A wonderful day of thrifting

Last Friday, my only class was cancelled, so I took the entire day to do something I don't do enough: Go thrifting and antiquing!

Now, there are some really cute places around Corvallis loaded with stuff, but there are some real busts too. My favorites: Buckingham Palace (Corvallis), The OSU Thrift Store (Corvallis), Beekman's Place Antique Mall (Corvallis), The Arc Resale (Philomath), and Vintage House Parts and Architectural Salvage (Philomath).

The only place of my favorites I didn't get to go on Friday was Beekman's, which is such an awful shame because I really wanted to look for some turn of the century holiday photos. Everywhere else, thank you for the amazing items!

Buckingham Palace was my first stop. It's owned by an adorable English woman who really knows how to use every nook and cranny of that little shop (I must be missing you, Diane!). Earlier in the year, I got my wonderful 1960's atomic orange coffee canister there and this trip did not disappoint either. I allowed my inner bookie to come out and purchased 3 separate books. 2 are manuals from 1949, McCall's Dressmaking made Easy and Smart Sewing and a modern book of music, I'll be seeing you, of 50 songs from the years of World War II. I'm very excited to learn Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy solidly.

After checking at The Cat's Meow (great name, but never has anything worthwhile), I made it to the OSU Thrift Store for the first time when I wasn't in a hurry. I picked up and put down a letter holder and key rack with a fat little owl 4 or 5 times before leaving him there. Among the spoils of victory were a periwinkle blue satin and nylon (the new wonder fiber!) dressing gown and 1/2 inch wide navy blue leather belt. Also, I found a Christmas gift for a certain family member. I hope they will appreciate it, because I think buying items that are secondhand, vintage, or antique is a wonderful strategy not only to save money but also to limit your impact on the environment.

Next, I headed over to the small town of Philomath were I lived shortly as a child to check out shops there. I found The Arc Resale and was pleasantly surprised by their selection of shoes. I ended up with 2 pairs (neither black) that fit properly and had shapes indicative of the 1940's and 50's with medium heel heights to match. I'd love to be able to buy vintage shoes, but there are a few problems. Firstly, I have very large feet, secondly, I do a lot of walking throughout the week around campus. I think footwear is one modern thing I will stick with. Once again, I also found a present for another family member here, something that I've been on the lookout for. The scoreboard goes as follows: Philomath Arc-1, Corvallis Arc-0.

The last place I had the energy to visit was also a new joint to me. When one sees a large building with metal siding that has large signs saying "Vintage House Parts" and "Architectural Salvage" and has any sense, they will search for a parking spot and ignore a full bladder to make the pilgrimage. I didn't end up getting anything here, but only for the simple reason that I could not find a place I could make parts of old houses work in my tiny dorm room. I've decided that this is going to be a gift to my mother when she comes up to see me in the spring. It's exactly the place that she belongs.

Whoo! To anyone who actually kept up with me through my rambling about shopping adventures, I salute you! Now, on to the actual responsibilities in my life. Gosh darn it, why can't this be my full time job?