A Good(will) Eye
I get a slew of emails & comments everytime I post about my finds at Goodwill. Some of the comments are in envy. A few will be outta disgust (mostly at the thought of the Goodwill smell). But most of them are from people who are shocked outta their socks that such great wares are available at a thrift store. And they often say that their own local second-hand retailer is not like mine. It’s just not up to par.
To those people…I say FALSE.
In my bacon-lovin opinion, all Goodwills, Salvation Armys, Thrift stores, and the like were created equal. They were endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Wares, that among these are Clothing, Furniture and the pursuit of Dishware. (name that document)
Sure - just like people, each thrift store has its strengths & weaknesses. You wouldn’t hire Lindsay Lohan as a chaufeur, would ya? But being able to identify the strength of a store is part of being a frequent shopper. And after you identify the strength – be it low prices, variety of stuff, or quality of items – training your eye to look past the junk to see the cheap treasures gives truly wonderful results…both to your wallet & your home.
So that is what I want to help with – training your eye to be the Sherlock Holmes of Goodwill shopping. That’s why I am going to share with you some tips on how you can exercise your pretty blinkers to pick out the best of the best.
1. GO SLOW
You might walk into a Dishware section & see this:
You are so overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that you can’t visualize any one piece & decided to throw your arms up & walk out. First of all…put your arms back down. Then take it one shelf at a time, one item at a time. Remove the piece from the shelf and hold it out in front of you with only the floor as the backdrop. Now imagine that piece in a Domino-esque dining room or a Pottery Barn tablesetting. Generally dishware can’t be changed…so you have to be able to change the surroundings to get the desired effect. 95% of the time, the item is too dated or too ugly or too broken, chipped or cracked to be used. But the other 5% of the time, the item will be just fine…it’s just the surroundings that rub stank all over it.
In the above photo – there was this great drink dispenser for $4:
Sure – it’s missing a lid…but you could snazzy it up with a swatch of spare fabric and a ribbon…and BAM! you got a very chic lemonade table.
Or how bout this $1.50 (on sale 50% off) cheese cover:
Collect four of them & use as a tablesetting cloche like I did for this Christmas tableau:
Or see this curly-edged itty bitty ice cream cup for a mere 77 cents?
Doesn’t it look so much better with ice cream?
And can’t you just imagine a winetasting dinner with all different salad plates? If you layer them all on the same type of dinner plate – (I’m imagining green glass plates on a crisp white tablecloth) it will look like it was way more than $4 for all four of these grapey wares.
The point is – I found all of these items on a single wall…piled under cracked plates and next to ugly commemorative memoroblia. But going slow & pulling out each item to imagine it’s potential is well worth the effort and time.
2. ARM YOURSELF WITH IDEAS
Apart from dishware, most Goodwill items can be changed…tweaked…or modified slightly to meet your specific style. But in order to do so, creative ideas need to be first deposited in your bank of a brain. You don’t have to be creative. You just have to remember creative ideas when you see them. Take for instance this bell dome:
Not exactly something that would make it on Oprah’s Favorite Things list. But then I remembered a post I saw on Design*Sponge…and thought, dude!
Basically this uber-genius Canadian chick took this similar piece:
and turned it into this:
Or how bout taking this colorful cow:
and spraypainting it with some high-gloss paint for a very Jonathan Adler-esque ceramic animal:
And speaking of spraypaint – using it on two similar shaped items will make them seem like a set. For example, you could use highgloss black and make these four mismatching candleholders into a centerpiece that would normally cost mucho dinero:
3. REMEMBER THE DETAILS
A superb tip for all you thrifters would be to look through your favorite catalogs, magazines and decorating books and make a mental list of details that strike you as totally swoon-worthy. These little details – like baskets or throws or fabrics – can be bought at a discount and then transformed into a great piece for your home.
Let’s use me as an example. I love the Pottery Barn catalogs. I save them like they are magazines. And when I look through the pages, I mentally jot down the things that are oh-so-fabulous for when I hit up Goodwill. Like this red & white color schemed bedroom…
I immediately noticed the stripes. When I saw these similar patterned pillows at Goodwill,
I remembered it as a fabulous find.
