Friday Finds

My husband works Sunday through Thursday, so every Friday he takes our daughter out for a little date, and I drop our son off at preschool. Then I get the rest of the morning to myself. Usually, I spend a few of those child-free hours at the thrift store, and today was no exception.

It was a mediocre day at Goodwill. Not much in the way of furniture, but I came away with a few other things that I've been looking for. My best find this week was a full set of The Chronicles of Narnia. That might not seem like a big deal, but I recently finished reading the Lion witch wardrobe to my son. He's been begging to start The Magician's Nephew, but I haven't been able to find our copy anywhere. It was nice a nice surprise, since I was just about to order a new copy from Amazon.

I also had the privilege of listening to a guy sing every song that he came across that he knew, while perusing the LPs. That kind of entertainment is just priceless.

Here are a few things that I found today (at the Goodwill on 145th St.) that I decided to leave for someone else.

Vintage Stenograph - $19.99

Asian Batik (great condition) - $5.99

Vintage "Big Ben Moon Beam" Clock - $2.99

Graphic Print Bowl - $3.99

I'd love to see what other people are finding. Send a photo of your most beloved thrift store purchase to modernthrifter@gmail.com, and I'll pick a few to feature each Friday.

Simple Wood Restoration

More times than not, when you find a piece of furniture second-hand, it'll have some visible wear and tear. Sometimes it might need to be sanded and refinished, but if you're lucky, it might just need some touch-ups. Enter Howard's Feed-N-Wax.

My husband was browsing a consignment store a few years back and he noticed one of the employees wiping a dresser with something. He was impressed with the results they were getting, so he thought we should give it a try. We bought our bottle from Fred Meyer (in the home improvement section), but it's available at several other stores, and on Amazon.

While Feed-N-Wax won't completely restore damage, I was surprised at how well it disguised scratches and water rings. It's all-natural—just orange oil and beeswax—and the bottle lasts a long time. Most of our furniture is in the medium oak range, so I don't have much experience using it on birch or dark walnut finishes. If you've tried it, let me know what kind of results you've had.

Before & After - Amy Butler Chair

I picked this chair up about two years ago from Goodwill for $1.29. It was a Monday, which means they put all items with a certain colored tag on sale for a flat price of $1.29 in any department. Structurally, it's really solid, but it was obviously in need of a makeover, and at that price, I figured I could afford to put a few more dollars into fixing it.

This is somewhat disturbing, but as I removed the old vinyl seat cover, I discovered that it was originally white—not brown! Apparently, it must have been owned by one of the guys from Mad Men. I've found that problem with a lot of mid-century pieces—everyone was a smoker.

My upholstery skills are pretty much limited to chair seats and pillow cases, both of which were needed in this case. I picked out some pretty Amy Butler fabric, and a $2 pillow from Big Lots. I spent a lot more money on the fabric than on the chair! It took me two tries to find a pattern that my husband and I could agree on, but I'm really pleased with the result. (note: if you are doing a project like this, make sure to use upholstery weight fabric)

The paint has held up really well, too—even after two years of repeated collisions with a ride-on firetruck. I think I used one coat of primer and three coats of white satin finish spray paint.

Blue Carrot Shop

I came across Blue Carrot Shop the other day and fell in love. If you are searching for vintage and kitschy accessories, Alexandra, the shop's owner, has plenty to choose from. The prices are obviously higher than what you'd find at the thrift store, but if you don't have time to thrift, or maybe you just don't like to, the price might just be worth it. Too bad I didn't find her store until after those Helvetica salt and pepper shakers were sold!

As a side note, I recently bought a vintage beater like the one pictured above at Goodwill for $0.69. It was a steal, and I love it so much I would have easily paid more money for it if I had to.

Favorite Finds

My house is full of thrift store finds and I wanted to share some of my favorites. I have a lot of favorites, so I'll periodically post a few at a time. The first is hands-down the best thrift store purchase I've ever come across.

This couch was $79 at Goodwill. We had been wanting something similar and we assumed that a couch would have to be something that we saved for and bought new. I did a double take when I walked by this couch lined up with the la-z-boys and the floral printed sectionals. I was by myself, so I had to park myself on it while trying to flag down an employee. Here's a hint I should have included before... Never walk away from an item you want to purchase or it will probably be claimed by someone else when you get back.


We put our outdated couch on craigslist that afternoon for $250 and sold it right away. That left us enough money to have the new (thrifted) couch professionally cleaned, which is sort of my policy when it comes to buying upholstered furniture second-hand.


The next find I want to share is this kid's drawing table. I had seen this one at Tottini for $299 and I fell in love with the concept. I love the metal bowl in the center for holding crayons, markers, or chalk. My kids used to routinely spill or fight over the box of crayons, but now they are easy to access and easy to clean up. When I found the table it just had a hole in the middle, but I knew with enough searching, I could find something to fit. Two thrift stores and $1.29 later, and I had the perfect bowl. The chairs were given to me for free by an old neighbor, so all together this set cost me $9.29.


