Thrift Store Haul

Stuff I Got at the Thrift Store 

Striped wool scarf: 25 cents from the Reject Bin

Clothes that are deemed unsaleable get sent to recycling; 

some staff are extremely picky: I can't actually see anything wrong with this scarf.

Coffee beans: Free

People donate everything to thrift stores, from chipped champagne flutes to canned ravioli. We can't sell food, so the staff can take it. I figured these sealed coffee beans would be OK, even though they are 6 months past the expiration date.

2¼-inch square picture frame: 50 cents

Hooray! I've been wanting to frame this snapshot of my high school friend Chuck who died in 2011, but stores don't sell this size frame anymore. I figured one would show up at the thrift store eventually, and sure enough...

Tatted-flower stationery with lined envelopes: 75 cents

I've taken it upon myself to be the Cards and Stationery Sorter. 

 It's like archaeology: I open old boxes to find a mish-mash of papers, envelopes, return-address labels, decorative stickers, a stray postage stamp, even sometimes a note or letter. 

These tatted-flower sheets, tied in lace ribbon, hit a sensory nerve, something like the scent of my grandmother's Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder.

Greeting cards: 25 cents each

The other day I found some-dozen Christmas cards inside an old paper bag. No envelopes: the cards are used, but only signed lightly. And I know they're from the 1950s because someone had penciled dates on their backs. 

Look for one in your mailbox this December....