An Interview with My Thrifting Hero

Danavee and her $32 clawfoot tub

Have I ever told you about my proudest thrifting find? It's this gigantic 70's woven wall hanging that sure looks a lot like something by Romeo Reyna. It's in excellent condition, the weave's still good, no strange smells. I've seen these things listed for several thousands of dollars on 1st Dibs, Etsy, Chairish, and Ebay, and what did mine cost? $3. Originally $6, but that booth was having a half-off sale.

Killer thrifting finds do happen, but not often. However, some people out there seem to be charmed when it comes to finding treasures at the thrifts. There were Daniel Kanter's Eames chairs, Anna Dorfman's Eames DKX chairs and her Componibili unit, and pretty much everything in Morgan Satterfield's house. I look at these people the way I imagine others must look at athletes. Their keen eyes, sense of style, knowledge of design, savvy negotiating skills, and their ability to see beautiful items buried beneath the grossness of thrift stores leave me awestruck.

Danavee Long is one of these talented thrifters. She really knows vintage and has had some unbelievable thrift scores. In fact, she finds so much good stuff that she can't keep it all. So she maintains not one, not two, but three beautifully curated booths at an upscale flea market in Springfield. And get this: She's my friend. True story!

Here's another true story. I was once out thrifting with Danavee when I mentioned to her how much I would love to have a giant, mid-century ashtray on a stand (this is the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night, people). Within just a few weeks, Danavee shows up at my door with the most perfect one, and it's PINK. She had found it at a DAV thrift store, covered in grime, and she had cleaned it up. Then she said it was a birthday present for me.

Holy wow. That's a true friend in my book.

If you're like me, and you love learning people's stories, then I think you'll like what I have for you today. Danavee sweetly accepted my request for an interview, so I could ask her my burning questions and learn how to sharpen my thrifting skills. Here's what she had to say.

When did you first start frequenting the thrift shops? What got you interested?
My grandparents were antique dealers.  My parents were into antiques.  I grew up going to garage sales and was surrounded with vintage all the time. So I guess it runs through my veins. I can't remember a time that I ever wanted to stray from being a collector.

What is the thrifty find you are most proud of?
I have three items that come to mind.......probably my clawfoot tub comes in first.  $32.50 for a pristine clawfoot bathtub.  It's always been a dream of mine to have one, but they are outrageous around here, if they are in good condition. This one will hopefully make the trek upstairs one day when we remodel that bathroom.  My second favorite find was a Heywood Wakefield dresser (and matching double bed).  I remember opening a drawer and seeing the Heywood stamp. MY HEART STARTED RACING!  I couldn't get to the register fast enough.  Lastly and most recently, a surfboard Baumritter coffee table makes my list.  I didn't realize it was a Baumritter til I was loading it up to head home!  I turned it over and it was stamped underneath.  I found a matching example on Etsy for $600!!! I paid $12.50.

Has there ever been a thrifty find you passed up and regretted later?
YES! A set of eight mid-century Christmas tumblers. They had these hilarious Santas on them.  I went back the same evening, maybe an hour or two later, and GONE!  I have thought about them more than once over the years.

How does your significant other feel about your thrifting?
He is not into it himself, but he humors me.  I mean, he was pretty darn great about me dragging home a clawfoot bathtub that we have no use for just yet!  He loves when I find something that could fetch a better price in my antique mall booths. 

What inspired you to start a flea market booth? Any big lessons learned from that experience?
I had a friend talk me into it.  We shared a space for six months.  After that, she was done, and I kept going!  I have learned that anything goes!  Things that you think might hang around for awhile, sell fast..........things that you think will go quickly, hang around for awhile.  You have to be patient.  That thing is just waiting for the right person to snatch it up!

How do you know so much about midcentury modern style?
I'm a "learn-as-I-go" kind of person.  I do lots of googling!  I actually was more into primitives until recently.  I just started reading up online, looking on eBay and Etsy, and learning the brands to look for. 

How often do you go thrifting? On average, how often do you leave empty-handed?
I try to thrift a few times a month.  Sometimes I'm able to go once a week.  Sometimes it's every other week.  It's rare that I leave empty-handed.  It happens, but if I try to recall the last time, I can't!

Do you pay the sticker price or try to talk them down? Any tips on how to do that?
I have never tried to bargain at a thrift shop!  Honestly, I am the WORST at bargaining elsewhere, like yard sales.  I will usually just pay the price, assuming it's reasonable!

Which places around Springfield are your favorites for thrifting?
We have a few Red Rack (Disabled Veterans) stores that I like.  My Heywood Wakefield and tub purchases were from Red Rack locations.  My two favorites are Thrift Haven and the CARE Animal Shelter Thrift.  Those two have the best prices.  My coffee table was from Thrift Haven.

What is the thrifty find of your DREAMS? What are you usually looking for when you hit the thrifts?
I would LOVE to find a vintage Hudson Bay striped blanket.  I am always dreaming of finding a vintage Turkish or Persian rug too. 

What advice do you have for those of us wanting to improve our thrifting skills? 
Have an open mind!  Don't go shopping with blinders on!  When you walk in, have zero expectations....nothing on your radar.  If you are so focused on finding something in particular, you can have tunnel vision and miss out on other things! 

Thanks so much, Danavee!

See more of Danavee's thrifty finds and more about her 1921 Craftsman bungalow on her blog, This Vintage Grove. All photos in this post are by Danavee Long. 

A Seventies Sofa for a Minute

Uh-oh. Somebody bought a new sofa and chair set!

Not sure what happened here.

