Thrift Store Challenge, Oh Yeah!

I have to admit, when I read Young House Love’s blog post last Friday I got pretty giddy about this “thrift store challenge”. I mean seriously here, a challenge with a scavenger hunt in a thrift store?! Who said adults can’t have a scavenger hunt?
There are so many thrift stores in the St. Petersburg area but I have to admit they get boring after a while. I frequent a thrift store right down the street from me but for the occasion I brought my twenty dollars to one a whole fifteen minutes away. Who can go wrong with a store called Thrift City USA?

When I was in high school, almost every Wednesday (which was pay day) I would come here to find some seriously outdated 80’s clothes to bring back in style. Did it work? Not when I was doing it. This is also the same store I found my pear orb lamp at, so I had high expectations.

Did they have leather jackets? Yes.

Yes they did.

All pink outfit? Check.

Luggage? Plenty!

  Jumpsuit? Oh yes.

Oh, and they had more big coats than anyone could ever dream of. I can understand why they had plenty. I mean, can you see someone sporting one of these in Florida? I can’t, not even during our 70 degree winters.

They also were pretty well stocked in ceramic animals.

Ceramic animals worthy of a can of spray paint? Not so much.

I also found some interesting things, like this sort of lamp.

Seriously, what is this thing? In case you can’t make out those blurry words, it says, “Do not use without proper protective eyewear to avoid eye injury.” Really? That looks like some scary stuff.

And this awesome hand mixer. Isabelle seemed to like it but I decided to pass. (And now I am kind of regretting it, whoops.)

Oh and anybody need a wine bottle?

Unfortunately, I left empty handed. So I took my still remaining twenty dollars elsewhere.

I think this thrift store wins for the best all pink outfit. They even put it on display. Wig included.

I would easily add these slippers to the attire for added pinkness.

I found at least somethings at this store, although not my best thrift store bounty. In total I bought a sweet horse-stick (I can’t recall the official name), a book for Elijah, a hairdryer for myself that I will probably never use and the legitimate vase you saw earlier. Grand total? $9.14!

What makes me more excited though, are these sweet glasses I scored at a garage sale for fifty cents two days prior to my shopping adventure. She wanted a dollar but I haggled her down. Oh yeah. So make that a grand total of $9.64, because garage sales are related to thrift stores, right?

What is something you scored at a thrift store? Any awesome fur coats? How about strange dangerous lamps?

  Update! Check out what I just scored at the thrift store I visit the most. Score! It is a wooden high chair, albeit in a rough shape but nothing a little love won’t find.

   I can’t wait to fix its wobbly little legs and give it a nice coat of bright paint. Maybe turquoise? Or a bright yellow? The possibilities are endless!

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12 Comments

  1. I'm here from YHL… just wanted to let you know, that lamp? My mom had one, it's an at-home tanning lamp. 🙂 Yes, you can give yourself skin cancer in the privacy of your own home! You were right about it being scary. 🙂

  2. Wow! Endless skin cancer for $9.99, what a deal! ;P Thank you for curing my curiosity.

  3. Hi! I'm here from YHL too – and just realized I'm in the same area as you! I will have to check out Thrift City and the Suncoast Resale store too. Any other recommendations?

  4. Hi Carrie! I also recommend Boley Neighborhood Store on 9th avenue N in the old TJ Maxx complex. That is where I found that high chair and occasionally they will get in really nice vintage dish ware, bake ware and lamps along with other nice things.

  5. Can't wait to see what you do with the high chair. We used a wood one like that when the kids were small and enjoyed it so much more than those big plastic contraptions. Love the sweet glasses… you can't wear those and have a bad day!

    ~Danielle from Storypiece

  6. Thanks, Danielle! I am excited to get started on the high chair but am so horrible at making decisions hopefully I can pick a color before my girls get too big for it!

  7. That high chair is such a huge score! I'm so jealous. I had high hopes of doing the YHL challenge, but my little one caught the flu (luckily she's all better now), so there was no thrifting for me :(.

  8. I'm sorry to hear your little one got the flu, it's hard seeing them sick. You could always do some belated thrifting!

  9. Excellent – thanks!! I'm in St. Pete and generally hit the stores on 16th St., Goodwill on Gandy and Salvation Army on 54th Ave… then admire the ones on Central, but they are always too pricey!

  10. I agree, they are not very "thrifty"! I haven't been to those in probably seven years, I will have to check them out again!

  11. The high chair is a great find! It's going to look so good painted a bright, cheery color!

  12. Thank you, Sam!

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