Salvo Wednesday: Hidden Gem

There's a little-known Salvation Army on the west side of Rochester. Feel free to search Google Maps for it. You will fail. You might possibly get led to the Salvation Army in Gates which is the center for all their other services, not the thrift store. You might wind up in an unfamiliar part of the city. Both of these has happened to me. I even put a star on Google Maps the last time I did locate it, and it was gone this time. I've added another star. We'll see if it sticks this time.

Once you locate this store, it's usually pretty quiet. Most Salvos are crowded on Wednesdays. I often have to wait by the register for someone to finish checking out if I want a shopping cart (and I always do). Not here. There's plenty to go around and maybe only another person or two there. 

I rarely get a major hit here, but I always walk away with something nice that makes it worth hunting it out again the next year. This time was no different

Calvin Klein, $4.50

I love the way the two colors are layered.

B Smart, $4.50

I love the contrasting blue!

Sag Harbor skirt, $2
Express top, $2

Loose, comfy jean skirt for those days when I need to wear a t-shirt to school but don't want to wear jeans! The Express top is light, the top layer is transparent, and the perfect amount of flowy. My favorite.

And that was it. Four finds, but four really good finds. Worth the annual hunt for  the store. 

If you weren't aware, Volunteers of America is going out of business. There are several in our area, and one of them is about a mile from our house. I almost never find anything there, to the point where I've gone there maybe twice in the past few years despite its close proximity. However, it's having going-out-of-business sales, so I made one last stop, and was rewarded.

Banana Republic, $3.79

Banana! Way to go out on a high note, VOA!

I am a week behind at the moment, and I have quite a bag of goodies to share from this week. However, I've been a little preoccupied elsewhere.

I learned how to spin this week! Obviously, not the kind with bicycles. The other kind of spinning.

And I loved it. So much that I went right out and bought this! It's obviously not the same kind of wheel and the learning curve has been interesting, but I think it will be worth it! Cinder (the kitty in the corner) is clearly pretty excited about it, too!

This week has been perfect in Salvo activities, new hobbies, and weather. Keep it coming, summer!

The Boilermaker!

Races are one of my favorite things about summer. There are some in other seasons, I'm well aware, but 90% of the time those are too cold for me. You can tell right from the name that the Boilermaker is my kind of race.

I'm not alone. Thousands of people seem to agree! It's the largest 15k in the county. I saw a sign that said "The Boilermaker is a party where a race breaks out" and it's apt. Along the route, there's nonstop music and people cheering. At the finish, more of the same, plus tons of beer. 

My friend Stephanie and I went together. After the expo, we checked into our hotel and walked down the street to grab dinner.

With ridiculously full stomachs, we went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the evening watching Outlander. It was a really good decision.

Early the next morning, we grabbed a shuttle to the starting line...

...which this is not. Oh no. This is the line for the porta potty. We waited half an hour and there were a ton of people still behind us.

This is the starting line. Ahead of us...

....and behind.

We met up with my friend Heather, who introduced me to the Boilermaker eight years ago. Here's this year:

...and here we are at the starting line eight years ago!

Stephanie had a mishap with her phone and we couldn't find each other at the finish for a while...because literally thousands of people. We found each other, we found beer, and here we are after running 9 surprisingly fun miles!

Celebrating with Heather!

We went to Heather's parent's house nearby for a party, and I only thought to take pictures of the really important stuff:

Most races give you race shirts. The Boilermaker gives you a pint glass instead. After a fun, hot weekend with good food, good friends, and about 15 kilometers of running thrown in for good measure, I ended the weekend like this.

Ah.

If you're ever considering running the Boilermaker, DO IT! Every runner should try it at least once!

Salvo Wednesday: Hit-or-Miss Greece

I never have the same experience twice when I go to the Salvo in Greece. Sometimes I find nothing. Sometimes I buy a new wardrobe. I've arrived only to discover the entire area has a power outage, and once a fire started midway through my shopping and they evacuated us. You really never know. This was my first average experience. I didn't hit the jackpot, but I found several nice things. And no fire alarms went off or anything.

Banana Republic, $3

I limited myself to one dress this week, but what a dress. Banana Republic. 100% silk. POCKETS. $3. It really doesn't get better than this! 

