17 Things I Thrifted In February

God help me, I promise there will be a sidewalk sale SOON.

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February is a short month, but that didn’t stop me from spending seven of those 29 days in thrift stores…okay, maybe it was eight. Hell, who’s counting...

A long time ago in my 20s when I was living back at home with my parents, I would often walk or drive over to the local church on Blue Point Avenue, Our Lady of The Snow (where I had my communion and confirmation, among other churchly milestone events). I wouldn’t say I was particularly religious, but during those “lost” years when I was desperately trying to figure out who I was/what I wanted, I stop in at the church, always when it was empty, and find a spot in one of the pews on the left in the middle. Sitting quietly mostly, sometimes praying or whispering to myself (or anyone who would listen). It seemed like an endless chunk of years, stuck/grinding my gears and like everything I wanted was so out of my reach. But…this little church from 100 years ago in the town where I grew up always made me feel welcome, and like everything, somehow/some way, would be okay.

I feel the same way about thrift stores. There is no 4-alarm Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day that a quick 20 minutes in a thrift store cannot make a tiny bit better. Give me your cavernous, crammed, messy, dark/blindingly bright, bad candle-smelling utterly FANTASTIC. No matter where we are and what we’re going through, a thrift store will always be a lighthouse for wayward souls like me us.

This month—in addition to my usual haunts—I not only spent a full day with my friend Gigi thrifting on Long Island but also several days in West Palm, FL, near where my mom lives scouring her very robust network of thrift stores. During past trips I’ve hit many more shops, but this time around, I had to be more discriminating with time, so I focused on the shops I love the most/home to the most GEMS (ALL CAPS): Hospice Resale Store, Goodwill on Okeechobee, American Thrift Store right across the street, Salvation Army on Military Trail, and I also squeezed in a visit to the Church Mouse in Palm Beach. So, here’s most of everything I found this past month. And if I was feeling low/blue at the start of February, you can be absolutely sure that the Colombo bowls and $12 vintage YSL I found fully restored my faith that when we thrift, we are ALL headed in the right direction❤️.

1. Vintage Alvar Aalto Stool, $95. This was one of three I found at Vintage Thrift on the same visit early in the month before my travels. They were stackable, but I only needed one for my collection and this one was the sturdiest. If I had to name THE most hard-working piece of furniture in my home, it is this stool. Which is why whenever I see one in the thrifting wild, I grab it. (Song credit: Erasure❤️)

2. Vintage Joan & David sandals, $25. The sensibly heeled wedge sandal is so back and I’m seriously here for it. I fell madly in love with these on eBay, but they were a touch too big, so I gave them to my neighbor Brittany who loves them just as much. Thrifting is Sharing!

3. Magnifications book by David Scharf, FREE. I found this on the sidewalk, and it’s become a regular source of creepy fascination for my daughter and me. If you’re down for this sort of science-y stuff, you can get your own copy here.

4. Silver Foil Proenza Schouler boots, $60. I found these on eBay and even though the foil is flaking off, I was smitten (here’s a newer PS pair you might fancy or the exact pair I found sans flaking in a 7.5). I am impossibly into silver lately, and so many silver boots just read cheap/yucky to me OR the heel is stupid high. Other than the wear (which I have ZERO idea how to fix), they are perfect AND super comfortable. I might take them over to the Leather/Shoe Spa and see what can be done. But I’ll be honest…I don’t entirely hate the worn spots (which are matching on both shoes). Anyone ever fix anything like this before?