Tuesday, May 29, 2012

What I Didn't Buy at the Thrift Store: Flea Market Edition

With a house stuffed full of merchandise to sell (even with a bigger space we're tripping over boxes...resellers, you know the feeling!) I've been taking it easy and leaving more behind than I would like to while thrifting. But the voices of the items I leave behind are still calling out to me. This is what they're saying:


What do you have trouble leaving behind at the thrift stores?
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30 comments:

  1. I can't believe there was a full set of He-Man toys in the carrier of all things! That has to be rare. Also I nearly fell over when I saw the barbie orgy. Van you are something else!

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    1. I actually do run into He-man toys often, but they price them at eBay prices! I used to see my neighbor's Skeletor castle through this window. It made me want to knock on his door and ask him to come out and play!

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  2. I collect chipmunks and foxes, but I don't run across either of those too often so I have to snatch up whatever I find when I find it. I can never leave behind printed linen tea towels, cute tea tins (even if they aren't particularly old), retro embroidery, and creepy children chalkware figures. I'm still pining over a perfectly ghastly chalkware lamp of a little girl that an older woman got just ahead of me. She said was going to put in her guest bedroom for her grandchildren. She didn't get the irony of the piece at all, and it killed me because the evil-looking little girl on this lamp is going to give her grandchildren nightmares! They are NOT going to want to sleep in the same room with it!

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    1. Ha! I LOVE nightmare fuel, I always remember when people snatch the perfect item out from under me, too. Luckily, it gets better with time ;)

      I collect creepy children chalkware figures to sell, but few people "get" them and I end up stuck with them!

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    2. Maybe she didn't like her grandchildren spending the night,lol.

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  3. Okay, what is that wicker whale actually for? Because I kind of want it.

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    1. It looks like a clothing hamper to me. I STILL want that beautiful thing ;)

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  4. Oh man, how much was the octopus? So cute! Fantastic finds.

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    1. He was made of stone and each section came apart, but at 7ish he was too much for a flea market find.

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  5. excellent post. Sometimes those 'left behinds' appear in my dreams too. We have it bad.

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  6. Great post Van...it is soooo hard to walk away from some of those fabulous finds!!! I have my shelves full too so I totally understand!! I did surrender this past week and went to a thrift to claim a table I saw a few months back (I got lucky with it still being there). It is so unique and must have been some kind of display table in it's former life. The shelves are circular in shape and are painted with a spiral design in really fun colors. I can't wait to install it as a display table...I thought it would be great for some of my fun sale items.

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  7. I leave behind things that are HEAVY! Too heavy to ship. I live in NY and retail spaces are few and far between and expensive as all get out. Also, I tend to leave behind big bowls. They break.

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    1. Yep, that's a new rule of mine as well! I may have to write about it later, just found out today that a heavy find in my antique store booth fell on someone's head!

      Apparently they're fine, but still...heavy finds are staying behind for me too. Expensive AND dangerous!

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  8. That looks like one weird flea market!!! Pity there wasn't a Kitchenaid in that box!

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    1. You NEVER KNOW what you'll find at the flea markets in the South East USA!

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  9. Today I left a couple packages of CRASH TEST DUMMIES items. NIP Collectors stamp pad, pencil & eraser. They had 3.

    I didn't need them... & we just spent $300 on a new set of tires. OUCH!

    BTW, that whale... truly awesome, but wouldn't come home with me either.

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    1. Ouch! Car troubles always give me the blues and make my hunting less fun, too. The whale is truly awesome but truly large and intrusive, too!

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  10. LOL. You crack me up Van. Carm has the entire Castle Greyskull with figurines and comic books. We even have a He-Man puzzle. Our five year old demanded that we allow him to play with them...so, they aren't such valuable collectibles anymore. But what good is the stuff if you can't get some enjoyment out of it, right?

    By the way...whale is super cool! Just can't picture it in anything other than a child's room with ocean theme, though.

    And the velour paintings. Same thought/same disdain at pricing.

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    1. OH! Ps...mom found the family photos. :)

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    2. Glad your mom found the photos! You'll have to send them over. I feel the same way about toys- they're meant to be played with! If my nieces/nephews request a toy to play with they certainly can...

      ...they just can't -own- my megazords ;)

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  11. It seems that flea market is near the ocean. Being in the middle of Arizona I rarely see any nautical or marine life inspired items. I think I would have had a difficult time resisting the whale hamper!

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    1. I suppose we're closer to the ocean here on the west side of Jacksonville than anywhere in Arizona ;) Florida is a nautical lover's paradise, as a fish lover the hunting is great here!

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  12. I hear ya on this problem, Van. A lot of things speak to me at thrift stores and flea markets. I just have to ignore them and walk away. I alllllmost walked away from a gigantic wooden elephant storage rack...but decided I did in fact need it. Well that and a facehugger Alien toy for a $1. I had way too much fun at the flea markets last weekend, ha ha.

    <3 Jackie @ Let's Go Thrifting!

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    1. Both sound like awesome things that NEEDED to go home with ya!

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