What was your first time

[lizardsally]

I don't remember my first time either.  I grew up in the outback of Australia and whenever we went into the big cities Mum would take us thrifting for new clothes, books and toys.  Usually she'd park my little brother by the toys and me by the books and then go off and search the racks for clothes for us.

[Cookie]

(except the orange plastic ashtray my friend Anna received from her Grandmother last year).

SeSo would be delighted to take this off Anna's hands.  She loves orange!!

The first time I vividly remember thrifting was when I was 7 years old in second grade growing up in Berkeley, CA.  My mom took my sister and I to a thrift store, Value Village, and let us pick out our own toys and clothes, and I was so thrilled that I could choose what I wanted.  The toys and clothes seemed more interesting because someone else had owned them, like they had this secret history.  It was as much fun as going to my friends houses and looking through their toys and clothes.  So I selected a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, some pink and purple checkered pants, and some white patent leather shoes.  It was 1974 and I was stoked about how cool I thought I looked.  I even remember running to school late one day and looking down at my awesome "new" shoes as I was running, and I have a vivid memory of taking that Mickey Mouse T-shirt out of the dryer and thinking, "Yay! I can wear it again!" 

[Big Daddy Audio]

I was a homeowner when I first went to "buy" at an actual thrift store.  When I was growing up, my family would make donations to the local St. Vincent de Paul, but we'd never buy there.  I think the first "thrifting" I did was buying used bicycles from the local want ads or at a police auction with my friend Fred.  I started thrifting for stereo gear, bikes, odds and ends, photographic things, and then was pretty much hooked.  I still am.

See you next time
bye for now

[dukek9]

My experience was exactly the same as Chris and that rurned me for thrift stores for a long time.

But finally a friend dragged me to one, a nice one, and that was cool, got some nice stuff.  So went to another one and so on . . . to the point now where I will be driving through a strange town and have my internal radar out for a thrift store and lo and behold, there it will be--beckoning to me.

[Tammy]

I have to revise my first time post.  While we were in Chicago 2 weekends ago to see Barry Manilow (my daughter bought me tickets for Christmas!) my husband reminded me that the first time we hit a thrift store was in May 1981 on our honeymoon which was in Chicago.  He hadn't packed a coat and it got very cold the day after we arrived so we wandered into a thrift store so he could buy a cheap coat since he had plenty back at home.  All I remember about the place was it was kind of nasty/dirty and we didn't stay in for very long.   

[Krisathome]

College in the mid 80's.  A friend and I took a trip to Denver and were too broke to shop the malls.  I found an old German made tin can and an cool man's blazer and was hooked.  Only problem was in my part of poduck Iowa, there wasn't much to choose from. 
I really didn't spend a lot of time thrifting until another friend and I started a little craft/gift basket business.  We would head to the bigger cities after Christmas and stock up on sales and thrift for a couple of days.  We got a motel room and shopped all weekend.  No kids, no husbands, no work....ah, I miss those days.  Ok, so I have a much better deal now since the thrift stuff comes right to me at work.  But I can still miss the fun of all day thrifting, can't I?

[Zed Simon]

First time? Had to be...lordy...15 or so years ago? There was a Goodwill in Quakertown, PA that I don't remember a whole lot about, other than that it was in the mall where the KMart was. Not long later, we spotted another Goodwill just south of Trenton, NJ on the way to the Columbus flea market (yes, there's also a Columbus in NJ) . That one I remember for its stunning amount of '60s-era merchandise, and oddball record collection. That's where I got my Leonard Nimoy LP for 49 cents  .

[Femme1]

My first time was when I was went to college at WVU, in Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1972. The Goodwill there was a huge mess of a place where I found the most incredible hippie garb---old 1930s print housedresses, beaded flapper bags, and one of the best things I ever found, a purple silk and lace evening gown that looked like an opera diva of the 1890s had worn. That became my elegant party dress for the next 10 years!

I was hooked on thrift stores then and I've never stopped haunting them since. I wish I had looked for more furniture in those days because I probably would have found some amazing stuff.

[foutchie]

Wow!  I bet you would have!

[valleythriftshopper]

My first time was when I was went to college at WVU, in Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1972. The Goodwill there was a huge mess of a place where I found the most incredible hippie garb---old 1930s print housedresses, beaded flapper bags, and one of the best things I ever found, a purple silk and lace evening gown that looked like an opera diva of the 1890s had worn. That because my elegant party dress for the next 10 years!

I was hooked on thrift stores then and I've never stopped haunting them since. I wish I had looked for more furniture in those days because I probably would have found some amazing stuff.

I think if I had been going to thrift stores back then I would be so disaapointed with them now, same with yard sales.  I bet you could find some real treasures back then before antiquing became en voque. 

[elementalcharmer]

My first time would have been during the early 70's in the Phoenix area. My mom loved to hit the swap meets and thrift stores every Saturday. Swap arama and park n swap were a mainstay. As were the local goodwill's and Salvation Armies. Even as I got older we still did the thrift stores  and swap meets on the weekends. I have always loved them and still do to this day.  It was not uncommon for me and my friends to hit the thrifts on Saturdays and have contests to see who could find certain categories...i.e. weirdest items, coolest items, etc

[aGentlerTime]

I do think my first thrift shop was at Okinawa Japan, Kadena Air Force Base Thrift Store.  That was in 1979........<smirk> Im old