With the office refresh underway, my thrifting hobby has turned into a part-time job. I couldnt be happier to have a legitimate reason to browse Facebook marketplace, Goodwill and estate sales on a weekly (daily) basis, but thrifting can be a disheartening endeavor if you're not finding anything you love. Or think you found the deal of the century only to bring it home and realize it’s really someone else's trash.
I've made all the thrifting mistakes so let me spare you the heartache (and expense and clutter-clearing goodwill drop off runs), see below for my top 5 secondhand shopping tips for finding items you will love for a lifetime.
Search often. Be patient.
If you take away any one tip from this post THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE. Thrifting is exactly like investing in stocks, the more time youre in the thrifting market the higher your returnsor treasures found! Its not convenient like stopping at Target where you know theyre always going to have trash cans and area rugs in stock. The effort of thrifting is half the fun, while thrifting will almost never present you with exactly what you have in mind in a timely manner it might surprise you with something wildly interesting that you could have never imagined for your space. Whether you’re shopping online or in store the beauty of thrifting is every visit will present new options. It’s easier to browse Facebook Marketplace daily but some of my best finds have been from popping into the thrift store by the grocery store on a random Tuesday.
When you start your thrifting search make sure you have the basic sizes on hand of what youre looking for. No matter how cool, if something is too large or too small for your space it will inevitably fall flat. Beyond getting the sizing down, keep your mind open to what your search will present to you!
Solid green onyx vase? Yes.
Chairs are some of the easiest items to refinish/reupholster the seats & completely change the look.
Focus on material and craftsmanship.
Regardless of what youre shopping for you want natural materials: wood, brass, marble, wool, cotton, etc. In the case of clothes/textiles natural fibers are easier to clean, in the case of furniture natural materials can be refinished/restored many times. Many times, items are discarded at a thrift store due to some minor blemishes, but if youre willing to put a little love into a piece you can restore it.
A few things to pay attention to while shopping:
- Solid wood vs. veneer: Solid wood pieces will give you the opportunity to finish them almost endlessly whereas veneers will only be able to be sanded down a few times before revealing the more inexpensive plywood/MDF beneath them.
- Hardware: sometimes cheap hardware is making a solid wood piece look cheap, and other times expensive hardware can make a MDF monstrosity look expensive. Pay attention to details that might be distracting you.
- Special Details: Carved motifs, inlays, embroidery, dovetail joints, etc. These are very expensive details that are hard to find at big box stores today! The craftsmanship of a piece adds value and character.
These chairs weren’t my best find; structurally, a little weak.
Even after refinishing, they were a bit too wobbly!
Dig the item out from its surroundings, then decide is it dirty or simply trash?
Thrifting is a hunt and sometimes you see a glimmer of something incredibly interesting, but once you pull it out from its surroundings it might look less enticing. Sadly, some items have been so poorly cared for in their past lives they are now simply trash. If youre focusing on natural materials many times you will be able to salvage items but a few tips below on how to tell the difference.
- Check for solid construction: Does the item wiggle when you touch it? Sometimes this can be solved by reinforcing joints. But if all the wood is cracked this item may now be trash. Thoroughly inspect the item and think through how you will fix it before bringing it home.
- Water damage/warping: In the case of wood furniture many water stains can be sanded off, or warped veneer replaced. But if the solid core of the item is warped it may be beyond repair. For upholstered furniture/textiles some water damage is too extreme to clean, again see if you can identify the material of the item. Cotton/wool will be easier to clean and release odors from. Polyesters and synthetic fabric will cling to those musty smells and stains.
- Just plain dirty: some items are just disgusting. Yes, the ick factor of thrifting can be real. If you dont even want to touch it in the thrift store, you certainly dont want to haul it to your car and bring it into your home. I have made the mistake of spending hours cleaning an itemonly to realize it was still gross trash. Steer clear, not everything needs saving!
Weird lamps for the win.
This burl wood pedestal has been a statement piece in 3 of my homes.
Ask yourself, do I have a reason to buy this?
Once youve gotten into the habit of vintage shopping and identifying quality pieces, youll start finding amazing pieces everywhere. If you start buying every interesting or incredibly inexpensive piece you find, youll end up with a bunch of trash in your house. Nice, interesting and affordable trash – but trash nonetheless. This is where you need to start honing in on your personal style and what your home actually needs!
Here is some of my personal criteria for purchasing items:
- Its cheap AND makes my heart sing. The and is important, you will find many cheap things that does not mean you need to buy them!
- Its expensive but is EXACTLY what Im looking for. These ones are hard for me, Im showing my Midwest here but I love a bargain! Secondhand doesnt always equal inexpensive, and thats ok as long as its something I have an identified purpose for and isnt bankrupting me. (Looking at you Saarinen Dining Table with the Satin Arabescato Marble top and your $10k price tagIll get you someday!!)
- I love it so much it will haunt me forever if I dont take it home with me. This one has taken me awhile to hone, I can appreciate so many design styles so everything starts to feel special and interesting! This is where personal style comes into play start to understand what pieces capture your interest and fit in your home. The items that tend to haunt me when I pass on them are 3 things: made of high-quality material, beautiful, just a bit weird. The tinge of weird is what always sells me! Weird can mean an interesting shape or an unconventional material choice anything that makes me do a double take and cant be found in the mainstream market.
Happy Thrifting! I hope to see you all in an estate sale line soon. As always, learn to enjoy the process – let go of the outcome. Soon you’ll have more treasures on your hands than you know what to do with.
xx,
Claire
