thrift store finds // 03.24.2011

i have an inventory of thrift stores that i visit regularly. some every week, some every few weeks. this morning i went to one of the thrift stores that is more infrequently browsed (because it's a bit of a trip), but one that almost always has a good find or two.



i have a thrifting theory. if you find one good item (i mean one really good item) at a thrift store, keep looking because there will be more. walk down every single aisle and look at every single shelf. good things come in numbers.



case in point? (no pun intended) this amazing vintage suitcase. this particular thrift store has a little cubby with shelves for its luggage storage and, i kid you not, my heart beamed when i saw a flash of hot berry pink in the corner.



vintage luggage can be deceiving. the outside may be in fantastic condition, but the inside lining can often be torn, stained, or just missing. imagine my dizziness when i opened the case to find a bright acid green lining in almost perfect vintage condition ♥



i snapped up the suitcase and made my way around the store. hanging on a random wall near the used sheets (it sounds disgusting, but there are great vintage patterns sometimes!) was this gorgeous needlepoint on burlap. the colors were a perfect match to the suitcase.



it's often a huge frustration to sort through the tons of plastic bags of jewelry in thrift stores. everything is thrown in together and most of it is costume jewelry from the eighties. this store never has any jewelry on display, but today they had this sweet vintage enamel brooch sitting on a shelf.



i'm a sucker for vintage record illustrations. i don't care so much about the music, but if it has a great cover, i'll buy it. children's records from the 1960s are the best.



anthropomorphic vegetables steal my heart.



if i had a spare dresser top, i'd display all my finds just like this. it was a great thrifting trip and inexpensive, as well. everything pictured cost me less than $10.00.

now let me show you what i didn't buy, but probably should have.



this was the little cubby full o' luggage today. i have never seen so much vintage samsonite at a thrift store in one day. this stuff can go for a pretty penny on etsy and ebay. in fact, i got a duplicate of that robin's egg blue suitcase in the middle and it sold to a buyer who was going to use it as a prop in a broadway show. i'm totally kicking myself now for not snapping that one up, as well.



also in the luggage section? these two lady baltimore cases from the 1950s.



i love the font on this logo.



the cases were a dark green-ish black and the interior was a gorgeous lilac, but they were quite stained and, though it was hard, i left them for another vintage lover.



call me crazy, but i love this dining set. the pedestal bases for the chairs and the table have the most fantastic geometric vibe. it was a relatively inexpensive find, but i have nowhere to store it until i move and it is a tad too 1970s for my personal taste.



salvation army in famers branch, you did not disappoint!