My adventures in thrifting...
Is thrifting considered retail therapy?
How often do you go thrifting?
Last week I posted the photo of these Wusthof knives I found at the thrift store and so many people responded, “Why are they $6.99?!” Well, that’s the luck of the draw when you’re thrifting. Thrifting is mostly luck. Luck that the processors have let something cool leave the processing room and onto the floor. Luck that it’s reasonably priced and not priced at retail. Luck that you happen to be there when it happens. All of this made possible by thriting more frequently.
Every piece of cookware that I have is from thrifting. From the All-Clad pans to the Le Creuset pots.
Those of you who have been here for a while know that thrifting is something Mami and I do several times a week. Every week. For most of my life. There was a time, before Instagram existed, when we sold at Denio’s (a little big swap meet type place in Roseville, CA) on Fridays in a little corner lot. Mami’s specialty was vintage jewelry (she can also date any Levi’s and Pendleton product just by looking at the tags) and mine was vintage cookware and art. They’re still our specialties.
Obviously that market has become incredibly saturated. Most of the regular resellers you saw at the thrift store back in the day were very lowkey and specialized in a few to several categories of antiques and fine arts. I still some of the old heads meandering through the aisles and we’ll exchange a silent head nod of acknowledgment.
Not only are there just more people in the thrift stores trying to find things to resell as their new “get rich” quick scheme - just take a look at #thrifttok - but the thrift stores themselves have caught on because of the social media posts and television shows. Goodwill’s prices have gotten exorbitant. They’re making so much fucking money they’ve been opening brand new stores in high rent districts all across the country! Not to mention their exclusive “boutique stores,” like the one in Downtown Portland (Goodwill Industries Of The Columbia Willamette’s revenue was $196M in 2022) and the online store. They hire employees who are on assistance that way they can avoid having to give them benefits and there’s a current case open against the CEO of Sacramento and Nevada because he allegedly embezzled nearly $1M from the non-profit. This is the first time I’ve publicly mentioned the online store, which has been my secret for years, but I rarely use it anymore. Consider it my gift to you.
Because the thrift stores have started to hire professional pickers (or trained them to look for certain brands) to sort through the donations most of the good shit gets routed to their online enterprises. But, if you have a good eye…sometimes you can spot a gem. And hopefully…hopefully…they haven’t priced it to hell. You’re not getting a Le Creuset at the thrift store these days for under $30. Unless it’s an old one that is unmarked! Descoware - the company that eventually sold off the rights and formulas for the their patent enamels to LC after being demolished by LC’s aggressive marketing campaigns - is always marked much lower than LC and it’s built exactly like (if not better) than LC.
If you’ve ever watched shows like American Pickers, you can definitely see their apostles out at the flea markets doing nothing more than regurgitating script lines. Almost like a robot (cyborg? What’s the difference between the two?) that humans imprinted on and eventually learned to impersonate their ways. But, if you have a good eye…you’re going to see shit that the apostles won’t even look at twice. Nothing can replace specializing in a category or having “an eye,” for something. A trained eye! The phrase still stands true, “Jack of all trades. Master of none.”
I rarely go to the racks because I don’t know shit about clothing. I’m never in the electronics or tools because, believe it or not, it’s flooded with dudes. And I don’t know shit about electronics or tools. I go to the cookware and to the art. Cookware is easy, art can be a bit tricky. That’s when the “eye” comes in. Honestly, a little manifestation helps too. I know that sounds a little “OohWeeOoh,” but every time I’ve set out to find a very specific thing, I’ll normally find it within a month or two. I know, that’s a long time in the days of fast fashion consumerism. When I found this credenza…
I knew I wanted a Mid-Century Modern Credenza, I wanted it to be dark wood and on the compact side. And I knew I didn’t want to pay $700 for it! Which is pretty standard for MCM furniture. This one is very simple, but functional. The front panel opens up and turns into a table. Because it has a lot of imperfections, I only paid $25 for it. Even though it was listed for $30. Yeah, I’m the person that haggles on furniture prices in the thrift store. Shut up. Leave me alone!
I should probably put a runner underneath that credenza. Hmm.
When I found the portfolio of Indian art at the Goodwill. “I've probably told you this a million times, but I don't care.”
The portfolio was sitting on the floor in the back of the store. I opened it, flipped through three of the 12 prints, saw the original signatures and closed the book. I searched for a price tag on the portfolio and there was none. Of course. I panicked. If any of you do any thrifting you may know that at some of the stores, and some of the employees, if there’s no price tag on it they will not sell you the item. Although it’s literally the fucking processor’s ONLY job to process and price items all damn day before the item hits the floor. That’s always fun.
I saw an employee I didn’t recognize standing at the register, so I power walked it to her. She said, “$3.99?” I had to prevent my eyes from leaving my head. “Just be cool, man.” I told myself. I responded, “Umm…okay. I’ll take it.” Moments later the elder Filipina that runs that location by speaking softly and carrying a big stick (she’s so sweet, but also terrifying) softly walked to the register. She quickly eyed the portfolio, picked it up, fingered through it and immediately stated, “Ohhhh…you only charged her $3.99? This is really nice. Oh, no.” I was like, “NO TAKE BACKS, SUCKA!” And ran out of the store.
Worst case scenario, I’d end up with the serigraphs for my own collection. And they were so beautiful that I already had plans on getting some of them professionally framed. Best case scenario, they’d be worth a few hundred bucks. When I researched the names, I started to notice that some of these artists were highly respected in India. Most of them students, alumni and teachers who called themselves the “Baroda Group” from a prestigious and experimental art school that is now called Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda.
I did a little search of some of the names on Christie’s search engine and a few came up in their past archives. I emailed Christie’s, the Specialist of South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art scheduled a phone call, and the first thing she said was, “Where did you find this?!” When I told her the Goodwill for $4, you can imagine her surprise. When she asked “how” did I know…I told her, “I just had a feeling.” Which is true.
Over the next seven months there was some back and forth between me and the specialists at Christie’s, negotiated the seller’s fee and I shipped them the artwork. The auction happened in New York City, but I watched it live online from California. What was estimated at $2,000-$3,000 sold for $5,000. Very exciting and one of the highlights of my life!
Christie’s Indian art portfolio that sold for $5,000 through Christie’s Auction House.
Just based off a “feeling,” I had about it. Do you think it helps that I was an art history major in another life and both of my parents were artists? It wouldn’t be the last time I found artwork that was appraised by an auction house for way more than what I paid for it.
The whole point is…get out there! GO THRIFTING!
Your homework assignment for this week is to go to TWO thrift stores. Think about the thing you’ve been wanting for a long time and look for it at the thrift store. Report back, with photos, and let me know how it goes. And then I’ll have some good news to read to Mami while she waits for them to schedule surgery.
stop encouraging people! :)
Wisconsin thrift stores are hit or miss but the auctions and estate sales are insane. So many basements full of stuff. I have that Wusthof santoku and it’s my go to after replacing my Sani-safe that I loved more than my fancy knives.