Or when I saw this silver tray on the thrifty shelf,
I knew that you could scrub it shiny and use it on a dresser to gather some perfume & a vase of flowers just like in this Pottery Barn photo:
Or these pieces that showcase topiary art,
is a much cheaper alternative to the Ballard Designs version.
Or what about this weird Goodwill piece that looks like a cd holder from 1996…
Couldn’t it be used as a chic way to hold your mail like on this PB office pic?
Just make sure to brush up on your favorite designs before hitting the store. It will help your eye look at things in an entirely new light.
4. BONE STRUCTURE
Looking at the bones of a piece – especially when it comes to wood and furniture – is going to be your best way to have a successful Goodwill experience. Instead of looking at the color or that hideous lampshade or that ugly hardware…look at the lines. The bones of a piece are the basic structure. The underlying details – such as curvature, shape, proportion, or design – all make up the internal structure. DO NOT LOOK AT THE COLOR. DO NOT LOOK AT THE PAINTED FLOWERS OR THE 1980′s handles….they can be changed.
Take for instance this dresser:
Ugly mismatched hardware but good bones.
Still can’t see it?
Well, meet Holly – who is the queen of painting dressers white & switching out hardware for fabulous makeovers. Here’s what she does for folks who can’t visualize the finished product: She takes an ugly thrift piece & makes it beautiful. And then she gives befores & afters. Like this one:
Before:
After:
See what a little white paint can do?
Yeah…and it doesn’t stop there. You could see this piece and think it’s way too old-lady for your snazzy updated home.
You could just paint it white, change the knobs & instantly you have a piece that fits into any room in any era.
Or you could consider a special painting effect – like this one curtesy of Martha,
Or how bout the bones on these lamps? (specifically the yellow one and the brown& white textured one next to it)
The yellow one looks like it would be oh-so-great in a room with a new white drum shade…especially a room that needs a big lamp to add weight to the side table. And the brown & cream one? Well, it’s nothing that a little fire-engine high gloss red can’t fix. Or turqouise. Oooow – oww. I am seriously catcalling a lamp right now 
5. PHOTOG PROPS
Last tip of the day includes a little tidbit for any rookie photographers out there…hello friends. This one is for you. Whenever I go into a thrift store I also keep my eyes peeled for anything that I like to use as props for photos. Be it a blanket or a basket or a chair. I like pieces with lots of texture and a very low cost. And the best part about buying picture props at Goodwill is that they don’t need to be perfect. Like this chair -
It would be cute straight from the store in a photo with a little girl (like these one from CW Photography):
Or what about props for small products (like a pair of mittens or your specialty soaps that you sell on etsy)…well, Goodwill is the place for you too. Picking up a ‘broken-in’ item like his aluminum mini basket draws the attention to your product rather than itself while still creating interest (and making your item bigger to boot!).
Now that you know some tricks on how to make the most of your Goodwill experience – you are thrift-store-armed-and-dangerous.
So go get some magazines, scour the internet to increase your idea bank, and stock up on white primer spraypaint…you are officially ready to get your eye trained for discount shopping! And I betcha it’ll treat ya better than a wild jungle cat…okay…okay….enough Tiger Wood’s jokes. Poor guy.
Anyway – so now that you saw some of my finest tips on shopping Goodwill…what do you have to say? Maybe you have a top tip of your own to share? Or maybe you wanna spill the beans on your finest Goodwill discovery? Ohh…that’s a good one. Pretty please share your favorite thrifty-find. Or maybe it was an okay discovery with unbelievable potential? Tell me, tell me, tell me. There is very little that excites me like a thrift store find….well maybe bacon….and maybe when a golfer plays the wrong hole But other than that? Nope. Nuttin.
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what a great post! loved it! i feel so inspired
One of your best posts! Love it!
Well done! I thrift all the time at yard sales and you’ve even given me some inspiration!
First of all, I LOVE your blog! I’ve been following for awhile, but have never commented. I’m addicted to thrift store shopping. Check out my greatest find here: http://ourdailyobsessions.blogspot.com/2009/11/giveaway-results-price-my-spot.html It’s the shabby chic gorg mirror I found for only $15 buckaroos. I thought they were playing a joke on me! But yes, I’m a major fan of thrift store shopping. Love it! Oh, and I don’t think you’re weird. You’re hilarious! Good luck with the little one coming soon!
Excellent post indeed.
Oh how I long for garage sale season again!!
