WOW! I stand in awe of your thrift-ability!

I buy a lot of my shirts from thrift stores, but nothing that really qualifies as a "score."

Fabulous. Years ago I bought a man's Aquascutum camel coat for £1 ($2) in a jumble sale. I'd watch a few men try it on and could see it was small. It fit my then husband (who is one of nature's whippets) as if it was bespoke.

And when I was in NYC in October I bought this jacket in a thrift store - beautiful soft suede, for $15. It's brand new and is washable suede. I love getting a bargain.

My past is littered with clothing that was a deal like that which I WISH I had bought.

I'll bet he's pretty fetching in it!

Thrift store finds are the best. LOVE the thrifting!

My last favorite find was a rich pink silk 1930s evening jacket for $15. Awesome!

Thirft stores are what I miss most about living in Cleveland. There aren't too many around where I live now in Central Jersey. That's what I get for not living in a poor city anymore.

Indeed, Cleveland (and NE Ohio in general--have you ever been to the thrift stores in Akron, or Parma, for example?) has some of the best thrift shopping in the country.

You've got good thrift stores down there! Around here, it's just people's discarded Walmart stuff.

jrossi, if you ever have a chance to get to Lansdale, the Impact thrift store there is fantastic. The well-heeled in the area all donate their goodies and there are tons of designer duds for dirt cheap.

Thirft shops are awesome. A friend of mine got a almost-new Hugo Boss suit from one. It couldn't have been worn more than once or twice, and had never even been tailored.

Around here the best are the St. Vincent De Paul's ones, since the "old money" in Buffalo is all Catholic, and tend to donate to them.

Ooh, Lansdale is only an hour or so from me. I'll have to check it out some weekend.

the Impact thrift store there is fantastic
Yeah, but the money goes to fund some anti-gay, anti-choice organizations. (It takes some poking around to figure that out, since they don't really spell it out. But it's undeniable.) :-(

Huh I didn't know that...that totally sucks. Crap.

They help some good organizations, too. But they also support The Urban Family Council who have worked to oppose gay adoption and same-sex partner benefits in Philly.

Yeah, but the money goes to fund some anti-gay, anti-choice organizations.

Ouch. I suppose the same could be said of St. Vinnies here in Buffalo, since the Cathiolic chuch is an anti-gay, anti-choice group. However, I do know the store's money all goes to support the soup kitchen and homeless shelter in the same building. (another reason why it's THE place for deals. A lot of the people who thrift for their antique stores/ebay businesses are afraid of it since you have to mingle with the homeless in the lobby).

That is awesome, iconomy! It looks so sumptuous and expensive. (It is!) What a score!

I'm just jealous; silly Greek people do not have thrift shops.

I'm not sure what the best thing I got from a thrift store was when I lived in the U.S. ... two definite things I remember were an Italian stovetop espresso maker (and this was back when no place other than 4-5 star restaurants would offer espresso, and most US people didn't even know what it was), and a great cast iron skillet (which we should have brought with us when we moved, since this country doesn't have those either - *fume*)

For a period of about 10 years, I pretty much wore nothing but retro/antique clothes, so there are a lot of those things I could mention here, but never mind - they're too specific, and I couldn't adequately describe them anyway. Let's just say I was very '30s in the '80s, and it suited my look. and, omg, it's coming uh huh back again; I've obviously lived too long if I'm experiencing the second renaissance of an era. oi.

iconomy, that jacket is totally Pierce Brosnan. In a good way.

My best thriftstore find was years and years ago, in like, 1994 or 1995. Grunge was still in, and I wanted to be truly grunge, so I made my mom go to one of the stores in the village with me -- I don't think this one is around anymore, actually. We got this amazing blue and white plaid flannel jacket that, looking back, was horrifically ugly. But it meant that I could have that flannel look even when I was outdoors.

Now that I think about it, all I can do is remember how terrible grunge was. I hope it doesn't resurface any time soon.

This may not be popular but several years ago I went to my favorite thrift store in Atlantic Highlands and found a vintage fur jacket for $25.00. And it fit! I also found a long mens coat that I wore until it fell apart for $5.00 there. I loved that thrift store; I really need to get back there.

As a side note: years ago I found an antique book (I collect antique books) that I really enjoyed in a secondhand store. Fast forward a few years, and I found a second book by the same author (published in the 1870s) in another secondhand store. Two different states: the first was in Maine, the second here in New Jersey. And just last year, in a used book store, I found yet another book also by the same author!

Paging jonmc: If you find any books by Marietta Holley, let me know!

This may not be popular but several years ago I went to my favorite thrift store in Atlantic Highlands and found a vintage fur jacket for $25.00. And it fit!

Personally, I see nothing wrong with vintage fur. My mindset is, if the animals would have already died of natural causes, it's OK now.

But then, I have to justify wearing my grandmother's fur swing coat from the 40s she gave me somehow. ;)

My favorite long-sleeve button-up shirt came from "Sally Ann's" in newish condition. One of my friends in high school got a 1940s leather bomber jacket there for about $5.

Our Salvation Army is downtown and staffed by some really mellow dudes. You occasionally find neat stuff there.

Our St. Vincent's is near the malls in suburbia ("the Valley") and has a large staff of uptight people. Even though they have much more space, they only have crap. I've heard that the staff and their families cherry pick heavily from the donations room.


The funniest thing I've seen in a thrift store was a 1950s or 60s electric vibrator with multiple attachments and the original box. For a brief time it was *on display*, box open, at a table near the front door, uncleaned, with human hair wrapped-around and stuck to the rubber attachments. It was obviously a well-used and loved toy. The staff had to know, right?