to be good!"
See the dark opening? That's what it looked like in the inside. No lights, no air, just a fan blowing on the cashier, who had little to no teeth. This place really was full of old treasures. Caked in decades of dust, many items water damaged. I knew I could find some cool things, if I dug around, and perhaps had a flashlight, but I ended up being too grossed out to continue. And grossing me out at a thrift shop takes a lot! I didn't want to accidentlly find a carcass or something.

We ended up hitting a few others that were mediocre at best, I did manage to wrangle up some goodies. We went to one that had brand NEW with tags New Religion jeans for $30 each! With the original tag of $345! If I was an Ebay seller, I would have snatched those up in a heartbeat and turned around and sold them for $200 each. (they had about 5 pairs). Sadly (yet not sadly) I am not an Ebay seller.

At one place, again overpriced, we did manage to get some good stuff, They had a section of "vintage books" which always pisses me off, because you know they will be priced high. And they were. They must have had about 100 really cool ones. I wanted them all, but I narrowed it down to about 20. Then Evan picked up some random eyeglasses that were on one of the shelves. And said, "whoa, these are my exact prescription!" They were girl glasses, from Nine West, but for $1 we agreed that they would be okay in an emergency if he broke his glasses, or whatever. Spare pair for $1, can't go wrong.

The next stop was at a thrift shop that the proceeds went to animal causes. These are my favorite places to spend my money. Nabbed a few goodies there. I would have liked to have spend more money, but it was a really small place, so there was only so much. Then on the way out, I got stuck in the parking lot. I have a SUV and back in the day, those St. Augustine lots were not made to accommodate large vehicles. Evan got out of the car and tried moving the trash cans around and guide me, but it really was no use. I ended up having to ride backwards (which I suck at) the whole way out.


The last stop almost didn't happen. It looked like some crappy tiny shop in a shopping mall. But we thought, what the hell? Lets check it out anyhow. Whoa, surprise! This place opened up into a mega thrift! I am guessing that it was maybe a former grocery shopping store.  Seriously, HUGE! First thing Evan grabs is a Limited Edition The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings, PEZ set, All still in the original box, It has nine characters and 12 Pez candy containers. He got it for $5. Just to have, I suppose, Its not like he's going to open it up and eat the candy.

This place was also overpriced. Oh, St. Augustine, you did me wrong.


Here is some of the goods I came home with:

I did get about 40 other vintage books, but you will have to visit my shop to see these and the rest. 

RANDOM GOODS BOOK ROOM

This next item used to be in my bricks and mortar shop in Largo, but I took it home to sell in my Etsy Shop:

Check it out here------------------->FLOWER POWER DISHES



While you are there, check out my other fun vintage goods I have listed.


Usually, when I am on vacation, I put my shops on vacation. However, this year I decided to try something new. Business has been slow (typical this time of year), so I figured, instead of putting my shops on vacation, which completely shuts down my shops, I decided to keep them open and offer a 10% refund, due to a few days delayed shipping, to any orders that I received during that time. AND OMG, for whatever reason, my shops were on FIRE, crazy amounts of orders! And everyone was super cool with the 10% discount, most of them said that it wasn't necessary. I gave them the discount anyways, of course.

Here is just HALF of my orders I packed up upon returning:

So the moral of the story is: I have to go on vacation more often. 

Oh wait, I almost forgot to show you a beach picture! Here it is.

Yep, kinda have the whole beach to ourselves. 

We decided to rent bikes and go for a nice ride on the beach. We made a mistake. We rode with the wind, 3 miles, when we started. When we turned around to head back, it was 3 miles against the wind. And let me tell you, it was one extremely rough ride. My 8 year old daughter couldn't make it. So we ended up walking our bikes back the 3 miles, in the hot sun. Which even sucked more than riding against the wind. 

Later on, since we still had the bikes until 8pm, Evan and I decided to take the bikes out,  (Avery and Greg were done!) We started by going against the wind, so when we turned around, the ride would be way easy. Get the hard part out of the way while we had energy. Wow, what a difference!  

Home now and we are all thankful to be in our own comfy beds. Our 21 year old cat missed us (even though she was in great hands while we were gone, thanks to Katy and family)

Now to get ready for the school year. (UGH). 

Did you have an interesting summer? Any great thrift store finds? 

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @Random Goods Vintage  for COUPON CODES,  and  check me out on PINTEREST,  because how many recipes do you really need? 

A Little Fire in Your Belly!

