Last summer I had an exceptionally good time at the Geneva Salvation Army... twice! It was an afterthought both times, so this year I decided to make it my main thought. I'd also done well at Seneca Falls, and since it was close to Geneva but a little further away, I thought I'd start there.
Right in the entryway, before the second set of doors, was this seed spreader. An older couple was looking at it and I kind of hovered behind them because I thought my husband would want it, but didn't want to get in their way as they were there first and therefore had dibs. I heard him say "can you believe I just bought one of these?" and sigh, so since he obviously wasn't buying it and obviously knew things about it, I asked him some questions. It got good reviews, and it was only $10 (instead of $60 new at Home Depot) so I got it! My husband has been spreading seed on our new yard like it's his job, so hopefully this will make that job easier!
Last year the thing I marveled at the most was their beautiful use of color-themed organization. It's so pretty, and I was happy to see it's continued!
I did not buy this, but yowza. Glitter and Gold Jem would have DIED over this 80s gold lamé deal.
60s mod LBD, with a velvet and rhinestone neckline. And it has pockets! YES. Coming soon to my shop!
Wow. That's... a lot of zippers.
Oh man, a 70s dress! When I got it home, it did not fit and thereby broke my heart, but just look at all that disco dress glory! Handkerchief hemline too. So much to love here!
I did not buy this, but it made me smile. This is from Sarah Jessica Parker's short-lived line at Steve & Barry's, a discount clothing store that went out of business quite a few years back. For a while, I was in the business of rescuing all of these items from the abyss, but I don't think I own any of them anymore. I'm sad for you, Bitten!
This is linen with a chiffon neckline. Oh, summer!
I could not bring myself to do it, but just how awesome is this stretchy 80s acid washed jean dress?? I should have. Why didn't I buy this??
This one has stains - one stain removal down and they're still there, although lighter, and I WILL GET RID OF THEM. I will. But just look at that shade of green! Alison Ayres 70s wrap dress, come to mama!
These bracelets are mine. The green one is glass and it's amazing and I'm in love with it. The other one has a magnetic clasp that is so easy to manage. Love!
I didn't try this on at the store because I was going to buy it whether or not it fit, but yay!!! It fits and it's amazing. And I'll wear it in the dead of winter and the bright color will cheer me up. A bit.
Another dress to wear in the winter! Not as bright but there's at least some color in there. Too often I find myself wearing blacks and grays all winter, and I really need some color in my winter wardrobe!
I saved the best from this store for last. I knew I was going to love this dress as soon as I saw the color combination, and when I looked more closely it was confirmed. The pattern is amazing, and it's a 40s dress!
The dress was a little yellowed so I decided it needed a little bath. Here's the before shot, still beautiful but the whites are somewhat yellow.
This is one of my new favorite summer activities. The dress is soaking in Retro Clean, the best thing for removing yellow (or gently removing stains) from aged and delicate fabrics. You're supposed to soak it for a while, and they (I can't remember if it was the Retro Clean website or someone on Instagram) suggested letting it soak in sunshine on a warm day to keep the water warm while it soaks. There is something so wonderfully SUMMER about a vintage dress soaking in the sun in between my husband's hot pepper plants. Dress stew!
Here's the after shot! Those whites are so much whiter! Beautiful!!!!
A little closeup of the novelty print. Swoon! WHY don't I have a 22 inch waist?
The Geneva Salvation Army is just a couple of miles away from my very favorite winery in the world. If you're not aware, the Finger Lakes is home to a wine region that's been growing in both quantity and quality. There are a few wineries (Dr. Konstantin Frank, I'm looking at you) that are world-renowned. There are also some wineries (*cough cough Three Brothers) who are mostly in the business of making candy wine for woo-hoo girls. I do not go to those wineries. If you're ever in the Finger Lakes, feel free to contact me and I will happily point you in the direction of the best ones. They're amazing, and so is the view.
There are so many wineries where you can drink wine and look at this all at once.
This is Billsboro. I'm a wine club member at this winery for 2 reasons. 1, they don't make bad wine. Every wine I have tasted from there has been stellar. My mother-in-law is in love with their Syrah (which they are sold out of, which is going to break her heart) to the point where we were considering making a drinking game based on how often she says the phrase "Billsboro Syrah". 2, they are the only winery in the Finger Lakes that makes a single-varietal Albariño and it is amazing. And you have to be a wine club member to buy it. They make it in limited release, somewhere in the vicinity of 70 cases a year.
This year, their "cheap" wine ($12/bottle) is my favorite. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I like it even better than the 2016 Albariño. Which is great, because it's half the price.
Hey, at least I talked myself out of the full case.
Directly between Billsboro and the Salvo is another of my favorite wineries, Ravines. Their main tasting room is on Keuka Lake, but they have another one here off of Seneca Lake.
They have a "Ravinous Kitchen" at this location. GORGEOUS.
I did a tasting. Or at least I tried to. For whatever reason, they were super busy. I don't think I was the only person surprised by the crowd (on a Wednesday at 11:30 in the morning), since they only had 2 people working and one of them was trying to do tastings for multiple groups and run the register. As a result, after 15 minutes I'd only tasted 2 of my 5 wines and I gave up. It was freezing in there, hot outside, and since summer warmth and dry skies have been hard to come by this summer, I just couldn't wait any more. I don't blame you, Ravines tasting girl. But priorities.
I was very excited when I got to the Geneva Salvo. Both of last year's trips had taught me to expect good dresses and low prices. And this sign made me even more excited. Forty-nine cents? Assuming I could convince the cashier it was a summer dress, anyway... which seems like a weird policy...
Look at all the rainbow-y dresses! Good job with the rainbows, Finger Lakes region!
I had to laugh at the tag on this deadstock dress. Which I did not buy because it was ugly and couldn't bring myself to want it.
.....and this is what I found. All that anticipation, all the good signs, and jack squat. Guys, this is truly a first. I bought nothing.
I didn't even buy this, even though it was a really great find. If you're not aware, My Pretty Pony is the predecessor to My Little Pony. The blinking action works, she has her hat and blanket and all her ribbons and instruction sheets. This is a great find, but try as I might, I couldn't convince Sarah that her Snug Bungalow Etsy Shop needed it. Sorry, pretty pony.
The ending of this trip felt very anti-climactic. It started off so well, but what an end. (Bonus points to anyone who gets that quote). Fortunately, summer is only half over. Check out this summer's finds so far at my Instagram and my Etsy shop!
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