IS YOUR MIND BLOWN?
Have you ever been shopping at a Second Hand or Thrift Shop and been TOTALLY lost? You are not alone! Here you are in a shop where most everything costs less than $100 (even the furniture!) but there is SO much stuff you get tunnel vision, freak out and Google map the nearest Pottery Barn. While I don't exactly know that feeling personally, I have friends who absolutely CAN relate, and for them I have had to show them how to become very strategic when they shop thrift. I show them the areas I hit first and the ones I avoid like hats, underwear, socks, and most shoes. Today I am going to share with you the first three isles I frequent (not necessarily in order of importance)...
No.1: The PEWTER & SILVERWARE ISLE
Thankfully, when one goes to The Goodwill, The Discovery Shop, Savers, or Hope Thrift (all here in California) Thrift Shops do have organized sections and isles, when shopping for housewares, one of my first direct targets is the Pewter and Silverware section. Most often the silver is plated, but if you like to add texture to a space and don't mind a good silver/pewter patina pieces like these can add a lot of drama to a cupboard. As a mater of fact in "design" metallics are considered neutral in color and can be successfully paired with any other paint or stain. I use my silver and pewter treasures mainly for display on top of bookshelves (or in them), as bookends, pen/pencil holders, or as uniquely shaped vases. While I have certainly spent $20+ on my collection... I have never spent over $20 on one piece.
In the aluminum/silver plated/silver/pewter isle you will most often find :
Platers
Urns
Vases
Plates
Trays
Sugar & Creamer Dishes
Mugs/cups
Boxes
Pitchers
Ice Buckets
Candlesticks
No.2: The PLAIN METAL, POTS/PANS & ENAMELWARE ISLE
One of the most popular trends in housewares is considered the "Mid Century Modern" look. If you like this look, don't overlook shopping the metal/pots and pans Isle in the Thrift Shops. The 60's/70's designers LOVED to work with metal. Within that particular vintage look, you will often find bold colors and geometric patterns. I literally screamed out loud when I was shopping at my local Goodwill and found this Catherine Holm Lotus Bowl. When it comes to "mid-mod" decor, you don't have to know the prominent designers of that area (though it helps) you just need to know what to look for. Look for color, shape, and design. The apple green fondue pot is of no particular designer, but we can tell the era it comes from (the 60s) based on the popularity of fondue at the time, the apple green color and the white floral design.
If you are having trouble finding the metal/enamelware isle - look for the pots and pans. This isle is often much overlooked thanks to all the nasty burnt out pots stacked in it, but if you are patient and look beneath, in, and between the lids - you might find the perfect treasure! I use my enamelware - like the camping tray for serving guests outside (perfect right? I mean it's for camping!), the lotus bowl I use for flower arrangements, candles, or fruits and the fondue pot sits as display in my kitchen. The wooden handles bring in the wood of my cabinets and the apple green is cheerful to look at.
In the pots/pans/enamelware isle you will most often find :
Pots/pans
Trays
Camping Dishes & Supplies
Pitchers
Fondue Pots and Utensils
Spoons, Spatulas, Serving Utensils
Misc. Lids
Vases
Bowls
Mugs and Cups
No. 3 THE DISHWARE ISLE
My absolute favorite dishes to collect are of the Transferware variety. Transferware, is the term given to pottery that has had a pattern applied by transferring the print from a copper plate to a specially sized paper and finally to the pottery body. Made popular during the 18th Century, the art of transferware was an outstanding way for manufacturers like Spode, Wedgwood, and Johnson Brother's to come out with signature patterns and designs to sell to the community in mass quantities. Many of the designs are still being manufactured to this day. While the chances of you finding a 200 year old plate at a Thrift Shop is rare, if you are hunting for a valuable transferware piece - the darker the color the better! In the oldest pieces I own, the white has started turning cream and the blues are a deep set nearly royal blue. (You can also check the bottom of the dish for clues as to the date which the plate was made and from the factory of origin)
I never miss checking in on the dish isle at the Thrift Shops - it most often is my FIRST stop. I look for pink and white, blue and white, brown and white, and black and white transferware. I will hang the plates on the walls (always choosing different patterns and sizes for each), use the bowls for odds and ends in the bathroom or bedroom, use the plates as everyday dishes, the pitchers for flowers and drinks, and the platers to hang as art until they are needed to serve our meals.
Pictured above are some of my favorites - the bowl on the bottom left is called "Blue Danube", the bottom tray is "Blue Willow", and the others are hand drawn English Countryside images. I have also collected images from America too.
In the dishware isle you will most often find :
Tea Cups and Mugs (Tea Pots are rare)
Salad, Diner, and Cake Plates
Platers
Pitchers
Large and Small Bowls
Sugar & Creamer Dishes
HAVE FUN and take your time
I have found I have the most fun (and success) shopping Thrifty when I can take the time required to look closely at the shelves. I know my own taste well enough most of the noisy and cluttered items are cancelled out. As a self proclaimed Anglophile with Francophile tendencies, I am always drawn to - you guessed it - leather, pewter, silver, fancy dishes and candlesticks. However I am not very interested in Victorian things like lace, Chintz and doilies... I will leave plenty of those for you - don't worry. :) Happy Shopping!
Comments