How about a little fire in your belly? I am still continuing to feature small and independent businesses, owned and operated by awesome individuals that are super creative.

This weeks business.....(drum roll please....)

PHOENIX FIRE DESIGNS

Seriously, do yourself a favor and check this shop out! Fantastic gifts for someone you love a lot (or yourself)

Looky Looky!


No way, it GLOWS! How cool is that!!

Or a bit of copper if you fancy.....

I really like the color contrast with this one. The red really pops!

I have seen other Tree of Life necklaces and I will say that there is absolutely NO comparison.  The other fakes are all chinzy and cheap looking. Who wants that crap? The craftmanship of these are bar none.  Thick, sturdy details in the wires all hand made with precision by a super awesome artisan.  These make a major statement. Trust me, if you were to wear one of these beauties, you would have people compliment you and ask where you purchased it!

So again, please check out Phoenix Fire Designs at the link above and feel good about supporting small businesses and hand made one of a kind jewelry!

On another note....Evan (my son) and I hit Spring Hill once again. You know, that city full of very old people. And as you know, old people have old things and they donate them to thrift shops, or when they die (old people tend to die) they leave an estate to a thrift shop or the family clears out the house and dumps everything at the nearest donation truck. So you get the drift. We like to shop in Spring Hill for secondhand goodies!

As we drive around, Evan sits next to me with his phone, guiding me through every turn to head from thrift shop to thrift shop. I think we hit at least 12-15. Sometimes the shops are no longer there...sometime google gives you the wrong directions. Whatever happens, it ends up being a fun time!

We hit a few and picked up some great items. I was geeked about a few scores!

All items are available in my shop

RANDOM GOODS VINTAGE

This thing is ginormous! Someone was latch hooking for a decade! But it is a super cool wall hanging that looks like it was stripped of the walls of Bob Newhart's condo!

Okay this next one is a bit foggy, I was a bit lazy when I took this pic and kinda didn't feel like retaking it, but I think you get the drift. Again 70's latch hook glory, with a bit of macrame for extra retro-ness!

Meanwhile, I was feeling all 70's  and shit.  I was kinda apprehensive about this one, but there was a giant sticker on it that said "TESTED! WORKS!" So who am I to question the honesty of a thrift shop, right? I mean, they sell used underwear, sooo.....

It was so cool I couldn't resist. And its smokey retro plexiglass, so it doesn't weigh ten thousand lbs, Which is important when you gotta ship stuff.


And as Evan was guiding me around  through Crapsville Spring Hill, We were on the hunt for the next place TTOs (apparently that stood for This That and the Other)

I guess it was no longer around, this is what we came to:

Looks creepy as hell....but it gets better:

FREE STUFF!

Actually I took this picture after we took our FREE STUFF. We kinda wanted to take the FREE STUFF sign too. But that would be kind of asshole-ish.  The free stuff was awesome. And FREE.


Evan decided that he was going to start rating the shops we visited...I mean, he was just goofing with his phone between trips, so he said WTH, may as well rate them.

The next place that google took us to was some house inside a retirement community. (LORDY, this happened last time too, for crissakes!), so we left the neighborhood and Evan decided to rate it:

I about peed my pants! It comes up under my name of course because his phone is under my account. Can you read it? 

"This is an old mans house, we knocked on the door to see what he had, but he said he would call the cops if we didn't go away. WTH is that? That's not good customer service! Worst thrift store ever" 

(okay, I corrected his spelling errors)

AND no, we did not actually knock on the man's door. Although we were tempted....

Hmmm....so that's about it. We have a wonderful day trip, always a fantastic adventure, I came back with a full, trunk, that is always my goal.

  

If you like my blog, or like me, please follow me, Also give some love to me on Instagram and Pinterest. @Random Goods Vintage. 

If you don't like me or my blog, its cause you never met me:-) 

So don't forget to check out Phoenix Fire Designs and remember its important to shop small and independent businesses. They care about you more than Walmart ever will. 

And don't forget to check out my shops (in the side bar)

 So whats on your mind this week?

I love to read your comments. It makes me think that someone actually read my blog!

Pick Away at This!

I have decided that I have so many friends that run small businesses that its time to share the love. As you already know, I am a big supporter of shopping small independent businesses. I am going to share an independent shop every week....unless I get lazy and...it ends up being every other week...But I am going to try to stay on track. The holiday shopping season (UGH!) creeps up before you know it. Just a blink of the eye and BAM...and its a holiday! So keep those holiday gifts in mind. If you want a taste of how quickly those holidays creep up, walk into a Target and look at the wall banner when you enter. They'll give you ample warning.


