Skip to content
The Archive of The Carrboro Citizen
Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Community
  • Schools
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Obituaries
  • Sports
  • Mill
  • Flora
  • Print Archive
  • About
Menu

Outfit your life with regular visits to thrift shops

Posted on July 28, 2011July 28, 2011 by Staff

By Caroline Kilaru
Staff Writer

This story is the second in a series about thrift shopping in our community. This week, we’ll target the shopper’s thrifting experience with tips to get in and out quickly with treasures aplenty.

The key to successful thrift shopping is to be speedy and regular: Aim for three visits a week at 10 minutes each. Keep a thrift-shopping list, and know where to go to find what’s on it.

Some stores carry a full range of items, while others focus on clothes, shoes and books. Knowing what you’re looking for will help you choose the shops in your rotation.

Here’s a list of items you can reliably find at our local thrift stores. This list is not exhaustive – I’ve seen telescopes recently at two stores – but it’s a solid foundation on which to build a thrifting experience.

• Kitchen equipment: Look for anything you’ll need, from tableware to dish-drying racks and coffeemakers to slow cookers and tea kettles. Everything I use to pack my son’s preschool lunch has come from the thrift shop, as have all of my kitchen storage canisters.

• Clothing: Spend a dollar, look like a million bucks. Jeans, dresses, suits and shirts abound for cheap. Kids clothes are a steal. Silk ties can be used as yoga straps, or just as silk ties. Shoppers can find red leather cowboy boots or Carolina blue Dr. Scholl’s for $5 – if they go quickly and often.

• Electronics: CD players, fans and clocks – just to name a few – can all be found at local thrift shops.

• Books and magazines: Build a beautiful home library for less than $50. Hardbacks are less than $2 and paperbacks and magazines are a quarter or two. The PTA Thrift Shops in Chapel Hill and Carrboro often hold half-off book sales, due to their overwhelming volume of books.

• Glass/art/jewelry: Standout earrings, vases, belts and purses are all available.

• Furniture: Shoppers can reliably find bookshelves, armoires and dressers, couches, rocking chairs, patio furniture, lamps, bed frames and children’s furniture.

• Housewares: Suitcases, pet carriers, vacuums, sporting equipment and baskets of all shapes, sizes and colors are easy to find.

One of the thrills of the thrift shop is the glimpse of the unexpected – so although you’ll need a list, don’t go looking for the one thing you must have right now, or you may leave disappointed. Shoppers should leave themselves open to finding something off-list, as these pieces may become treasures.

In and out in a flash
Again, the secret to thrift shopping lies in quick, regular visits. Go often, and recognize a steal when you see it. Grab the item that’s caught your eye and treasure it as long as it suits you.

Since each item is unique and priced so cheaply, the most important skill is being able to recognize someone else’s trash as your treasure instantly.

That’s why it’s smart to have a targeted list coupled with a sense of openness. If you know you are looking for a little black dress and picnic plates, then you will spot them with ease. If you also leave yourself open to taking home a fabulous rocking chair, so much the better.

No matter what your purchases, you can feel good about helping items big and small cycle through our community. And if you rarely use whatever it is you’ve brought home, you can always bring it back to donate – and shop again.

Coming next week: The first in a series of reviews on three local thrift stores. We’ll visit the PTA Thrift Shop in Carrboro, then stop by Club Nova just down the street and round out the series with Hillsborough’s Goodwill store. Come along to learn a little more about local thrifting.

Web Archive

© 2025 The Archive of The Carrboro Citizen | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme