Second Hand Love: Shopping thrift stores in Chapel Hill

You never know what you are going to find. That’s what makes it so awesome. Pawing through racks of acrylic sweaters with snowy Christmas landscapes, embarrassing cat shirts or tiny graphic patterns and funky buttons. You never know, and for me, the obscure finds are so good, it keeps me coming back hoping for more.

I have been finding the deals of a lifetime in thrift stores and garage sales since I was a little girl. Every Thursday my mother and I would go to our favorite thrift store in Missouri and pick through the odd colored and textured garments to find the one that would make us smile and run to the other in victory. It was here that my love of the hunt and passion for sweet one of a kind item was born. At first this philosophy was developed as survival, but today it has become a way of life.

A good friend of mine has the skills and passion for thrifiting that are rare and refined. We realized this commonality the first night we hung out, and have been cultivating our skills together ever since. The ability to spot and item and see it’s potential is not enough. It is equally important to be savvy and honest with yourself and to edit what you find. For example, not everything you find that is fabulous will be useful or look good on you. Only buy what you will use or wear.

I have a scale of 10 strategy that I always operate from. 0 would represent something horrible that even the kids in the painting department at RISD would never wear, and a “perfect 10” would represent excitement and joy. No alterations would be needed, it’s the right color, it fits like a dream, and you are going to wear it out tomorrow night. If I’m trying on a vintage dress several things will come into the equation that will help me decide whether or not to make the purchase or leave it for someone else. A mental conversation could go something like this: “This dress is really cute, hmm, it looks like I would need to take it in a bit here, the fabric looks a bit worn here, but not too bad, I could probably pull it off at work and wear a long sleeved shirt and tights under it to bring it into the winter, but I would have to bring it in a bit. I have been looking for something like this, and the pattern of the material is pretty great”, I look at the price tag again, “hmm, $10 is a lot to pay for this at GoodWill, but, it looks like a 9 on, I’ll put it in the “good” pile and decide when I’ve tried everything else on.” Remember, there is a great emphasis on not buying everything great you see. Consumer therapy is not the goal here.

When I moved away from my fellow thrifting partner, we started a project to help connect the 4-hour gap between us. We fill and trade a box full of scores we find from a thrift store or garage sale, and ship it back and forth. Each time we use the same medium sized box and include a letter. The box could be filled with anything from jewelry to clothes, to items for our home. This box has gone back and forth several times; every time I receive it, it feels like my Birthday. There is no pressure or expectation, only second hand love and fun. When we get together, several thrift stores are always involved, or a couple of garage sales, depending on the season. Her Birthday is coming up soon, and I am on the watch.

For your complete guide to thrifting and second hand love, please e-mail me. If you have tried and true methods you would like to share, please pass them along.