Whether or not you are following the newest craze that is Marie Kondo’s wildly popular approach to tidying up, there is no denying that the current decluttering trend is creating quite an impact on thrift stores, they are bursting at the seams with donations.
For those of you who have not heard of Marie Kondo, she is a Japanese “tidying consultant” who uses a system of purging items from your home that do not “spark joy.” Between her New York Times Best Seller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and her new Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, her KonMari method is going strong.
Next time you are searching for that hard to find treasure to decorate or just enjoy in daily life consider shopping at your local thrift store. You never know what you’ll find. After all what doesn’t spark joy for others, may just spark joy for you.
Here are a few popular items to lookout for when visiting those now over-flowing thrift stores:
- Dishes and Glassware
Vintage dishes can be especially valuable, so do a little research on what you may want before you go out thrifting. My sister-in-law is an avid Thrift Store Shopper, she loves buying vintage Pyrex cookware, as well as glasses in different colors and shapes, so keep an eye out for anything unusual. - Books
Remember those books our kids loved that you were going to keep forever, but didn’t? Well now you can relive those memories. Gently-used, vintage children’s books are common in many thrift stores. These and uniquely-colored books can be a great find to use in decorating. For the house flippers out there, good-condition, used box sets like the Harry Potter series may be found at a thrift store but also check out eBay where they can sell for around $30 to $50. Other popular box sets include The Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games, and Little House on the Prairie. They look good in a bookcase or arranged on an end table. - Wood furniture
Thrift stores are a wonderful place to pick up a solid well-built wood furnishing at bargain prices. Even if you don’t end up finding your vintage dream piece, furniture that looks like “grandma” can be transformed with a little paint, varnish, and fresh knobs or handles in a few hours of tender loving work and not much money. - Mirrors
When looking to make your space feel bigger, mirrors are the ultimate accessory for your walls. New mirrors can be pricey; however, you can save quite a bit of money by finding one at a thrift store. You may need to do some touchup but it will be well worth your time to create a one-of-a-kind look.
Do yourself a favor, call the thrift store of your choice ahead of time and ask if they have certain days that they restock newly received items.
Happy bargain hunting on your thrift store adventure!
