shop talk: vintage finds



Finding treasure is somewhat of a hobby for me.  With a little free time and a travel size bottle of hand sanitizer I feel like I can conquer the world.... well, maybe just the local thrift store, but you get the idea!  Having a vintage section in my shop is a great excuse to fulfill my junking desires without going broke or cluttering up our home.  As I prepare to reopen my shop -after an embarrassingly long extended vacation- I've been busy photographing inventory (above), measuring items, listing and of course cleaning- because so.much.damn.dust.  If you love shopping for vintage (to keep or resale) these are a few tips I've learned along the way-

  • know what you want, but keep your eyes open for the unexpected
  • charge your phone and be prepared to research items online quickly if needed
  • be open to styles that you don't necessarily love (because someone else will!)
  • visit shops farther away from the city with less picking going on
  • check out places while on vacation, road trips, etc.
  • figure out your local shops schedule and sale days
  • go often and be prepared to dig, dig, dig
  • try visiting some smaller thrift shops instead of the corporate ones 
  • have sooooo much patience 
  • and finally, be nice to the employees =)

I'm usually only looking for home decor types of items and avoiding higher traffic spots in the store with smaller aisles (aka clothing/shoes).  There are other tips I would have included in my list if I were on the hunt for apparel like- trying things on, inspecting the entire piece and checking what types of materials were used- but for the sake of what I spend my time searching for,  I'll stick to what I know and can quickly share with you!  Happy hunting xx

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