Shopping At The GW Department Store

I am a dyed-in-the-wool thrift store shopper. The GW department store or the Sally Ann are my favorite haunts for chic clothing. I can't remember when I didn't shop at the thrift store. My children were raised on thrift store "stuff".

My children could always expect a box each at Christmas, jam-packed with treasures that I had skillfully grabbed off the racks. The other veteran GW shopper in town (by that I mean we could tell in a glance whether it was K-Mart or Dept. store clothing--we didn't even need to touch it) would be there on Tuesday noons when the truck came in. The racks were pushed into the store and down the aisle to the front, and we were picking the reeeally expensive treasures off those racks before they even made it to the front. You know, stuff like cashmere sweaters, leather motorcycle jackets, mouton lamb coats, hand knit sweaters, real silk outfits. The clerks knew both of us on first name basis, and if we missed a week, they checked on our well-being the next time we entered the store.

My children never complained about thrift store clothing. They would put orders in for what they wanted. They always looked sharp in their "new" outfits. My husband had frequent compliments at work on his clothing and he said his wife shopped for him at the local department store. Why, even my daughter who was a model for 20 years said her friends always wanted to know where she got her clothing because it was so original.

Every single place I have ever visited, if my host asked me what I wanted to do, my reply was "First to the thrift shop". And certain regions in the country, as well as certain suburbs in a city are definitely better "picking's than other places. I can personally tell you if there's a large population of Dutch descent persons in a town, you're going to find a really good thrift shop run by the Christian Reform or the RCA church and it's going to be cheap prices on expensive stuff. Those Dutch throw out a lot of stuff they don't seem to use. I think maybe they're some of those people who subscribe to the adage "If it hasn't been used in a year, get rid of it." Anyway western Michigan has a lot of Dutch and a lot of great thrift stores run by them. Just last week my friend and I had an hour to kill while in Muskegon, and there was a new thrift store we hadn't been to, housed in a former Walgreen store. This was pretty slick because it's not often you go to a thrift store with an automatic door! The place was fabulous. We each came out with 2 bags full of treasures.

Now Denver has some really great thrift stores, and not necessarily run by churches either. ARC stores are big there, and they have plenty of really good stuff there. They're in the business of moving that stuff out of there so their pricers are definitely not into overpriced junk. Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a place where you can hit about 4 good stores near each other in one afternoon of shopping. Some of my best ever buys were in Florida--Sarasota-- to be exact. Those people know how to get rid of things. Major fur coats, suits, hats, all the latest styles from last year. Heck, what do I care? Fashion comes two years late where I live anyway.

I've been several times to the Scandinavian countries and Great Britain. This was while I had a troupe of high school dancers that I was taking on 3 week dance tours. When we would have free shopping time, I would wander off to "you know where" and the others would do their tourist shopping. Back on the bus, we all would show our wares. All the kids would ooh and ahh about my hand knit sweaters, gorgeous lace and antique dishes and jewelry, and drop their jaws at how much I didn't spend. Soon I had an entourage at each stop, following me to the thrift stores! I can personally say Helsinki is the best picking on the other side of the Atlantic.

But here's the best tale from a thrift store adventure. The kids were 5, 7, and 11. I was perusing the sock bin for some warm ones for the kids, and selected several nice pairs. When I got home and plopped down the bags, the kids descended on them to see the goodies. One of them, I can't remember who, screamed out "Oh my goodness, look at this!" She held out a wad of money. Stuffed inside the bottom of one of the pairs were 6 twenty dollar bills. Obviously someone had emptied out "Uncle Ed's sock drawer" after he had passed away. Well, I figured the store wouldn't have known where it would have come from, and we were poor enough then. Each kid got a twenty and so did my hubbie and I. It was mad money more than we'd ever seen. I remember the girls pooled their and got a wagon. The boys-- I don't remember what they got.

Lately I think I've become a bit of a slacker on the thrift store scene. I don't feel I have to hit every store, every time I'm in town. To keep your hand in and not lose your thrift store skill, you must frequent a particular store often. That way your trained eye can scan the rack or shelf and eye any new or classy merchandise and grab it. Otherwise it takes too long and you'll lose valuable time. And it's not like I've got a mate that doesn't like thrift stores. If I give a nod while we're driving past one, he's pulled in and getting into the front door, heading for the computers and gadgets before I'm halfway out of the car.

No, I'm thinking maybe I should set up shop myself. Maybe rent a space at the local flea market this year. I could become one of the pedlars instead. I've got a lot of things to sell, and I know all the ins and outs.