Your Guide to Scoring Thrift and Vintage Finds

Why buy used when you can buy new?  That is a valid question.  The great thing about buying thrift or vintage is you will gather unique pieces for your home that won’t look so commercial or ordinary and typically at a better price than retail.  These pieces will be unique to your home, and your friends and family be impressed with your creativity. 

In the case of antique and vintage buys there is a lot of history that goes with those pieces, and you can just imagine all stories that go behind your find.  With thrift buys these are really great for using as intended, but you will also feel great about painting, upcycling, and reworking your item because the cost is so low! 

For all thrift and vintage shopping, it’s essential to know what you are looking for and once it is purchased, what you will do with it!  Don’t buy something just to buy it, make sure you will have a place to display your treasures when you get home! 

I have/will continue to post my vintage and thrift finds as they come my way, and how I incorporate them into my home.  You may be surprised by some finds and I hope it inspires you to buy antique/thrift!  Below is the essential guide to buying antique, auction, thrift, and rummage.  I have acquired this knowledge through a childhood and adulthood of being dragged to vintage and thrift stores by my parents.  Now it has become a passion!  I hope these tips and tricks will help you on your adventures!

Antique Stores

What is sold in an antique store is generally………old.  These are pieces that have value for their age, quality, and collectability.  Typically, the rarer the piece and the better the condition, the more money it will cost you.  This is one of the pricier options to buy your accessories and pieces.  The benefit is you will get something truly antique with a lot of history.    

When looking for an item it can be overwhelming to look through all the glass cases and displays filled with stuff, you will be looking at literally hundreds if not thousands of items.  It is really important to know what types of accessories, colors, etc. you are looking for.  This is really helpful to have in mind so you can use a scanning technique when looking over the cases and booths.  Quickly scanning all the items will be a real time saver for you!

The way typical antique stores operate is that they are composed of different sellers or dealers.  Each seller has their own booth or a nook in the store, so all similar or like items will not be placed in the same area.  Don’t be afraid to ask if you are looking for a particular item, if not happy scanning!

Pieces that you look for in an antique store should be purchased for their unique look, feel, antique value, or sentimentality.  Since antiques are the priciest way to buy used I do not recommend altering these items.  It is senseless to spend $50 on a figurine that you will just end up spray painting white.  For those items that you are going to alter buy thrift or rummage sale. It’s also very important to check the prices.  Sometimes one small thing about an item makes it really valuable, such as the year or the color of a feature, and if you are purchasing the item for aesthetics and “cuteness” rather than for it’s antique value you can often find something similar at a cheaper price. 

Auction

An auction is where items are up for sale do not have set prices and are sold to the highest bidder.  The content of the auction items can vary so read the description and know what types of items are up for bid.  If you had your heart set on vintage furniture you will be outta luck if you show up at a farm tool auction.

Come ½ hour early so you can look over, touch, and hold all of the items you are interested in bidding on.  It usually varies from auction to auction, BUT typically once you win a bid it’s yours and you can’t change your mind if you find something you don’t like about your piece after the fact.  You will usually get a sheet of all the items up for auction.  Use this sheet to mark items you are interested in.  It is easy to tune out of the bidding (an entire auction can last for HOURS!) so by circling the numbers of the items you want you can keep checking in to see if the bidding is close.

Set a price, know what you are willing to spend on an item and stick to it.  It is easy to get caught up in a bidding war and spending a lot more than you had planned on.  Also, make sure to do your homework on your items and make sure you know what they are worth!  Usually you can get a good deal and will pay less than antique store price, but there are those instances where an item goes for considerably more than it is worth.

Sit in the back.  This seems a little contrary because for everything else the “good seats” are in the front.  If you are in the back you can see everyone who is bidding on an item and how many people you are bidding against.  You must have a number to bid, and you hold it in the air to place a bid.  There will usually be a person that will either point or gesture at you or say “YEP” really loud to indicate that they have taken your bid.  If you are in a bidding war after this generally a nod to the auctioneer will indicate that you are upping the ante.  If all else fails just watch everyone else and you will pick it up fast.

The auctioneer (who talks VERY fast so pay attention) will typically start out with a higher number, so avoid holding up your number to bid at the very beginning.  The numbers will keep going lower and lower until someone makes in initial bid.  I think it’s best to let someone else have the first bid so you don’t start your bidding to high.

Very important: If an item up for bid says “choice” that means that the bidding is for only ONE item, your choice, not both or all items.  Typically if you win the bid for choice you will have the opportunity to buy the other items in the choice for the same price. 

Goodwill/Thrift Stores

Items found at thrift stores are used items that people have donated or sold to the store.  However, at some thrift stores you will be able to find new items in the packaging.  Typically these items aren’t old enough or have enough value to be considered antiques, but sometimes you can find hidden treasures.

I will first say that it takes courage to walk into a thrift store.  Yes, it may smell weird in there.  Yes, some people have a phobia of used items and only want new.  And yes, you may encounter some unique individuals and ugly sweaters in the store.  BUT concentrate on the good prices and deals you are getting, and after a couple trips there you will get butterflies in your stomach at just the thought of going!

Thrift stores are a GREAT place to get items that you want to repurpose, paint, tear apart, etc. because the prices are also great.  I found an amazing chair (which I couldn’t buy because it violated my rule of “you need someplace to put it”) for $3.00!!  Some new upholstery and it would have made an amazing desk chair!  Thrift stores are also an excellent place to get glassware.  You will often find jars, vases, cake covers, etc. at excellent prices.   Also, a lot of people, as I mentioned before, only like new items.  These are the people that continuously buy new accessories and if you’re lucky give their “old” (meaning older than 2 years) items away.  You can buy these items for a great price at Goodwill and benefit from their foolishness.

One thing to consider when shopping thrift is what neighborhood the store is in.  Items donated or sold to the thrift store typically come from the people living in the community.  A poor community may have less “good buys” than a neighborhood that is more wealthy. 

Most times you can bargain and negotiate at these stores and get them for slightly less than sticker price.  Also, some stores have sales on certain days for certian types of items so it is good to get to know the workers and find out what days the deals are offered.   

Rummage Sale

This is probably the cheapest way to buy.  People are looking to get rid of there stuff and are more likely to give you a bigger discount and make better deals for you to haul their stuff away.  However, sometimes you do run across sales where people think all their items should be worth their weight in gold.  Bargaining with these people is typically senseless.  They key to getting a good deal is bring cash, and by that I mean small bills and change.  It's easier to bargin when you have smaller amounts than it is to talk your guy down $5 and then having to ask for change from your $50 bill.  Also rummage sales may not have enough change to give back to you and you will either have to pay more or not get your item.   

Like buying at Goodwill, you can feel good about painting, cutting, chopping, re-doing your pieces because you don’t have too much money invested.  With rummage sales also adhere to the neighborhood rule.  Those neighborhoods with wealthier people will be able to afford items with more quality therefore selling their used quality items to you!  And like at auctions, make sure to read the description in the newspaper or online.  If the advertisement is for baby clothes and toys, it is unlikely you will find the cheap furniture you are looking for. 

It is essential to go early.  To get the deals you have to be the person lurking five minutes before the thing opens.  Your creepiness will pay off in the form of cheap bargains.  It is also important to pay attention to what days the sale is being held.  If you are planning on going on Saturday morning and the rummage sale started on Friday, no matter how early you get there on Saturday the good stuff is probably already picked over.  For your rummage sale adventures, it is always good to have a plan of attack.  Map out a route of sales in the same area and conquer! It saves time and energy to hit all the sales in one area before moving onto the next area.  Otherwise you may find yourself running across town for each sale you go to! 

I hope this guide helped and happy thrift and vintage shopping!  Does anybody else have any tips and tricks they would like to share? 

Going Once, Going Twice, Sold! My First Auction

I went to an action this weekend with my dad.  I will first tell you that auctions are in my blood.  You bet on your life that you will find my father and grandfather at auctions, rummage sales, and antique stores every weekend and some weekdays.  It never fails.  Since these activities were the only way I could bond with my father as a child I have developed a love of antiquing and rummage sailing.  However, I had never been to an auction and I desperately wanted to go after seeing an episode of Sarah’s House on HGTV where she got amazing furniture she restored at rock bottom prices. 

This particular auction didn’t have any furniture but it did have fast talking men yelling out numbers.  Also, the bar opened at 11:00 am so I figured it was a win win situation.  The auction was put on by Bronk Auctions and all images below are from their webpage.  There were several items that I thought were amazing such as this Baker’s Cocoa shipping crate (It would be an interesting piece to use as side table with tons of bonus storage), the yellow cracker tin on the left (for the spare bedroom to add a touch of vintage), and the unique Tom Moore cigar jar (on the left hand side and second in). 

I decided what item I wanted the most (the cigar jar) and held out for that, because my budget was exactly $23.00.  If the price was right for the other items (ie under $15.00) I would have jumped at them, BUT they went for way over that. 

I can tell you that nothing gets your heart pumping like bidding on an item!  I bowed out at $17.50 against two other people for the cigar jar, but then impulsively jumped back in at $22.50 to seal the deal.  I just couldn’t let it get away!  It was a victorious feeling taking home my jar, and very sentimental. Here is my brand-new-vintage cigar jar:

Continuing on the theme of sentimentality I wanted to know the history of a jar like this and looked to the internet to help me find my way.  It turns out that the internet failed me.  I could only find old Tom Moore cigar boxes/humidors and it doesn’t appear that this jar is a humidor because it is not big enough to hold cigars and the thingie (technical term, I know) that keeps the moisture in.  The hubs thinks it may be a display for the cigars.  We couldn’t find anything about where the factory was located, beyond in Minneapolis, MN, what happened to the company, or anything about Tom Moore.  It is a mystery not even Wikipedia could solve!

Check back in for the fate of the jar and where it ended up in our house.  Any ideas? 

 

Empty Picture Frames Part II: Paint and Hang

After you decided on your shades/colors for your empty frames via this post be sure to number each frame, both on your diagram and on the frame, like I did with the pink sticky notes.  You may think this is overkill but wait until you have 8 frames drying without any labels.  It is a mess figuring out where they go back into the cluster.  Numbering the frames also helps you know what shade or color each frame should be.

I went to Michaels and chose white, black, and medium gray acrylic paint.  Martha Stewart suggests semi gloss paint, but since that has a hefty price tag I went with acrylic.  The only downfall to acrylic is that it is easily scratched off so avoid moving the frames too much after they have dried.  If you take them straight from the floor to the wall you should be good to go!

I started painting the lightest frames first and then mixed the paint to progressively darker shades.  The frame material depended on how many coats of paint they needed, but it was typically one to two coats.  Make sure you paint the insides of the frames so you don’t see their natural color when you are looking at them sideways on the wall. 

After they had dried completely I again laid them out on the floor (over a trash bad) to see if I liked the effect and if any frame colors needed to be tweaked, and of course they did. 

After everything had completely dried (I left it overnight just to be safe) I cut paper sheets to the size of every frame and again numbered them.  I know, I know I may be going overboard with this numbers thing but you can never be to sure. 

Using these tools, and my printed diagram as my guide, I taped the sheets up to the wall and tweaked until it was perfect (notice the numbers). 

After I painted I realized that some of the pictures didn’t have hooks to hang on the wall with.  I bought some simple hangers from Target and nailed them on the back.  Make sure they are centered or your picture will hang crooked.  This is really a step you should do BEFORE you paint, but I guess I was too focused on the numbers thing to think this through. 

Anyhoo! The hubs did the grunt work of hanging the frames to the corresponding numbers.  Since I am controlling and my anxiety was at level 100, my hubs kicked me out while he was nailing.  He did a perfect job of course.  Afterwards we got a little something like this:

So here’s the budget rundown:

Frames: $8.00

Paint: $5.00

Hammer, painters tape, paper: FREE!

Hangers: $4.00

Total Project Budget: $17.00!

Empty Picture Frames Part I: Find and Cluster

I have been looking for something to fill my long spare bedroom wall since we moved in.  I needed it to be cheap, because we’re poor like that, but still look good.  I was inspired by these pictures:



Martha Stewart



The Nester

Tip Junkie

I fell in LOVE with the monochromatic Martha Stewart picture on top.  It seemed to have more depth and character than the frames that were painted all one color and I definitely needed some character in this plain room.  The great thing about the empty frame approach is that you can truly customize it to your space to make it fit and fill your wall without making it look empty. 

My first step was to find me some old picture frames. 

The most important things to remember when looking for frames are:

1. Don’t pay attention to the color!  You will paint over that nasty pink so don’t let it sway you!
2. Get different sizes, from big to small – it gives the cluster more dimension.
3. Vary in frame width – look for both chunky and thick frames to narrow and skinny and everything in between.
4. Don’t be afraid of different shapes – throw in a circle, oval, or perfect square!
5. Texture matters – look for frames with interesting details, lines, groves, and patterns.

I thought Goodwill would be the best place to start, but I was sorely mistaken.  I came out empty handed because the one picture frame I did find that would work was $6.00, and since I needed around 13-14 frames to make the cluster big enough for the wall the $6.00 frame didn’t make the cut.

The best thing you can do is ask your family and friends if they have any old and outdated picture frames you can use.  As soon as I mentioned this project to my mother she informed me that the thrift store Up North she goes to had a bunch of frames for FREE!  Major score!  I made the trip ASAP and came out with 13 frames for $8.00 – not to bad!

The next step is to cluster!  Well technically you take the glass and pictures out of the frames first, then it’s onto clustering. Lay the picture frames out on the floor first so you can get an idea of how the arrangement will look.  Start with your bigger pieces as anchors and let your smaller pieces be the fillers. Don’t focus on making it perfectly balanced, an asymmetrical look is great, as long as you are loving the look!  I also like the idea of putting smaller frames in bigger frames or using letters in your cluster! Play with the arrangement until you get something that you are satisfied with.  I came up with this:

Don’t mind the pink stickies, I’ll get to them later. 

Next, since I am a bit anal retentive, I drew up a quick sketch of the arrangement and created something similar on Microsoft Publisher being sure to make the background a similar shade to my wall.  I created squares with the shape feature and adjusted their width to match the frames.  What’s the purpose of this you ask? Well, I wanted to decide on colors and shades before I jumped into painting.  I first started out with a mix of yellows and grays, but then decided on monochromatic gray color scheme that would make my yellow bedspread pop!  I came up with something like this:

Check back in for Empty Picture Frames Part II: Paint and Hang!

Welcome to The Domestic Domicile!

I am starting a blog to share my DIY and design inspirations, ideas, and projects.  I will write about all things DIY, décor, and I’ll throw in a little food for the right combination of all things that make our rental a home.  Read a little more about me here.  I am an absolute novice and enjoy learning along the way.  I am excited to share all my projects, finds, and foodie type things with you!