I live in St. Louis, and I really have been disappointed in Goodwill these past few months. There are three Goodwills here that I hit up to look through housewares and furniture, and I always find myself gasping at the prices. $200 for a 1970s plaid couch with rips and tears, $15 for a floor lamp that would probably cost $18 at a Target, etc.
I love reading about all these blogs where people go in to Goodwill and score killer deals, but I just don’t have that experience.
NOW, my luck with one-of-a-kind, non-chain thrift stores and yard sales is ENTIRELY different.
I used to turn my nose up at Goodwill and thift shops until my mother in law took me to one. Not only does it have great finds as you pointed out, but it also carries all the seasonal leftovers/stock from Target including brand new book shelves and mirrors. I love going there. My husband and I are addicted. It doesn’t smell where we go.
Love this post! Can’t wait to go shopping at a local thrift store! I’d love for you to check out my new blog… http://coolhomecreations.blogspot.com. Thanks for all the inspiration! Love it!
I think another thing you have to remember is that you won’t always score and that it takes more than one time of going to find good deals. The inventory is constantly moving so just because you went once and didn’t have luck keep going. I promise the one awesome score will keep you hooked. My most recent finds are a mail holder (cerca 1980s, nothing a little paint can’t fix), a little green creamer (for my love of all things kitchen and green), and a white stoneware almost in perfect condition Pfaltzgraff crock. I <3 goodwill!
I hit up Goodwill this weekend as well! Unfortunately, I have to agree that mine is not as wonderfully stocked as yours, I walked outta there with a wine rack for $4!
Katie, I just have one word to say: AWESOME!! This is one of my favorite posts from you yet!! I actually went into my local Goodwill store this past Saturday in hopes of scoring a deal, and I walked out with a $5 vintage hanging light fixture – sure, the wires may look like shoestrings right now and it is a hideous green color, but we can definitely fix that with a litle elbow grease!! Thanks for the inspiration girl
Great post!! I’m huge thrift store fan and loved your tips. I actually have a really hard time going into “real furniture” stores and paying ridiculous prices for stuff I could grab used and make my own. Plus, I love bragging to my friends and family about all my bargain finds!
My mom got me a Coach purse (later authenticated by a former Coach employee) for $1! A springy light pink with green paisley clutch.
Well my mom would think your her long lost daughter because she is a thrift store fanatic too…Goodwill, Salvation Army, ARC. It’s amazing what deals and cool items my mom finds…and I luckily snag. Growing up she would draaag me to Goodwills across town. I’m happy to say after 30 years I’m finally catching onto my mom’s thrift store passion thanks to great blogs like yours plus my limited decorating budget. I’ve noticed a great new trend…Goodwills and Salvation Army’s are finally popping up in the burbs.
Excellent post! My local op shops/thrift stores are about a 1/16th the size of that Goodwill. They are stocked floor to ceiling with heaps of stuff and I always find it a little bit overwhelming and a lot disappointing. Your post has encouraged me to revisit my locals with fresh eyes.
Our target stores give clearance and salvage items to our local goodwills, so we have scored many a good deal that way. I just bought a shabby chic brand round side table for $25 at our goodwill and it is still on sale at target for $95.I find lots of cute little white ceramic bowls and things to put jewelry and art supplies in and even a wire hanging light fixture that looks just like one that was featured in readymade magazine all for $9. Many a sweet deal to be had at those thrift stores.
Perhaps your best post ever? I enjoyed it THAT much!
Love this post – need to hit my local GoodWill stat!
I LOVE goodwill! And for remodeling the Habitat Re-store is like a dream come true! This was a fabulous post!
Awesome post. I tell my friends that I like to go “Goodwill hunting”. I must admit I’ve never made my way over to the housewares but when preggers with my son I found the perfect dresser for his nursery. It was a good solid piece that just needed some updated hardware and a good polishing.
I love that you took your camera to Goodwill. I would be too embarrassed. This is me wishing I had your gumption.
-Emily
great tips! you are inspiring!
Firstly, love your blog. I only hope someday mine will be as good! Haha!
Secondly, great post on thrifting. My MIL first introduced me to the art and I love it! My best thrift purchase was a Coach purse of $25.
Happy New Year!
