Silverplated tea sets, Waterford, Lennox and Mikasa and crystals and fine china, Imperial Aubusson rugs, fancy mirrors, Michael Amini, Lexington, Hooker and Bernhardt furniture have always been part of my vision of me living in style. My now erstwhile friend would always tell me, “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.” He knew that my economic realities made those things, “Pies on a sky-high shelf.”
For years I was content to live vicariously through movies, watching with the unquenched desire to lie in one of those sleigh or poster beds draped in rich fabric and decorated with the patterned and tassled throw pillows, pour from that silver service tea set, spill wine from my delicate crystal glass onto my plush carpet, have dinner under the dimmed light of my chandelier… On a civil servant’s salary this was ought but a dream; well, that was until I discovered thrift.
Penny shares her story of how thrift shopping has transformed her family’s life. She recalls the first time her cousin cautiously suggested that they visit a thrift store. She remembers hesitantly agreeing to go because she was not keen on buying discarded items. Further, she did not want people thinking that they were so poor that they had to be shopping at the Salvation Army store. Today the family will tell you proudly that their go-to store is the thrift store. And if you visit their home you will understand why.
The king-sized Michael Amini cortina bedroom set is luxury personified, and yes there is the Croscill comforter set complete with decorative pillows and yes there is the Aubusson rug but no evidence of spilled wine. If you stayed long enough we would dine by the dimmed light of the chandelier and eaten from Noritake or Mikasa china, but the chime of the Ridgeway grandfather clock reminded us it was time to leave, so hesitantly we placed our crystal glasses atop the marble-topped bar and bade farewell. Yes, all these were bought from thrift stores.
“In just 2 years we were able to transform our space” Penny told Sleek. “It means a lot to us because we work hard so after a long stressful day at work when we open that door and step inside, we feel enveloped in comfort. Each piece of furniture has its story; even those that are sets were not necessarily bought together but we have become experts at thrift shopping. We have come to love our space so much that sometimes we have separation issues. We find it difficult to leave home and are always anxious to get back when we leave. Thrift has changed our lives; my husband loves it as much as I do,”
she said.
Shopping thrift is cost effective, you get great items for unbelievably low prices; you can thrift flip , that is make adjustments to items you purchase to make them more to your liking or taste; you can start a business as many have done by buying items and reselling them, and if you are keen on preserving the environment just think of the contribution you are making by decreasing the amount that goes to landfill and reducing the need for more production that would further deplete our natural resources. Next time you think of shopping why not think thrift.
