Friday, September 17, 2021

Tidying Thrift

I spent all day yesterday tidying the thrift store with Ass't Man.
A.M. is (used to be) a graphic designer and he is good at displays, and so am I. He and I are working well together this summer, but we don't
usually have time to faff around like this.
It was good.

We were tidying because the store was to host a Community Meeting yesterday evening with cops + city council.
We figure that's why the police cleared the encampment across the street the day before--now the neighbors can't point to it and say, "Why haven't you done something?"
Though they could still say, Why didn't do you anything for four months?

I was not tempted to stay. But I wanted to store to look inviting for anyone who'd never been before.

Among other things, A.M. lined up four vintage sewing machines--the front one is a Singer from 1958.


I cleaned up around the store (not clothes though), and focused on My Books section.

I set up this dinosaur and handmade clay aardvarkish thing in with Science & Nature:

 

A Walking Dead game on my glass display case, below. The characters are from Season 1, will anyone buy it?
I truly didn't realize it would match the picture that was already there, behind it.


BELOW: I hung Ivorex plaques of Charles Dickens, his books and his London.
("Ivorex" was made by Arthur Osborne in England, late 1800s--early 1900s. He carved a master plaque, then made a mold to make plaster-of-Paris plaques. These were air-dried, hand-painted, then dipped in wax. Not worth a lot, but cool.)

I also spruced up the Cool Old Books section a bit, below--including putting out a box of piano music--some of it quite expensive to buy new.

My mother always had those creamy-yellow ^ piano books.

 BELOW: Didn't have an overall theme for my front-facing displays though.

More photos of the bookshelves from yesterday, in post below.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

OMG! I want to come to your thrift...... just from the photos. So inviting and tempting despite the sadness of the meeting.

I want that 1958 sewing machine and so many books. My parents had the Oh game that came in the box.

Kirsten

Fresca said...

KIRSTEN: I love the store but have to say, some days there's nothing too interesting for sale... But some days, it's bursting. I guess that's not unusual for thrift stores.
I just wish we had more time to sort and display donations.

Cool your folks had that game! It's so swingin' ;)

Anyway, if you want any books, I'd be happy to send you some as a present!

gz said...

Nicely done!
Hope the meeting was productive

Fresca said...

Thanks, GZ. I’ll be interested to hear about the meeting…

Joanne Noragon said...

You're quite good at display. Those lightweight Singer machines fly off the shelves here, for quilting travel.

River said...

You have a copy of Heidi's Children! I remember reading that way back when I was about ten I think.
My mum sewed on one of those old Singers, but hers was black as so many were back ten.