Also, I will not feature ANY business that has crappy people running it. Only cool kick ass people that actually care about good customer service and have awesome products. No jerks allowed!


With that being said...(drumroll....) My first indie biz feature.....

TWISTED PICKS

One of the special things is not only do they have unique handmade items...but they are at a perfect price point for a gift for a music lover, music teacher....etc, without spending your whole paycheck.

I like this one because you know that I am a retro lover!

This one is kinda bad ass! AND you can even get them personalized with your name, or a cuss word...whatever floats your boat.  Remember, it is always important to shop small and independent! Your friends and family would rather have some thoughtful one of a kind gift, than some cheap crap from Walmart!



So check out my pals at Twisted Picks at the link above. Owned and operated by a creative mom and daughter team. A true family biz! 




Continuing with  the theme of music, rock on with a few goodies from my shops:

Mid Century string art. Perfect unique item for a harpist....Actually, do you even know any harpists? I can't say I've ever met a harpist, but I think it would be the coolest instrument to play. Can't imagine lugging that thing around, good lord! Shop link in side bar.

Some vintage fun music books to help you get your retro jam groovin!

Hey Mr. Tambourine man....(those damn 60 jams!) These aren't even for grown ups. I think they are kiddie toys...But they jingle enough to give you a headache ......

These mid century high balls will fill enough wacky juice to make you kick out some psychedelic tunes...(yea...set of 3...always a set of 3....)

Well, thats about it for now, Support indie biz and share the love, peeps!

If you enjoy my blog, please give me a follow. Witty comments are also always appreciated. 

I am on Instagram and Pinterest. Give me a looky (and follow), @RandomGoodsVintage. I sneak stuff on there that you might not see in my shops or blog.  Cause I like to be sneaky. Plus coupon codes.... 

What jams are you currently listening too? Any good music recommendations? Share some thoughts!



The DOs and DONTs of Thrift Store Shopping

First of all there are no pictures in this post. Why, you ask? Well my son has decided to start a You Tube art tutorial video and we taped last week and I have it in my drop box waiting to be edited. And it clogged up my whole dropbox!

That's okay, I have some good stuff to discuss regardless.

I snagged a book at a library book sale called GET REAL! WHAT KIND OF WORLD ARE YOU BUYING Seriously so fantastic, and both my kids read it as well. It should be mandatory reading in the schools. It discusses everything environmental, advertising, sweat shops etc etc.

So although there are many things that my family and I can work on, I realize that we are probably better than 90% of the population in regards to being conscientious consumers.

Which brings me to the point about how important buying SECOND HAND really is. I am proud to buy and sell second hand. Its cool AND its better for our planet. AND there is so much to go around!


So I have included some DOs and DONTs of thrift store shopping:

DO: Make friends with the cashiers and staff. The more you go, the more they get to know you. They will give you deals and discounts and sometimes if you are lucky, they will let you sneak in the backroom!

DO: Check items twice for damage. Once before you put it in your cart, and again before you put it on the counter to pay. (I swear I find more damage when I put it on the counter)

DO: Check for sales and discounts on a sign as you enter. Most stores advertise their specials as you come in (ex 50% off yellow tags, 25% off of furniture)

DO: Dig! Dig through piles and racks. Don't be afraid to get a little dirty. The good stuff is often hiding.

DO: Ask for a box when you leave to put your items in. It stabilizes better when you drive, preventing breakage/damage. Plus, you have a free box for shipping!

DO: Ask for a discount if something is dirty. You know damn well you can clean it with the magic of Bar Keepers Friend or Magic Eraser. So may as well try to get a discount.

DON'T: Dress fancy. Seriously, why would you dress fancy at a thrift shop!?

DON'T: Snub your nose at the shoppers. You are not better than them. You will run into all sorts of characters. I have seen grown men stock up on womens underwear. You know, whatever floats your boat! Anyhow, remember that the original purpose of thrift stores was to provide affordable items to those who struggle financially, NOT for people on the hunt for VINTAGE PYREX. So show them some respect. (By the way, the interesting people is what make shopping thrift so fun!)

DON'T: Bring a friend who is looking for the exact same things as you! Nothing will ruin a friendship like 2 bitches fighting over a Fire King bowl. I used to shop with a friend that was on the hunt for vintage clothing. (Not something I was looking for) It made us a great team!