My favorite Goodwill find is a pewter ashtray (keep reading, I don’t smoke!) engraved with the buffalo image from the buffalo nickel (see http://www.money.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=5694). I went to University of Colorado and our mascot is the buffalo, which is why I love it. The ashtray now sits on top of my I-bought-it-off-Craigslist-and-painted-it-black-dresser as a jewelry catch-all. Mr. Buffalo ashtray cost only $4.
This is slightly off topic, but it is in response to a woman who tried on a coat and found a wad of money in it. I probably would have kept the money, too. It would have been impossible for the Goodwill people to find the owner of the coat. What really upset me to the point where I even made boyfriend listen to me debate this comment I am making was that the buyer did not buy the coat. If you buy the coat, you can keep the money inside. If you try it on, take the money, and don’t buy it, that is stealing. From Goodwill. Which is a store that is trying to help people that truly cannot help themselves. If it had been a purse, gloves, or a belt shoved in the pocket would you have put that in your purse and taken it home? No. So if you are going to keep the wad of money, the least that could be done was buy the ugly coat. You could turn around it give it to someone less fortunate. I LOVE to shop at thrift stores, and it is a wonderful way to help those in need. I never negotiate when I shop at a thrift store because my money is going to those that need it.
my best Goodwill find was this Pottery Barn table, it was unmarked and when I asked for a price, they marked it at $5 for me!! I am going to give it a fresh coat of white paint as the current one is pretty bad and then use it as a nightstand in the guest room. http://pugsnotdrugs.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/score-2-this-week/
You have given me inspiration to start visiting my local goodwill weekly!
Okay I am a single Mom of two on a very tight budget. I agree you can find awesome accessories. Please keep this in mind. I have to read to keep myself sane. YOu can find amazing deals on paperback books and hardcovers. Kids need a book for school. Look at your goodwill. Amazingly I have raised a wonder daughter who thinks she is aprincess, but will also donate her whole summer for mission work. Thankfully we have learned this.. .. hit the clothes racks at Goodwill. My daughter finds Hollister, American Eagel, Ann Taylor, and many many more. I also found an awesome very versatile black jacket. Please sit down. ..this may shock you. The jacket still had the Talbots price tag on it. . . . for $96.00!!!!!!! I paid $6.00 for it.!
If you dig you can find many items with the price tag still on them. I also found a blouse from Dillards witha $38.00 price tag on it, and it was the color of the week at Good will, so I purchased the blouse for $2.50!!! Don’t limit yourself to the accessories dig a little in the clothes you will be amazed at what you find.
Great post! I’m a total Goodwill/Value Village addict! Right before Christmas I scored a new with tag ornate wooden tray from Horchow for $2.99 (about $125 in savings!), and today I came home with a pair of Miss Sixty skinny jeans for $.99 and Anlo trouser jeans for $9.99. Those jeans both retail for over $150! Yeah thrift (and for all the Purel and laundry detergent that follows). Your blog rocks!
Hi! I loved this post! I found your blog after your father-in-law posted a link on FB. He is a proud Dad and Grandpa to be and we hear and see pictures of you guys during his trips to Eleuthera. (We now live in Freeport.) Wish there were some Goodwills here for me to search through! I included our family site so you could put a face with the name.
Hi Alicia!
SO Funny! I see pictures of you guys on their fridge every time we go to visit! Your hubbies name is Brad, right? It’s so weird that I remember that…it’s probably because it’s my big brother’s name. And your kids??! Oh my goodness – they are adorable. Anyhoo…I can’t wait to check out your blog…
XO – KB
I’ll never remember all of this. Why don’t you just come with me?!!?
Hi Katie,
First of all great blog! I stumbled upon it last night and have enjoyed reading lots of your posts. This article really caught my eye because like some of the others who have written I have shopped my local Goodwill many times and have never found much of anything. I was about to give up but after reading your tips I decided to give it another shot today. I am sooooo glad I did. I’m going to brag a little and tell you that I scored a big apothecary jar for only $3! I saw these earlier today and much smaller versions were $15-$20 at Michaels so I felt like I hit the jackpot when I spotted it. I think the lady at the checkout thought I was nuts because I was sooo excited about it. Oh well! It looks fantastic in my freshly painted bathroom. Now just trying to decide what to put in in first.
Keep up the fantastic blog. I’ll be checking in daily now.