Lastly, this typewriter was found by my husband. It was kind of a splurge at $14, but I have been so happy with it. It came in the case, in great shape and as tough as a tank. We leave it out and let the kids play with it all the time. They love playing "office" and typing "emails".

Tips for finding modern for less

image © Tonx via Flickr

I have been shopping at thrift stores for most of my life, but it's only been the last four or five years that I have been on a regular basis. Over the past few years I have learned some tricks for being more successful on my thrifting trips. I'm sure there are things that I haven't figured out yet, and I'm always ready to hear what works for other people. Here's what I suggest:

1. Do your research - look at modern websites, blogs, and magazines in order to become familiar with designers, styles, and specific types of furniture. If you love the Saarinen dining table, study the details. Go and check out DWR to see what the authentic table looks like. That way if you see something at a thrift store or on Craigslist, you will know if it's a cheap knock-off or the real thing.

2. Know what's important to you - I'm happy when I find a modern looking piece at a thrift store even if it's a knock-off in need of some tlc. I know what I'm willing to pay, and for furniture, it's usually under the $30 range. I am pickier when I'm buying off craigslist because the price is usually higher. I won't spend a lot of money on a piece that's not the real thing. I'm most likely not going to pay hundreds of dollars on a new knock-off. It seems better to me to save my money a little longer for the real thing.

3. Go often - I go to my favorite thrift store once a week and I usually block off an hour or two to comb through the goods. I also donate items there and every few times I get a 30% coupon. I save those for bigger items.

4. Examine things thoroughly - I've learned this the hard way. After bringing home tables with wobbly legs that refuse to tighten, kitchen items with broken handles, and an enameled tea kettle with a burnt bottom, I've had my share of disappointments. Make sure you plug in appliances and lamps at the store, check clothing items for holes, and examine the sturdiness of furniture pieces. Know what your skill level is for fixing items, as well as how much time you'll have to commit to projects. Sometimes things get purchased with the best intentions only to sit in a corner collecting dust, awaiting that coat of paint or those new knobs.

5. Be realistic - As many times as I go to the thrift store, I've still never seen that Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair that I've been hoping for. I'm not saying that no one will ever find it, but I know the chances of coming across it are next to nothing. For now I'm content to furnish my home with things that fit my style even though they aren't the iconic, high-brow pieces in the magazines... but one of these days I might just buy that chair.

The Chair Collection

As a serial thrifter, I have had to overcome the temptation to clutter my home with too many good deals. I am a compulsive kitchen accessory collector, and my husband is a recovering chair collector. Fortunately, up until our recent house purchase, we have always lived in houses with extremely limited kitchen storage, which has forced me to be more thoughtful about the things I keep in my cabinets. Unfortunately, my husband and I are very creative furniture arrangers, and have managed to cram an absurd amount of chairs into our living space.

It has taken some time to learn the lesson that just because something is cheap, doesn't mean it's needed. The hardest part is that when shopping second-hand, most items won't be there more than a day or two. I have a few items, that I am still kicking myself for not purchasing. A really stylish raincoat, an oversized mid-century desk, and four-story vintage doll house come to mind. As recently as yesterday my husband was regretting passing up a vintage light box. But overwhelmingly, I am thankful for the amount of things I have stuffed back on the crowded shelves to become someone else's great find.

For the record, we currently have 20 adult-sized chairs (including dining & office chairs, but excluding outdoor or folding chairs) and 6 child-sized chairs in our house.

Why I Thrift

image © pixeljones via flickr

There are really so many reasons that I love shopping at thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales, and craigslist–those are in order from most to least favorite. Here are a few of my main motivations for buying used:

1. Environmental - we are a consumerist culture. We go out and impulsively buy what we think we need, we use it (or maybe not) for a short time and when we're bored with it, we toss it in the landfill. Buying something used keeps me from contributing to that cycle.

2. Economical - I buy most things second-hand and save tons of money each year. If I'm patient enough, I can usually find a good quality item at a thrift store for much less than I could buy a similar (but poorer quality) item instantly at [insert big box store here]. Personally, I would rather buy five items at a thrift store, saving enough money to then buy one really nice item at a designer store.

3. Entertainment - Some people may get the shivers when they think about stepping into a thrift store, and admittedly there are some occasionally crusty items, I find the treasure worth the hunt. Inevitably, sandwiched between the dozens of sequined, padded shoulder sweaters, I'll find a beautiful Kimchee & Blue shirt for $3.99. On the off chance, I come out empty-handed, I still find myself amused with all of the things that were once purchased brand-new, for who knows what ridiculous price.

4. Originality - Have you ever walked into someone's home and felt like you've been teleported into a pottery barn or IKEA catalog? That is the last thing I want someone to think when he or she walk through my doors. I want my home to reflect my family–our passions, memories, and taste–not what some catalog says it should look like. We do have a few pieces in our house from IKEA. We have several of their shelves and textiles, but some of them were actually bought at the thrift store. I love being able to look around my house and remember when I found each treasure and how much I paid for it. I love to remember what a piece looked like before it was cleaned, painted, or re-upholstered.

If you thrift, what do you love?