Ambiance Apparel, $1.50

I have only ever purchased Ambiance Apparel clothing at a Salvation Army, and I have loved every single one. The material is always soft, the fit is always flowy without being baggy... I just love them. I can't even figure out what store sells these...I can only find them on Amazon. I guess I'll just have to keep getting them here!

Express, $2

My favorite colors, a nice drape-y fit, and little buttoned roll-up sleeves. Love it!

Soft Surroundings, $2

I'd never heard of this brand before, either, but upon a quick Google search, it would seem that this went for around $70 originally. For a shirt! Maybe I spend too much time at the Salvo, but that seems crazy to me. Anyway, it is as soft as the name suggests, and I bought it with the thought in mind that this will pair really well with my fleece-lined jeggings when the time comes. *shudder* 

Forever 21, $2

Something I can wear in cooler temperatures that isn't black, gray, or white. Progress.

Faded Glory, $2

There's something wrong with the Salvation Army's pricing system when a Faded Glory shirt is the same price as one that was originally $70. Not complaining, really, because I think the "wrong" part worked in my favor. Anyway, I always need cardigans to go with my summer dresses and this will go with roughly a jillion of them.

White House Black Market, $2.50

Another shirt that originally cost closer to $100 than $50... 100% silk, 100% fabulous.

American Eagle Outfitters, $2

A comfy knit top, cute from the front...

...and even cuter in the back. 

A good experience at Greece! Which almost certainly means that next time I'll get nothing. Or maybe it will get struck by lightning? I'll let you know when I go again!

Salvo Wednesday: The Triumphant Return

It's been some time since I last posted, and we have a situation. There's good news, and there's bad news. On the plus side, despite the fact that I haven't been blogging about it, I have been thrifting and buying dresses. Lots of dresses. An abundance of dresses. A plethora of dresses. This is good news for me and for the friends who have benefited from the Ann-me-downs that were required to make way for the new dresses. I cleaned out about 20 dresses, easy. 

The bad news is that it wasn't enough. I tried counting during my closet switch-over, and I lost count somewhere around 120. After disposing of the aforementioned 20 dresses. And you're about to see the damage I did today. There's nowhere left for them to go. So I'm going to have to either get rid of a lot more dresses, stop buying dresses (ha!), or figure out a way to create new closet space. It's not looking good for any of those options.

Old Navy, $5.50

I have to say that I feel like $5 is kind of expensive for an Old Navy dress. It's half off, so originally the Salvation Army wanted $10.99 for this. Which seems barely less than it would have cost in the store. There were random instances of this today - a couple of $24.99 and $17.99 prices for dresses that were not high end. I hope this isn't the beginning of a trend. Regardless, I am in the market for maxi dresses, both because they're lovely and comfy and because my puppy thinks my lap is a pretty great place to spend the summer.

Ambiance Apparel, $5

One of my friends has a dress almost exactly like this and I love it. I'm so excited to have my own!

Banana Republic, $7.50

Another steep price - at least this one was slightly more expensive to begin with than an Old Navy dress. Let's be real.... it's Banana and it's houndstooth. I couldn't possibly pass it up!

Merona, $4.50

Not as long as a maxi dress, but still back-yard approved (meaning it won't be obvious if there's doggy paw prints and she can't disrobe me when she jumps on/off of me).

Mossimo, $5

I can't believe I keep buying stripes. But maxi dresses! Can't. Resist. Maxis.

Take Out, $3

This is a sweater dress, and has adorable little buttons on the shoulders that you can't really see. I have to have something to cheer me up when it's time to wear this with fleece-lined tights and boots.

Stefanel, $2.50

The material of this one is so light and soft. Looking at the Stefanel website, I can tell I bought quality here!

Express, $3

Cute, and should hopefully keep me from only wearing neutrals all school year.

Forever 21, $2.50

Sometimes you just need a plain white shirt.

Peanuts, $1.50

And sometimes, you need a shirt that proclaims your love for your dog. Because who wouldn't love these faces:

If it ever warms up around here, it's going to be a great summer with these three cuties! I can't promise my closet will survive, though.