DONT: Leave your cart unattended. I almost had a 12 year old boy try to snatch some cool SIMPSONS stuff I scored.

DON'T: Forget to check every nook and cranny. Once I found PYREX Butterprint in the electronics department!

DON'T forget punch cards, many stores offer them. And don't forget your receipt, if you are all good about taxes and shit.

.....and most importantly....DON'T go shopping on a full bladder! OMG you don't want to be anywhere near a thrift shop bathroom! They are as scary as they get. In fact, one of the shops I frequent is in a shady part of town, and they closed their bathroom to the public because people were going in there to use drugs and they were finding needles on the floor. STAY away from thrift shop bathrooms! Go in a cup in your car if you must. AND if you are lucky enough to stand and pee, do that outside behind a building.  This may be the most important advice I offer you!


I am sure you have more to add, so feel free to chime in!

 Also, if you ENJOY my BLOG, please FOLLOW me. Also follow me on Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest. Visit my shops in the side bar. Show me some love!

Blogalicious

Blogalicious? I actually have nothing to say about food, except I like to eat it. I just like to say "Blogalicious.

I haven't been here lately. Seriously, life is just crazy. I have 2 kids in 2 different schools, both on the opposite sides of the city. My daily car commute with taking them to and from school is 4.5 hours. Except on Mondays, where it is more like 7 hours. So I am pretty exhausted dealing with traffic day in and day out. I can't wait until summer!


So I welcome you back, I welcome myself back and I am going to try to be as coherent as I possibly can.

I will start with a few things I passed up this week at the thrift shops:

When I first saw these fantastic giant canisters I ran towards them before anyone else tried to snatch them up, knocking down the elderly and trampling upon children in a mad dash. Only $5 each? Can that be right? Yea, it was right. You know why? Because they are written ALL over the place, obviously used as storage. (DAMMIT!) AND the labels that wrap around the canister where made of cardboard, so its not like Barkeepers friend or Magic Eraser was going to do any good. I felt like Ralph Wiggums when Lisa said she wasn't his girlfriend at the Krusty the Klown event on live TV...My heart was crushed!



Speaking of Krusty:

A four feet tall Krusty the Klown. $5. I know my son would have loved this, but I decided not to get it for him because I didn't want to look at it every time I went into his bedroom. Sorry, kid! Now if it was a cool character like Homer or Ralph, I would have grabbed it in a heartbeat. But Krusty can kiss my ass!



Here is some cool shitz I didn't pass up:

These sheets! OMG, right? Looks like I tore them of Bob Newharts bed.

This crap seemed kinda cool. My son found the light thingy and he was going to buy it, but then he got sick of lugging it around while I continued shopping, so he let me buy it. Yay, weak kid! I don't know if it works, and Im not going to plug it in because the cord scares me.

I will admit that these guys are kinda ugly. My kids hate these guys and they think they are creepy. Yea...that's why I pick them up whenever I see them.

Poly Perk coffee pot. It holds 4-6 cups of coffee, or the way I drink coffee, 1 cup

Available here: POLY PERK

I pick up a Marushka silk screen anytime I am lucky to come across them!


Available here:   MARUSHKA SILK SCREEN

 

 

This thermos was different than any others I have come across, so I couldn't pass this up. It was a flea market find.

This travel bar is just so kick ass! Includes glass carafes and all the bar fixings to help you get drunk when you are away from home! Mad men style!



Available here: TRAVEL BAR

Vintage towels are just plain fun! Great retro colors!

Available here: VINTAGE HAND TOWELS


The following are fun retro books.

All are available here:RANDOM GOODS BOOK ROOM

The MASSAGE BOOK is fantastic because it has illustrations of naked hippies that don't know what a razor is. Yea, naked hairy hippies massaging each other. Sheer delight, I tell ya!

 

 

 

 

 

I love Row Houses!

 

 

KITTENS AND MORE KITTENS. I love this book and I had a copy when I was a child.

 

 

This book! Full of the most trippy pictures you could imagine! Some of my favorite illustrations ever! Eye candy! 

 

 I really have so much more to chit chat about, but time is of essence these days, ya know? Check out both my shops (links at side bar) to see a gazillion other new things that I didn't even tell you about.

 

Follow me on Instagram, Tumbler and Pinterest @Random Goods Vintage (shhh...secret coupon codes)

 

 

Whats new on your side of the world? Tell me about your shitty commute so I don't feel alone. Or tell me about some cool stuff you found lately OR stuff you had to pass up! Or tell me I'm pretty, or talk about your cute cat.