*This series is sponsored by CommunityAmerica Credit Union. CommunityAmerica believes a big aspect of financial security is living within your means to fund your dreams, and I was thrilled when they wanted to partner up to share my love of thrifting. All thoughts and opinions in this series are my own.
Just seeing the series? Start here.
I wish this answer was really clear cut, but the reality is you have to find your own style. If you don’t know what that is, thrifting can be an incredible way to experiment and discover what you’re drawn to. Just go and see what catches your eye. Evaluate. When something catches your eye ask yourself “What do I like about this?” Color, style, material, price, nostalgia? Sometimes asking yourself these same questions about pieces you already own will help you seek out new things to add to your home. Understanding why you love something helps you determine your personal style.
I know that my style is traditional with hits of modern and pops of color. My past life in opera and studying the arts has likely given me a flair for the dramatic. Because of that I can’t resist gold, highly ornate things. My stylistic tendencies can all be pinpointed to past life experiences and personality traits. Maybe you spent weekends at your grandparents farm growing up and just can’t resist baskets and primitive furniture. Maybe your favorite show of all time is Mad Men and you drool over mid century credenzas and brightly colored upholstery. Thinking about what you like and how it relates to your life can really help you determine the pieces you should be seeking out. This not only helps you find your style, it helps you shop for things you’ll love forever, not just love for a bit because everyone else is loving it too I’m referring to trends.
Our living room before I overhauled it last fall. My style is traditional with hits of modern and pops of color.
Buy what you love. The things you love and pass on will haunt you. Anyone who’s thrifted for a while has those things. But there are lessons learned and the only way to grow and hone your taste is to continue to thrift. I’ll never forget the first piece that I passed up that haunted me for years. It was a highboy mid century dresser in a powder blue and it had the coolest hardware. It was $40, which at the time was a lot of money for me to spend willy nilly. I passed, and regretted it the moment I walked out of the store and many other times since then! But the things you regret not buying will teach you about instincts.
For me, when I know I should buy something I become short of breath and my heart starts beating quickly. That sounds VERY dramatic, but it’s true. I can’t quit thinking about the piece as I walk the rest of the store. That’s how I know I need to buy something. There are pictures of things on my phone that I didn’t buy that I wish I would have in hindsight. But there are many things I have bought in the past that I see pictures of and think, I wouldn’t buy that now. That’s just the evolution of style. The most stylish people are constantly evolving too.
As I’ve gotten more seasoned I tend to only buy things that I can tell are old, good quality, and within my style. I leave things behind that aren’t that well made, aren’t that old, or are great pieces but not in line with my aesthetic. I can’t tell you what items you are going to want to take home, but I can tell you what to look for apart from style.
QUALITY: When an item catches my eye, it’s usually first for the way it looks, but next I look at the quality. At this point I rarely buy something that is my aesthetic if it is not good quality. Oftentimes that means it is old. The sad truth is the newer something is, the less likely it was made with time, care, and the best materials. Good quality is important for creating a thrifted home that doesn’t look thrifted. How can you tell quality? Weight is a big thing in regards to furniture and decor. If a chair is heavy, it’s probably made of real, solid wood. That goes for upholstered pieces too. When you pick up a metal decor piece, it shouldn’t be light. A quality piece will carry some weight. Checking for labels is always a great idea. If a piece has a label or an artist’s signature, take a second to google it. Smart phones, man, what did we do without them? You can learn a lot about a piece in under a minute, making that thrift store price feel even more sweet.
I’ve been looking for small, round mirrors, and at first glance this was a clear winner.
But upon further inspection I realized it was new and plastic, so I passed. It doesn’t make it wrong, I just prefer to keep things old when I can.
I love obelisks, and these looked like they could go right into my cart.
But when I looked closer, they were cheaply glued together. They also had a sticker on the bottom that indicated they were not old. Another pass that I would have jumped on several years ago. They just don’t feel as special when they’re not well made.
Speaking of metal, brass is something I’m rather particular about these days. The 80’s and 90’s kind of brass (lightweight, yellow, and very shiny) is something I always pass on. The real deal (heavy, rich in color, often unlacquered or tarnished) is what I buy anytime I like the shape too.
UNIQUENESS: This one takes some time, but you’ll develop an eye for what is special. A big part of that is just exposing yourself to what is out there. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bought something I’ve never seen before, only to see 35 of them over the next month of thrifting. I still sometimes buy things that I think are so very special and then find 15 of them for sale on eBay. BUT that happens less and less, and I don’t let that stop me from loving what I love. That really is the key. Decide what it is you love, break down the details of why, and then collect those things. If you do that, you’ll always have a spot for them somewhere in your home.
Many of the classic portraits you see are reproduction pieces that were made in the middle of the 20th century when classicism made a return. If you thrift much you’ll start to see the same portraits over and over again.
What you end up taking home might depend on your season too. I’m in a stage of life where time for DIY and repairs is at a minimum. When I first started staying home our budget was smaller and we had less children. I did a lot of DIY and fixing back then. As life has gotten more full I tend to pass on pieces that need more love than a good cleaning.
Books are one of my favorite things to thrift, so I had to give a few away. And that beetle boot jack is just too cute! Next week will be a Q&A of some of the topics I didn’t cover in these last four weeks. I have a list of questions already put together, but I want to know what else you’re curious about. Ask me a question about thrifting (that I haven’t already covered) in the comments below to be entered for you chance to win the above treasures. Must be 18-years-old and a U.S. or Canadian resident to enter. Contest ends Wednesday September 12 at noon CST. Good luck!
Missed the first few posts? Catch up here, here, and here. See part five here.
For more thrifting tips and tricks, join The Makerista’s Thrift Club here.
