Today I want to talk about my one true love. Just kidding, I don’t play favorites. ;) But thrifting and antiquing are two things I could do for hours and hours on end. I have learned that we all have our own ways of thrifting that can make the experience very happy and rewarding. Here are ten things I like to keep in mind while searching for vintage goodies.

1. Get to know your local thrift stores. In college, I went on thrifting adventures probably every week. There weren’t tons of thrift stores around, but I had a familiar loop I would always make. I knew which shops had really good vintage clothes and which ones had lots of cute fabric. I also knew which ones I should just skip if I was in a rush. It helps to thrift often in your hometown because you can get to know the different vibes of each store, when they get new items, etc.

2. Try on clothes. Vintage sizes are way different from our sizes today. I don’t know any specific details about the size charts of decades past – I just know that I have fallen in love with items in just about every size. If you think something looks like it’s your size (even if the tag says otherwise), try it on!

3. Research. Items in thrift stores and antique shops are priced based on the discretion of the employees, vendors, etc. A quick google search will tell you how much these items are actually selling for online. It might be more or less than what you’re paying. At an antique fair last summer, I bought a 1970’s mushroom jar. It was adorable and I think I paid 18 dollars for it. A couple weeks later, I found a bunch of them at the Goodwill for a lot cheaper. Didn’t realize just how common those mushroom jars were.

This is also something to keep in mind at antique malls, as the vendors all have different pricing methods. Once I bought a pair of beautiful marigold glass teacups (seen above) for less than five dollars at an antique mall. Later, I discovered the same teacups at another vendor’s booth for $20. Yikes!

4. Know when to buy something and when to walk away. Cheap doesn’t equal necessary. One year, I bought one too many floral vintage Stoneware plates because my local Goodwill sold them for a dollar each. Cute as they are, they just sit in a box now and take up space. Like the mushroom jars, those plates are very common. Having collections is neat, but I probably should have stopped after two or three plates.

5. Explore thrift stores and antique malls in new towns. Whenever I am in a new place with time to spare, I search on my phone for thrift stores in the area. Other cities have different demographics, creating more or less competition for antique goodies. The best thrifting/antiquing adventure I ever had was in a small town way out in the country. It wasn’t exactly full of competitive thrifters, so I found so many more treasures than I might somewhere like San Francisco.

6. Consider whether something is fixable and/or practical. Once upon a time, I wanted to sell vintage clothing. I thrifted tons of dresses, most of which were pretty cute with the occasional flaw. Some had styles that I wanted to change. I figured I could hem them myself or get them tailored. But I don’t sew and it looks like I never had the patience to get them tailored because they are still sitting in a box (or back at the thrift store).

Another time, I bought a filing cabinet for seven dollars with plans to paint it and use it for yarn and crafts. I stocked up on spray paint and spent hours in the sun painting. The inside of the drawers were pretty grody and I eventually decided I didn’t even want to deal with them. I let the filing cabinet sit out in the rain in the side yard. It was a ridiculous DIY fail moment. Moral of the story – that was an impractical buy.

7. Coordinate a little. (Unless you’re super funky and eclectic. In that case, disregard this tip.) Whenever I move, I dream big about decorating the house, my room, etc. Usually, I just have a bunch of random thrifted items. Sometimes I end up asking myself why I bought these things in the first place.

8. Regift. Maybe you have a friend who collects midcentury kitchenware and you bought one too many ’70s floral glass tumblers. Getting rid of cute vintage items is a lot harder than getting rid of generic things that you can buy anywhere. Knowing that you’re giving these gems to a friend who loves vintage as much as you will make it easier.

9. Stay focused. Some people say that you should never go thrifting with a plan because you just never know what you might find. However, staying a little focused helps me to a) not buy so many things I don’t need and b) get through the store faster. Thrifting is one of my favorite things in the world, but it does get exhausting. Crowds + vintage fumes + getting suddenly hangry = one unhappy thrifter. I find it’s best to be quick and stay on track.

10. Use your resources. In every town, there is probably at least someone who loves thrift and antique shops, and that someone just might have a blog. I once came across a blog that reviewed every single thrift store in my county. It was so helpful! There are also a couple of free apps I love. Yard Sale Treasure Map is one of my favorite apps of all time. It takes garage sale listings from Craigslist, puts them on a map, and lets you plan your own route for the day. Another good app is Flea Market Finder, which shows you the thrift shops in your area. You can favorite locations and even add more shops to the map.

 

These tidbits have come in handy for me and I hope they’re useful to you as well. Happy thrifting!!

(don’t forget to enter my giveaway! click here if you want to win an Earl Grey Shop bundle.)