Well, guys, I don't think I need to say anything beyond the blog title. I'm a delinquent. I got halfway through my summer, had a few more Salvo Wednesdays like the ones I'd already posted about, and got so busy buying/ cleaning/ steaming/ inventorying/ photographing/ listing my dresses that I couldn't bring myself to then add blogging to that list. I just couldn't. When I was done with all of that, I grabbed my Kindle, let Scarlett sit on my lap, and had a glass of wine.
So I'm tremendously behind. Suffice it to say, this has been the summer of my dreams. In more ways than one, really. Not only has it been a thrifting/estate saling heaven, it's been hot. Hot enough even for ME. Hot enough that I am actually looking forward to needing to put the comforter back on the bed (we haven't used it in over a month, I'm pretty sure, so we just took it right off.) I know a lot of you are miserable, but I have been in my glory. When I decided that this would be Magic Summer the Reboot, Mother Nature heard and said "you got it, lady." And she delivered.
Since I last posted, here's a summary of the thrifting I've done:
- Dansville/Bath/Hornel
Every year I go to my old stomping grounds to hit the Salvo there. I meet up with my mom and she comes with me. It's in the middle of nowhere, but I always do well there. Always.
I mean it. Dansville kills. LOOK at that pile!
A little something summery for me - perfect for the first few steamy days back to school!
This one wound up getting worn on my anniversary!
We went on to Bath and Hornell. Neither are terribly close, but closer to Dansville than they are to Rochester, and if you're going to do a thing, you might as well do it right. And did I do it right, or what?
Sometimes, before I've had a chance to clean/steam/inventory/photograph/list my finds, I can't resist putting one of the really good ones on a dress form and taking a preview picture. UGH. This one is so pretty that I'm considering removing a rib or two to make it fit. And I don't think I'm alone in that.
Dansville (and the "nearby" towns I mentioned) may have flaws, but the thrift stores are not among them.
- Provincetown
The week after this, my husband and I went on our annual vacation. It was shorter than planned this year because my very adorable, very high-energy pitty baby needed ACL surgery. If you don't know how much that costs.... well, trust me when I say you don't want to.
So instead of the overseas trip we had planned (and the new kitchen floor, which I'm actually more disappointed about), we added on to a trip to MA for his cousin's wedding and spent a couple of days in Provincetown. The wedding was gorgeous:
(and for once, my husband and I didn't clash!)
We went up to Provincetown and walked, ate delicious things, enjoyed our gorgeous hotel, and of course, I went to the nearby thrift store.
It was in a church, and I love that even church is done Provincetown-style here.
Here's what I didn't like: There was a rough listing of prices for most things on the wall, but not clothes. No, you bring them up and they give you a price. This is frustrating, time consuming, and has been known to make certain owners of The Snug Bungalow lose their minds. But I was on vacation and I was getting something, darnit, so I got this:
It's hard to tell against my green wall, but that's actually hot pink, not red. It needs a hot pink belt and then this thing is amazing! Vintage find in Provincetown! All for me.
And just because you all need to see, a few shots of our very amazing hotel:
- Hometown Thrifting with the College Roommate
After we returned home, my college roommate came to visit. We did a lot of fun things, like grilling at home (always my favorite), going on a Finger Lakes wine tour (another favorite), eating by Lake Ontario (okay, so everything we did was my favorite), and we also hit an area Goodwill, which we do every time. I got a couple of cute vintage things there for me:
Small vintage travel jewelry case! What girl doesn't need something like this? Mine.
And this adorable 60s linen & lace dress. WITH. POCKETS.
I mean, right???
We also went to Savers, where I almost never go because they don't have half off sales. But it was directly en route to our lunch location, so we stopped. And somehow we managed to land on half off day. EVERYTHING was half off. It was a madhouse and too intense for pictures, but Gwenne got a couple of dresses and I hit the jackpot:
It sold almost immediately, and can any of us really be surprised? It was one of those amazing finds that looked underwhelming on the hanger but as soon as I steamed it and put it on the dress form, it was transformed. I LOVE when that happens.
- Buffalo Salvo x 4
I decided that since I'd had such a great time in Syracuse, I'd drive to the other nearby city and check out there Salvation Armies. I was a little underwhelmed by their vintage (maybe someone there is getting ahead of me?) but I found a few good things.
For my Florida-obsessed friend...
...for my ugly-porcelain-chick obsessed friend...
.... for me!
At the second store, I went through a fairly lengthy but disappointing row of dresses. I was about to give up and leave, when I turned the corner and saw this. YIKES. See that splash of orange in there? It was this, and it is mine now:
This is probably my first-day-of-school dress. It's pretty, and more to the point, breathable. Because my classroom is always a sweaty mess the first few days of schoool, when the weather hasn't figured out we're not on summer vacation anymore, and 90ish of us cram in there. This should help.
Cute!
Black dress with white lace overlay, Peter Pan collar! This is good for all seasons!
Chevron. DROOL.
This may mean very little to most of you, but my brother-in-law lives with his wife in Oviedo, Spain, which is in Asturias. I couldn't believe that I'd found a jersey in Buffalo!
I was really proud of myself for this one. A) at the beginning of the summer, I had never heard of Laurel Burch and B) it was hidden in the children's section. WIN!
- Post-yoga Goodwilling
After yoga that week, I had an urge to hit the Goodwill and see what was half off. I didn't find much in the dresses, but I was in the market for a new desk for my spare bedroom/vintage clothing workshop so I headed to the back corner of the store. I passed the Halloween section and out of the corner my eye, I saw ruffles and tulle and stopped. And found that someone had donated a ton of 50s and 60s gowns. And someone at Goodwill said "hey, these look like Halloween costumes! Let's price them super low and stick them with the sexy nurse costumes!" Lucky me. I was near giddy.
My poker face failed epically, but who cares? I walked away with these and they couldn't up the prices no matter the expression on my face. HEAVEN.
- Canandaigua/Geneva
I made my very last Salvo Wednesday road trip last week. This Wednesday, my last one before going back to see my amazing kids, I'm going to stay home and do the area ones one more time. So last week I drove to the only one I hadn't done yet this summer, in Canandaigua. I found a couple of good dresses but even better jewelry, most of which I'm keeping.
Maxi dress! I love them.
Stretchy knit winter dress. It's ready for a pair of fleece-lined tights and some boots!
I've decided I need a lot more vintage jewelry in my life. Thank you, Canandiagua, for your part in making that happen.
On a whim, I decided to go to Geneva for the second time this summer. It was only 20 minutes away (in the wrong direction) but I'd had good luck there earlier, so I figured why not.
Good choice, me.
I can't even. Not only was all the vintage in all the land at the Geneva Salvation Army that day, but it was the kind that gave me the feels. Collecting friends, you feel me. Not just something good that you know someone else will like/want/buy, but the kind that you know almost before you look at it that it's something special. The kind that makes your poker face REALLY hard to keep in place, and makes your heart race a little, and makes you compare thrifting to a hit. We get it. Those weird non-collectors out there might not understand, but we get it.
This was a hit. It was a good kind. I have joyfully spent the last few days cataloging and cleaning. It turns out I love this. Opening an Etsy shop was a good choice for me. I LOVE it.
Fortunately for me, I also love my big girl job. It's been a magic summer, and soon it ends and I get to go back and make the best kids in the world make beautiful music together, and play with vintage dresses in my free time. Lucky.
This concludes the world's longest blog post, and I swear I'm going to post again with my last few summer finds. I hope everyone else has had a Magic Summer as well!
