just returned from a four-day two-state thrift roadtrip

[adapt]

hooooo-ah!

come on in, the thrifting's fiiiiiiine!

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

Ah, but don't TAUNT us Adapt-- Details! You can't say you've just been on this thrift roadtrip without DETAILS! 

[ChrisMiss]

Yeah, details.  What states, how many stores, what did you find, etc.  Tell all.

[lizardsally]

Ummm, why mention it if you're not going to give details?!

[adapt]

haha, i was tired. we'd been on the road for 13 hours when i got back. i have to make one final savers/value village boo-buck expenditure and i'll tell you cats everything upon my return from that.

[SecondhandSophisticate]

I am ready and waiting. It sounds wonderful!

[adapt]

ooooooooooookay...

so i just returned from putting out a lot of the items in my store. that being said, most of the stuff i got was clothing.

to answer the aforementioned questions:

a) oregon and northern california.
b) 42.
c) a ton of stuff.

i don't put stuff out in my store unless i myself like it and would wear it. be that as it may, i am a sucker for vintage clothing featuring a local business, mega bonus points if its a business i advocate/frequent. i am also a sucker for any kind of vintage science/space/chemistry/computing/nerd/geek clothing. 

i picked up a few of each, an early 80s polo for a very awesome local nightclub, and a few old smithsonian shirts.

i also love lacoste stuff and any lacoste knockoffs (challenger turtles, wards' hare, le tigre, the fox, etc.). i found a fair amount of all that stuff; tons of le tigre.

i picked up a vintage japanese racing leather. it sold within an hour of being put out. 

sweater shopping was ripe for the picking. lacoste pullovers, challenger cardigans, vintage penguin cardigans, 60s and 70s sweatervests, even a vintage dior cardigan (under a dollar) all on the extremely cheap.

all of my secret spots were right on the money. places in southern backwoods oregon where stuff is $1-$2 per grocery bag of clothing. i got three bags at the $1/bag store and two at the $2/bag.

among the contents of the bags were a 50's sears suit in burgundy, numerous vintage polos, western shirts, early 70s ski jackets and vests, vintage furry-collar jackets, etc.

i also found a whole bunch of choose yr own adventure/time machine/which way books.

i only got two pair of pants; a pair of deadstock 80s jordache jeans for under a dollar and a pair of straight 60s bellbottom jeans (baboo was the brand) for also under a dollar.

i got one record: a "learn to breakdance" record.

i got one vintage toy: an etch-a-sketch animator.

a few scarves, hats, etc.

my companions and myself had "holy grails" that would have made the trip a success if we found them and nothing else. mine were earthbound for SNES, an early 80s band baseball tee, or big E levi's jeans. i didn't get either

the end!

[ChrisMiss]

Sounds like you picked up some great stuff and had fun doing it.  What kind of store do you have?  That sounds like fun but also a lot of work to have a store. 

When I go out west again this spring/summer I'll have to look closer at those stores in Oregon.  I've only been to a few towns in Oregon, mostly tourist towns and didn't find much in the thrift stores that I wanted.  But for what you're looking for I probably saw some and didn't "see" it. 

I know there are people who make money buying and selling clothes but I don't know the first thing about it.  So it will be interesting to learn about.   

[adapt]

Sounds like you picked up some great stuff and had fun doing it.  What kind of store do you have?  That sounds like fun but also a lot of work to have a store. 

When I go out west again this spring/summer I'll have to look closer at those stores in Oregon.  I've only been to a few towns in Oregon, mostly tourist towns and didn't find much in the thrift stores that I wanted.  But for what you're looking for I probably saw some and didn't "see" it. 

I know there are people who make money buying and selling clothes but I don't know the first thing about it.  So it will be interesting to learn about.   

myself and two other friends own a vintage resale shop. we're only open fridays and saturdays.  i really like doing it, there's something really satisfying about seeing someone pick up something you personally picked out and liking it enough to throw down cash for it. its really nice to know that people trust yr intuition that much that they look to you for fashion tips, on a slightly alternate plane.

its very likely that you, and most of the other users on this site have glossed over items that i could personally turn around and sell for five or six times what i paid. most recently were a shirt i paid 1.50 for and sold for 45, a shirt i paid a quarter for and sold for 18, and other things, i.e. a cardigan i bought for 98 cents and sold for 17 dollars. you just have to know what to look for, i guess. it just so happens that the things i like interest other people too, and that feels kinda good.

[adapt]

oh, if you wanna check out the shop, www.myspace.com/daylightsavingsvintage

[Jay2TheRescue]

Sounds like you picked up some great stuff and had fun doing it.  What kind of store do you have?  That sounds like fun but also a lot of work to have a store. 

When I go out west again this spring/summer I'll have to look closer at those stores in Oregon.  I've only been to a few towns in Oregon, mostly tourist towns and didn't find much in the thrift stores that I wanted.  But for what you're looking for I probably saw some and didn't "see" it. 

I know there are people who make money buying and selling clothes but I don't know the first thing about it.  So it will be interesting to learn about.   

myself and two other friends own a vintage resale shop. we're only open fridays and saturdays.  i really like doing it, there's something really satisfying about seeing someone pick up something you personally picked out and liking it enough to throw down cash for it. its really nice to know that people trust yr intuition that much that they look to you for fashion tips, on a slightly alternate plane.

its very likely that you, and most of the other users on this site have glossed over items that i could personally turn around and sell for five or six times what i paid. most recently were a shirt i paid 1.50 for and sold for 45, a shirt i paid a quarter for and sold for 18, and other things, i.e. a cardigan i bought for 98 cents and sold for 17 dollars. you just have to know what to look for, i guess. it just so happens that the things i like interest other people too, and that feels kinda good.

I've done exactly the same thing with phones and vintage housewares.  I once bought a model 1500 telephone in ugly rose beige.  It was dirty, heavily scratched, and the baseplate was rusting badly.  I almost didn't buy it.  $1 took it home.  I merely wiped it down to get the loose dirt off and took pictures.  I listed it on Ebay that night with photos and a detailed description of all the defects.  It sold within hours at a Buy It Now price of $75. 

The model 1500 is very rare as they were only made for about a year and a half in the mid 60's, and almost all of them were converted to model 2500's when they were refurbished by the telephone company.  To get a model 1500 in nice condition they start at $150 & up.

-Jay

[dukek9]

Sorry, but my first thought was, "why would someone want to pay $75 for the phone, even if it is very rare one." 

But then I realized, gee I like many things that others would find very strange or wonder why in the world I wanted it.  So good for yuo guys for looking at things and bieng able to find things that other people are delighted with.

Dee (and now I can impress my geek friends with a bit of telephone history!)

[Scott]

... vintage penguin cardigans ...

Carigans? As in plural, more than one? My jealousy meter just peaked. I'm a huge sucker for anything Penguin. My wardrobe is probably over 50% Munsingwear. Unfortunately I have a really tough time finding any in thrifts!

[adapt]

yeah, i found two.. a blue-grey and a light brown. they were both the older green tag munsingwear. both were under a dollar.