My mom gave me a gorgeous serving tray that belonged to my grandma. A couple of weeks ago I was at our [yes I'm in there so much I consder it "mine"
] thrift store and I found a smaller version of this tray! It had a slightly different pattern which makes me think that they were part of a set at one point. At $.75 how could I pass that up? So now I have a reunited set!
Making mental notes of your wishlist is an excellent recommendation. However, if you’re like me, and you have a gazillion decorating/do-it-yourself magazines with a bagillion dog-eared pages you could start a scrapbook of your faves. Something small enough to bring with you on your thrifty adventures.
I know this is a pretty old post, but I had to chime in. I love love LOVE thrift store shopping. If only I could turn it into a career! (maybe someday) My best find was just a few weeks ago & kind of odd to most people…I found a Medela Pump in Style that is pristine! All the extra parts are missing (which is fine because I have all of them from the pump I rented for my first babies)(I have twins), but it works perfectly & I know I’ll use it when we have another child. These suckers cost $250+ brand new (I paid about $9)! & if I change my mind & don’t get pregnant again, I can always sell it. It’s much harder to get out with 16 month old twins, but the volunteers at our Habitat ReStore are getting pretty familiar with my guys.
whoa Rachel…nice find. You could totally use the profit of that thing to start a little online resale business!
Happy Thrifting!
xo – kb
Thanks for linking back to this, I am a new blog follower. I have recently discovered the joy of thrifting, and I have to say… I’m now an addict. We are on the Dave Ramsey debt plan, which I despise, so I had to figure out a way to decorate on the cheap. Thrift store + spray paint= my new way of life.
We went to a local thrift store this weekend and I got a cheese dome with wooden base for $1 (hello, cheese dome, you will become a cloche very soon…) and three awesome old books for only 10 cents each! You can’t beat that with a stick, man.
All that rambling to say: I love your blog. You are awesome.
Thanks Jessica…you are awesome too! And dude..the DR debt plan is amazing. You won’t regret it!
xo – kb
Oh my goodness, you are a hoot, and I love your blog! You are so fun. I have been shopping goodwill and thrift since HS (now 44) and everyone is amazed at the finds. Just takes patience! Thanks for the great site! Can’t wait to read more!
Ok, here is my question…how do you sanitize fabrics and such you buy at a second hand place? I love Goodwill, but I steer clean of anything “fabric” things because I don’t know how to wash them. I see a blanket and think of a little boy peeing the bed 10 years ago and don’t know if its still contaminated! Or a tablecloth I think I could cut up and use the material for other things, but what if it had milk spilled on it by a 5 year old in 1963 and smells funny when I get it home? Should I just not be crazy and throw stuff in the washer and call it good? The pillows you showed here, how would you clean them? Or what about furniture, like an upholstered chair? What if a puppy had a potty accident on it, and under the fabric is peepee soaked foamy stuff?
Melani – this is a totally legit concern. And here’s what you do…if it is something that is washable, WASH IT! Check the tag to make sure that it is in fact washable and that it won’t shrink (like 100% cotton). If it is washable AND you can use hot water – double wash it with super hot water (clothing and tablecloths, etc. can be boiled on the stove top in a giant pot if need be). Basically the thing you want to do with this step is sanitize. You may not be able to remove dried in stains but you know it won’t have icky bacteria. If you pull it out of the washer and it still smells a bit funky after your double wash, DON’T DRY IT! You can use a bit of regular white vinegar in your washer or baking soda if the items still smell and wash them again. As for pillows, check the tag to see if they are washing machine safe. If they fit in your particular washer, you can use the washer to sanitize and remove smells. Upholstered furniture is a different story. If you are planning on keeping the existing upholstery, then you can use a steam cleaner and some fabric febreeze. My sister did that with her oversized armchair and it looks and smells brand new. If you think that there was a puppy accident, more than likely the fabric will need to be steam cleaned and if the smell continues, you might want to consider replacing the foam and batting…which is very easy to do.
Hope this helps! Happy thrifting!
xo – kb
Saw you on Nate then found your blog. Love, love, love it and staying up way too late looking at all your fun projects. This a really great explanation of how to shop at Goodwill. Stopping in A LOT is sooo the key to Goodwill shopping. Sometimes there’s great stuff and sometimes it’s a bust. But that’s what makes it so fun, you never know what you’ll find.