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I’ve talked about this a few times on here before. Sometimes out of nowhere I get an overwhelming urge to visit a specific thrift store. There is no rhyme or reason. Every time this has happened, I find something amazing. I’m talking $200+ items each time. You may think it sounds dumb but it has happened too many times to be mere coincidence. It’s not the usual “hey I have the itch to thrift” feeling. It is a specific “ you must go to this exact place right now” feeling.
today was one of those days. There is a thrift store somewhat near me that I’ve only ever went to once. It’s not much further away than other thrift stores I go to, but there is a stretch of road that has insane traffic that I simply don’t want to traverse. I was thinking about that thrift store, and coincidentally something came up which had us driving past that area. I told my wife about it, but it was a bit too far out of the way on the way up. She placated me by going to a goodwill near our destination, but they didn’t have anything really special there. On the way home I kept mentioning this little thrift shop that was calling me. She really wanted to get home. A freak occurrence happened on a bridge that completely shut down the interstate and caught us in traffic…right before the exit with the thrift store I wanted to go to.
https://wchstv.com/news/local/crash-snarls-westbound-traffic-near-nitro-st-albans-bridgeSo we got off at the exit (I got her a bubble tea for her troubles) and went to the thrift store since it was gonna be a while before they finished clearing the bridge.
So what did I find? 80’s toys nirvana! 80’s toys is my JAM and what I based my eBay store on originally.
I got a bunch of minor things that added up to several hundred dollars in profit.
The highlights were two things: first a set of Jem and the holograms dolls from 1985. Some of them have the light up earrings. I have to do a bit more teaser h to know the exact value on this , but probably in the 150-200 range since there are no accessories other than they have outfits.
The BIG thing that was calling me was something that was literally wheeled out to be priced just as I was at the register. If I wouldn’t have arrived at the exact time I did, I would have missed it.
it is a COMPLETE set of the original 10” rainbow brite dolls WITH all the sprites!!!
I have not even seen a complete set with sprites for sale. I will likely price this set at $1000 obo.
There are a few more rainbow brite dolls in addition as well as the car. Once I got home to research and find I had the complete set it blew my mind. I knew it was an amazing find but didn’t know it was that good.
Normally I’m not home on weekdays. I would have never went that way even with the urge if there wasn’t an emergency that required us to go that way. I still wouldn’t have went if there wasn’t that bonkers bridge incident – all to put me there at the exact instant a rare grail find literally wheels itself out to sit right beside me as I’m checking out as if on a silver platter.
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I chalk this up to your scavenger “spidey sense”, but also to your deep knowledge of vintage toys. I would likely have grabbed the dolls but you really know you got a big score. Good find!
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I chalk this up to your scavenger “spidey sense”, but also to your deep knowledge of vintage toys. I would likely have grabbed the dolls but you really know you got a big score. Good find!
I agree with all of this. Really amazing finds. It’s always exciting when a non-plan comes together.
I can think back to a few times where my scavenger spidey sense has gone off full blast, but it’s often based in a previous good experience scavenging at that place or somewhere similar. Or a general sense of wanting to go out and see what I can find next weekend, that sort of thinking.
There is a particular thrift store in my area that I have been thinking about visiting for the last few weeks…maybe next week I will get the feeling of needing to go there right now and report back my findings. I have gotten so used to scavenging online that it’s easy to forget how much fun it is to get out there and find some real gems.
I will have to keep a closer eye over the next few months if there are times when my spidey sense goes off and I don’t find anything much. Those times are not as fun! But always a learning experience.
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I’ve never had that sort of scavenger sixth sense. However, I do often buy online auction lots for minimum bids and find items that were hidden and not advertised. Some examples: two mink hats in a bag found in a bathroom closet and a WWII packet listing the stars & stripes someone was entitled to wear at the bottom of a box of ordinary photo frames. Of the many similar purchases I’ve made, a very low percentage had nothing of interest.
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This literally happens to me on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes I get that spidey tingle even if I’ve been to my favorite thrift store the day before. And it often happens when I’m in the store, about to get in the check out line…I get the feeling I’ve missed something and I do another turn around the store, only to find something that was put out after I was heading to the register. One time it was a genuine Yves St. Laurent evening jacket ($12.00), that I sold for over $200. They had hung it on the end of the rack, instead of jammed in with the rest of the jackets. So I know it wasn’t there when I went thru the first time.
I recently started going to the local dump with my husband to take our recycling. There is a “swap shed” where people can leave stuff that they think is too good to throw away. The place is generally a mess, which is how I like it. The second time I opt to accompany my hubby, is because my spidey sense is tingling and telling me to go. I wade thru the junk on the floor and stand on tiptoe to reach a couple of interesting looking plates on a high shelf. On top of the plates is a crumpled up scarf. The lighting is dim, so I briefly glance at the scarf, determine that there are no holes in it and it has an interesting pattern, so I stuff it in my coat pocket.
I spend some time researching the plates which were an okay find, then eventually remember the scarf in my pocket.I pull it out and take a good look and after some in depth research, discover that it’s an authentic Hermes silk twill scarf, a limited edition print….in very good , clean condition…..and worth about $400!! So that swap shed is now my favorite place to “shop”.
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