A big thanks, again, to CommunityAmerica Credit Union for sponsoring the Thrift Like The Makerista series…
LET’S CONNECT! FIND ME ON…
Sarah says
Tbh, it’s hard to think of a question you haven’t answered, this series has been super thorough, interesting and full of great finds. Cant believe you passed up that dresser! 😱
If you had to edit all your advice on thrifting into one rule of thumb, what would it be and have you ever broken it?
Rebecca Vipperman says
Great series- I’m also having a hard time coming up with a question (you’ve been very thorough!) but I want to enter the giveaway! When you find something that is AMAZING but not right for you or just doesn’t work somehow have you ever thought about buying it anyway and trying to resell? Every once in awhile I run across something (once a Diane Von Furstenburg dress but it was the wrong size!) that’s great but not for me and I wonder if I could make reselling on eBay or some other platform work…thanks for your time!
Sarah McLaughlin says
Having recently moved to a historic town in Oklahoma (the capitol before statehood!), your advice on thrifting has really opened my eyes to the treasures lying around in this antique-store-heavy-town. You’ve touched on quality in this post, but I still have a hard time with that. I don’t know how to tell good serving silver from cheap, or blue and white pottery. I guess maybe another question is how do you decide the art to bring home? What is worth it and what isn’t good quality?
Lauren says
Oh man, that regret when you don’t get something that was awesome. I can’t get this one particular lamp that I passed up about two months ago out of my head. It was $40 at a thrift store, which seemed steep for the type of thrift store it was… but, I would have bought it for $40 at an estate sale… live and learn. As for a question: I’d like to know how you felt about thrifting and antiques as a kid. The house I grew up in was FULL of antiques, and I feel like I practically grew up at auctions and in antique store basements. 😉 As a kid, I swore I’d never buy anything old EVER. My mom just cracks up at this, because now I am exactly like her! Thanks for this series!!
Casey says
Thrifted books are my favorite scores to find! I’ve always been curious what people do with artwork that you really like the frame (good quality, wooden, etc) but the art is awful… I don’t know if it’s because I’m a novice at framing or what but I always get stuck on how to swap out the art myself. Maybe I’ve just gotten unlucky with tricky frames?
Emilia says
Oh Gwen! You truly are the queen of thrifting! I la-la-love these series and to be honest, you really have been very thorough! However, there’s always been one question hunting me while thrifting and finding some very sophisticated and gorgeous piece, yet absolutely not in my (home) style or something I just don’t have place for, but know somebody on my mind who could love that something and be very happy about it. So, the question is – do you think it’s fine to gift a thrifted item to a friend or a family member? Would you do that? Have you ever done that perhaps?!
Jennifer says
How do decide a price point for an item?
Alexandra says
Agree with the above that you have been so thorough I am having a hard time coming up with a question! I love looking for great and/or beautiful books. Have you found a particularly consistent source for books? I’ve had the best luck at one of those huge “antique malls” with a ton of booths, but it can be overwhelming. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!!
Connor says
Adore this series! My question would be regarding cleaning thrift store items. Do you ever worry about bringing certain items into your home without knowing where they’ve been? “Hard” objects are easy to thrift but I’m just wondering what your thought/cleaning process is on soft or upholstered goods.
Debbie says
Thank you for this informative series! You’ve been very thorough, but I’m wondering if you have good thrifting sources for vintage rugs?
Joanna says
This series is right up my alley. I love to thrift! I do have to be more discerning in my purchases. A good deal is not so great if you have no place for it in your home. I do pass on pieces that I know my friends will like.
I bought what I thought was an antique liquor cabinet at an auction years back only to find it was a cheap knock off. Lesson learned – always show up with time to exam objects closely.
I’d like to know if there is a way to clean up tarnished objects without taking them back to a shiny look? I like a little tarnish but a frame I bought is almost black. It seems most products are all or nothing.
Also, as Connor asked, when bringing in an upholstered piece what are your cautions? I steer clear of them because I’m afraid of fleas, silverfish, etc.
PJ says
My dad had that beetle bootjack on his side porch. Little did we know how much it meant to all the grandkids until Dad passed and they wanted to know who was lucky enough to get the beetle bootjack.
Kim says
Thank you…I love thrifting…got it from my mom who got it from her dad…I collect purple depression glass…miniature shoes and purses…(dust collectors) but I love them…I now am looking for old chairs to start an upholstery business…the older heavier tattered the better…thrifting allows you to find items from an array of choices…from stores you don’t go in and can’t afford to go in …yard sales garage sales estate sales thrift stores…that is where you can find me…HAPPY THRIFTING
Carlotta says
My question is also whether you have given thrifted gifts? I never have though I do have at least one friend who I think may appreciate the uniqeness.
Lauren says
Love this series! When you find a great lamp with very old wiring, do you always rewire it with a kit? I’ve found so many great lamps, but am of course paranoid of accidentally lighting the house on fire if the wiring goes wonky.
Anne says
How do you pick a fabric to reupholster thrifted chairs? With so many options I am paralyzed! Yours always fit in with your décor perfectly!
Jennie says
Hi! Thanks for writing up this series. It’s been really fun to follow along with! My question is whether you’ve made thrifting a family thing? I know some venues might be inappropriate to bring children to, like estate sales as you mentioned. But I think it is an important lesson to show children that you don’t always have to buy items that are brand new. And they can enjoy the hunt to give items a new life 🙂
Leigh says
This has been SUCH a great series! Are you always able to incorporate finds into your house right away, or do you have a storage area where you tuck away good finds that you know you love, but haven’t decided where to put them yet? I do a bit of both, and it seems like thrifting in particular lends itself to having to occasionally buy something when it’s available and the price is right, and figure out the rest later. Just curious to know what your process is with that.