The Absolute Coolest Things I Thrifted + Found All Summer

Because the secondhand Gods are always smiling on us.

Even though my bar for a Fantastic Summer is routinely pretty low (too much pressure/hot places, too few moments to just chill alone in air-conditioning). I mean, all those good times can be just too much for a person 😐. But this summer is turning out to be…a pretty wonderful one. In the absence of any sexy beach trips, we planted a spectacular wildflower meadow upstate, rewatched Hacks with my best friend in Maine (while my daughter shucked corn for the first time, and it was adorable), and I took so many blissful bike rides at dusk I lost count. It was a busy and also soothing season filled with treasures of the memory-making kind AND the thrifted-and-totally FREE kind (I mean, it is STILL peak yard/stoop sale season, friends, so get out there this weekend✨).

So, even though I’ve been on a strict moratorium from buying anything not indirectly related to basic family needs OR the cool cabin we’re building upstate, I still managed to stumble upon some secondhand doozies that were so good, I just kept thinking of what my dear friend Sister Karol might say when we land something lucky, “Oh, what could my Jesus do more?”

Without further adieu, the 11 BEST, most special things I thrifted or found this summer. And YES, I’ll be having a little sidewalk sale in Brooklyn this fall, and I hope so much if you’re local you’ll be there. xxCb

1. Pair of vintage Palaset Finland cubes (stacked here), FREE (ahhh!).
   I have to kick off with these beauties from the 1970s that I had absolutely NO business finding just this past Sunday. I was taking a late afternoon walk after lunch with Kevin and Raffi, and as I was heading down my usual Brooklyn Heights route, I saw a couple carrying a pair of matching vintage chairs. “Hmm,” I thought, getting the witchy stoop-sale vibe. But as I said, I’m trying very hard not to buy anything I don’t absolutely need (even if it’s cool! even if it’s cheap!). So, I did my loop, and then on my way back—it’s like 4 p.m. at this point, so I’m thinking what could honestly be left?—I see a mess of things on the sidewalk with a huge FREE sign. There was a giant upholstered arm chair, two MORE of those vintage wood Church chairs I saw the couple carrying, some clothes on a rack….and THESE….primary-colored JEWELS! And well, your girl DOES NOT hesitate when she knows that something is special…and likely worth a lot. I lifted one, it was heavy (which also made me know it was vintage/better quality materials than today), and immediately called an $8 Uber for escort. It was when I disassembled them on the stairs for cleaning that I saw the PALASET stickers on the drawer undersides (the kind of giddiness I LIVE for). With a bit of research, I discovered they were from Finland from the 1970s, initially created as modular cube storage for young families and likely smaller apartments (like mine…and maybe yours!). And it turns out they are super collectible, with more elaborate sets going on resale sites for more than $10k. I had the perfect spot for them, too…for art supplies…and they just make me SWOON. Did I mention they were free?