We're going to Renninger's!

[Good Buddy]

In about 20 minutes Cookie and I are going to meet LizardSally for breakfast.
After that we're making the 1 hour trek to a Renninger's Extravaganza.
http://www.renningers.com/
We're meeting SeSo and her husband as well as Troy McClure and his lady.
Yes BDA I have the camera at the ready.

It would be neeto for a bunch of us to meet in a city and rent a bus and do a few days of thrifting. I see it in our future. (I am clairvoyant by the way)

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

Hey, have a GREAT time. Renninger's has no idea what it's in for. :-)

[ChrisMiss]

Wow!  I can hardly wait for pictures and details.  I love flea markets too.  Hint, hint.

[Scott]

Makes me wish I lived down in your neck of the woods, Good Buddy! How about a cross-country thrift shopping safari?

... Actually a friend and I did that 10 or so years ago for our summer vacation: packed up the car and drove from Minneapolis to South Carolina, stopping at every thrift store along the way. It was tons of fun, and the car was loaded to the brim when we returned home!

[Jay2TheRescue]

In about 20 minutes Cookie and I are going to meet LizardSally for breakfast.
After that we're making the 1 hour trek to a Renninger's Extravaganza.
http://www.renningers.com/
We're meeting SeSo and her husband as well as Troy McClure and his lady.
Yes BDA I have the camera at the ready.

It would be neeto for a bunch of us to meet in a city and rent a bus and do a few days of thrifting. I see it in our future. (I am clairvoyant by the way)

Haven't we already done this?  I think the thrifting trip in Daytona last summer where we drove my grandfather's car qualifies.  Whether you call it a tank, the Lead Sled, a whale, or my personal favorite :  Das Boat, it was huge... 

-Jay

[Vintage Soul]

Have a great time! I can't wait to hear all about it and see the photographic evidence of all the fun you'll inevitably have!

[Zed Simon]

Man, I jumped when I read "Renningers." Then I realized you went to the one in Florida. And I felt a lot better knowing I didn't miss a chance to meet you in PA, where the other Renningers is. We'll have to shoot for May or September when the radio fairs are happening there.

[Good Buddy]

Haven't we already done this?  I think the thrifting trip in Daytona last summer where we drove my grandfather's car qualifies.

I'm talking 20-50 of us.... Meeting everyone so far has been great.
I'm meaing a real many day excursion..


We had alot of fun. SeSo and hubby were really nice. Troy McClure couldn't make it for kid reasons but we all had a good time.
I got some bellydance records for Cookie. some Martin Denny for me and some vintage magazines. SeSo got a set of dished and some french fries, mmmmm.
Our legs are completely dead. We walked for 6 strait hours.
I'll post some pics of there and our haul tomorrow.. Toooo tired to focussssss..........

[SecondhandSophisticate]

Hey Guys--We had the BEST time yesterday!  It couldn't have been more perfect if we had ordered.  Good Buddy and Cookie and LizardSally all ROCK!!!!  What fun it was to be with fellow thrifters. For me especially, it was great to step outside my own little thrift world and see it through other thrifters' experiences.

And LizardSally saved me money, too  with her knowledge and optimism. Thanks again

The dishes I got finally (I say finally because I--actually, DH--found them at the last booth we visited after SIX hours of thrifting) were:  Red Wing Merrileaf!!! Six Dinner plates, Six salad plates, six saucers, six cups and two platters! All in excellent condition (no chips this time, fellow thrifters...had eagle-eye DH check 'em out for me )

(Help me, I am still a Dishaholic and now my DH is enabling me!!)

I also got, at this same booth, three Danish Modern wood candle holders in varying sizes, which I've wanted for years but didn't want to spend the $$ (I found some yesterday marked $245 for the set. I wonder if they were whittled by God at that price)  Mine were wayyyyyyyy cheaper.

Most of the time I was in sticker shock. After feeding at the bottom of the barrel for so long (thrifts), to enter "socially acceptable" thrifting (flea markets)--and Flea Market royalty at that--Rennigers!--was quite the change! Of course, there was tons of Pyrex, all appropriately marked up.  Plus, my rule of trying not to buy anything for big $$ if I "know" I'll see it at a thrift someday for a lot less was called into play--a lot. There is where fellow thrifters' opinions and experiences come in handy, as well as the presence of DH )

In the end, it all worked out perfectly!

Ciao, dahlings!
SeSo

PS: Good Buddy, somebody bought that fabulous hanging lamp I showed you just minutes after DH and I left to get the car to pick up the dishes. It appeared to be another dealer   I'm sure it's on sale today at another booth for triple the price      

[Good Buddy]

Here's a couple pictures from yesterday.

This first shot is Cookie meeting SeSo and her husband Peter. Peter built the space shuttle all by himself! (I'm kidding, he's a project manager at N.A.S.A.)
SeSo and Sally both had long shirts under their tops and both shed them after a few hours.



This next pic is from a little later after we all got into a good shopping groove.
In the pic is Peter, Cookie and Sally. SeSo's Orange bonnet is in the background..



We each shopped together and separately. All the while keeping track of where we all were.
We most definitely lost folks from sight, but they'd show up eventually and maybe drag us to a booth to check out an interesting find.
Cookie and I spend about $15 dollars each and learned how to shop Renninger's.
Next time we'll bring a cooler and take a brake or two. Plus we'll only go on Sunday when the dealers will be most likely to make you a deal..

Ciao!

GB

[SecondhandSophisticate]

Nice pics!

I second going on a Sunday, too. Sally knows when those "extravaganza" weekends are. Maybe the last one of the season, before the dealers head "up Nawth" for the summer and they don't want to pack all their stuff up .  There might be some great bargains!

[Other People s Junk]

That looks like FUN!  That is great you were able to get together to go! 

[Cookie]

Yes, we did have lots of fun.  Way too much stuff to see in one day.  It was so great to meet you and your DH, Seso!  At least the high prices kept our Pyrexia at bay.  My calves are still burning from walking up and down those hills.  GB and I are both stumbling around on our dead legs today.  He's also officially a redneck now with his sunburned neck.   

[Zed Simon]

I second going on a Sunday, too.

Your Renningers is open on Sundays?!

[Big Daddy Audio]

A trip - yes - good idea.

With the pictures - I kept hearing the theme tune to Bargain Hunt...

Cue David Dickinson:
"The red team today is Michael and Cookie, self-styled gurus of the thrift store and charity shop circuit.  Tell us about some of your recent adventures."

and

"On the blues today are Seso and her husband the NASA engineer.  Let's hope some of their items wind up with prices in orbit at next week's auction."

As for the several day excursion, that could be a lot of fun, but we'd really have to caravan, each driving our own vans with banners on the side.  Doing it in a Geo Metro just wouldn't allow for the humongous haul we'd all be expecting.  In addition, a pick-up wouldn't afford the security we'd need.  Maybe a U-Haul straight truck....

See you next time
by for now