People-Watching Mecca

The song “Heat Wave” was playing in the background, as I stood wondering if he was one of the ASU football players. That’s how big he was, this young man in whose shadow I stood at the Boone Goodwill checkout counter, thus my surprise when he asked the clerk, “Do you still have that three foot plastic crayon that was here last week?”

And so it goes, “thrifting” in the High Country, Winter 2011.

Would it be fair to say that Goodwill, Boone, is the Mecca for local people watching? Diamonds and pearls, butt cracks and babies, cleavage and curls, big hair, no hair, fancy and frumpy they all converge here.

What about the older couple spotted carrying out an inflated oversized replica of a Budweiser bottle? Huh? Wouldn’t you love to know their story. Yes, one person’s trash IS another’s treasure, and in the world of “flippers” (those who resell at flea markets) it is likely that Budweiser treasures DO have value.

In house wares I recently enjoyed conversation with a charming twelve year old boy about the Magic 8 Ball on the shelf. It was broken. But we didn’t give up until each of us tried about 10 shakes. You never know what friendships may be forged at Goodwill!

All the while there was a young man strolling up and down the aisles, not looking like the shopper type, and wearing an old Army jacket that was adorned with a button that read, “Vote for Pedro”. Am I missing something here?

Some shop Goodwill strictly for the clothing, while others head straight for house wares. One sweet local lady can always be found checking out the jewelry counter first. And it is either the furniture section or book section that seems to provide comfort and consolation to reluctant spouses who’d rather be someplace else.

Like the castoffs from Gilligan’s Island, I look forward to seeing the “regulars” when visiting Goodwill. Pamela, Dawn, Anna, Jeff, Louis, Wendy, Karen….and the list goes on…

30 minutes at Goodwill

As many of you know, I recently gave birth to my precious son, Hank. I have been on maternity leave since he arrived and have been slowly adjusting to the shared duties of parenthood with my thoughtful husband. With a great deal of snow falling this winter as well as a different sleeping and eating schedule than I am accustomed to , I have not ventured out of the house much in the past 5 weeks. Recently, my husband offered to watch Baby Hank while his mother and I ran some errands and "hit the goodwill". Honestly, it was the first time I had been back in over 6 weeks. No longer big bellied pregnant and looking for nursing bras and maternity clothes, but now hoping that I would fit back into something near my old size. I took a sigh of relief and walked in the front door. As always, I started with a quick swoop over the dresses--years of practice has shown that you actually look at the bottom of the dresses and not at the tops---the bottoms hang more freely and the tops are smashed together and often you cannot see the real selection. With a quick run threw, I had to use the texture and color strategy---I prefer certain textures of clothing, like velvet, linen, patchwork, embroidery, silk, vintage chintz, etc..... certain colors also look better on me than others, green, rose, wine, turquoise, etc.....therefore, I only take time to actually look at any dresses (or skirts, shirts and so on) that meet the criteria of both texture and color and then we hope for style and size. This makes looking very fast. After the dresses, I head over to the skirts and find my first treasure of the day in a rose colored linen J Jill ruffled skirt, sz.SP--small petite--not sure about the size but the elastic waist leaves me hopeful. At least, I could have something to aim for if it is close. The stomach is the last thing to bounce back after you have a baby I have been told. From the skirts, I aim for the shoe racks. Then , while in the back of the store, I quickly go through the household/toy/electronics aisles. Spying my mother-in-law shopping, I head over for the linens racks and again use my texture/color technique, but this time it is different because I am now looking for quality items-- I especially like linen tablecloths and vintage prints. I have also gained a quick eye for high thread count cotton bedding. The eye spies it, the hand confirms it with a quick touch and then I pull it off the rack and take a real look at it. Time saver. Not much to really look at that day. So, I take a quick glance over the furniture and then head back to the shirts. I go down the medium aisle--no longer stalking the XL for stylish shirts that will fit over my enormous stomach. I quickly come across a pink velvet button up sweater with intricate silver buttons. Knowing this is a high quality item, I take a look at the tag and it too is a J Jill, sz.M. I am now satisfied with my hunt and head into the dressing room. We are about 20 minutes into the excursion. Pat has found some shoes and is happy to look around while I try on my clothes. I ask her to cross her fingers because I am really not sure what size I am wearing currently. I love going into the dressing rooms, that is where people have left an entire rack of "surprise clothes". I have found some nice stuff on that rack. The pickings were slim in there today, but no problem, I had my two JJill items to try on. Crossing my fingers and holding my breath, I slip into the skirt and am tickled to be able to zip it up and button it. Then, the velvet sweater, oh, did I love the look and feel of that sweater......luckily, it fit easily over the shirt I had on. I knew at that point that I had two keepers. $3.50 a piece if my pricing recollections were correct--5 weeks of new motherhood can fog your mind---I am certain that many of you would agree. Recently, our Goodwill has had some pretty fierce lines and check out can be a real pain. Today, the line was only 2 deep and right on the edge of 30 minutes, Pat and I were on our way back to the car. I felt very satisfied with my first trip back to the beloved Goodwill.....not really looking for anything, just fulfilling my need to hunt. I want to thank Pat, my mother-in-law and an avid rosebud for joining me and my husband, for knowing what is good for me and taking care of the baby while we went on the hunt. We would love to hear from you about any strategies that you might have to "quick shop" thrift stores. I know that some of you Rosebuds are professionals at this and it would be great to hear some your tricks of the trade. As always Happy Hunting folks!