I went a little crazy, I guess. Danavee, Diane and I were out thrifting, and I was supposed to only be buying a desk. I ended up finding a desk, and a peacock chair, and then this set caught my eye.

Mkay, now I know it's not for everyone. It's a little loud, I get it. But in such a retro way! That striped pattern and wood trim looks earthy and bohemian. Plus, that thing is so cushy and nap-inducing. Yummy!

I'm guessing 1970's? 80's? The tag says Benchcraft and looks pretty vintage. My favorite thing about the set is the removable back cushions. It makes them so much softer and it reminds me of the sofa my parents had when I was little.



I got the price down a bit, and reminded myself I could sell my green sectional and definitely cover the cost of this sofa. I made some calls and got someone to haul the sofa, then we stuffed everything else into Diane's mini-van and drove it back to my house. We unloaded everything, got the green sofa out of the way, and put the new sofa in place, and-

Nope.

Spoiler alert! Serious buyer's remorse.

I instantly realized that while I did really like this sofa, I didn't love it enough to part with my green sectional. Plus, with my wood floors and other wood furniture, this room was a total brown town.

Shoot.

Yep, I sold it. I made back what I paid for it, at least. And my living room is not longer packed with furniture, so there's that. But now I owe some apologies. 

Rand, I'm sorry for being insane sometimes about sofas.

Danavee, I'm sorry for taking your entire afternoon to debate the pros and cons of this sofa only to change my mind about the sofa. Thanks for listening to me talk so much about how furniture impacts my life.

Diane, I'm sorry for making you rearrange every seat and item in your mini-van in order to fit a ridiculous amount of thrifted furniture in there. That must have taken a while to put back into place. It was pretty funny, though.

Random guy who helped me move the sofa across town because you owed my brother-in-law a favor, I'm sorry for wasting 40 minutes of your Sunday afternoon. I hope you had the following day off work like I did.

Brother-in-law, I'm sorry I wasted a favor that guy owed you. Now I owe you a favor, although I don't have much to offer you except maybe some furniture.

Glad to clear the air there. I feel better!

I'm linking up with Molly from Still Being Molly and Carly from Lipgloss and Crayons. :)

Thrifty Finds // 10

The thrifts have been good to me lately! Here are a few of my recent finds.

This huge colorful afghan was an amazing score. My friends and I went to YOTO (Youth of the Ozarks Thrift Store) and I picked up two pretty afghans that were priced at $3 each. When I got to the register, the clerk said the other one was a family heirloom (?!) and he couldn't sell it. He said it wasn't supposed to be out on the sales floor. He said he's give me this one for free for the confusion. Okay!

I'm so grateful to have this desk. This little guy came from Urban Market and he is perfect. It's in great shape and has four big sturdy drawers for me to hide my mess in. I kind of think it needs some loud 50's drawer pulls, don't you?

Finally, FINALLY I have a peacock chair in my home. I've wanted one of these things for a LONG time, but every one I have found was either a miniature dollhouse version, painted, or in rough shape. Danavee and I spotted this one at Urban on our desk-hunting trip and I couldn't pass it up. Amazingly, Diane was able to fit all this and more into her mini-van for me!

The peacock chair is in unbelievable shape. Its only problem is that black stuff that wraps around the edges is crumbling off, but as you can see in the photo, I've started pulling that stuff off and I think it looks just fine without it. Rand thinks I'm crazy, but this chair makes me happy!!

The little pillow in the peacock chair was also a recent thrifty find. Isn't it cute? Also in great shape. Danavee and Diane are my thrifty good luck charms. :)

Our Sofa Search is Over! (Again!)

Sofa Search 2013/14 is officially over. For the second time. I can't remember if I ever told you what happened with our leather Mad Men sofa. Remember that guy? He was so, so, so good-looking. But he was not comfortable on our rears, which is huge for two coffee-table diners like us. We sold the leather sofa for a little more than we paid for it, so that was nice, but we were still left without a mid-century style sofa for the living room.

It wasn't blog-worthy, but we went back to using the ugly but comfortable leather sofa we got ten years ago. We even started talking about buying a new sofa, since we really wanted something bigger. Maybe a sectional? The thrifting fairies must have heard us talking.

My friend Aimee is a true friend. She always passes along tips for great sales. I'm not sure I'm a big enough person to do that for anyone. It was a Friday afternoon when she emailed me pictures of an estate sale on Craigslist. The sale featured lots of vintage treasures, so Rand and I hustled over on Saturday morning. $200 later (Well, more than $200...we'll save the rest for a Thrifty Finds post) we had a new-to-us mid-century sectional sofa!

It is perfect.

Comfortable? Yes. Smell and stain free? Yes. Roomy? Yes.

Fabric that doesn't seem to attract cat hair? Actually, yes. My only worry about bringing a fabric sofa into our house was that it would be covered in cat hair in no time. I'm happy to report that the big waffle weave fabric doesn't have hair stuck all over it. There's a little on it of course, but that goes for everything in this house, and the color of this sofa hides it well. Sofa heaven, you guys.

I went ahead and snapped a few more pictures of my living room, because that's what I'm into. That basket on my bicycle also came from the same estate sale. I really can't wait to report on this sale.

That color kills me.

The only problem I've noticed with the new sofa is that it slides apart really easily. It has those mid-century tapered legs under the skirt, and it slides across the hardwood floor with barely any force. Since the thing is actually three separate pieces, it often doesn't line up quite like it should. Maybe there are sticky pads I could put on the ends of the legs to help keep it in place. Is that a real thing?

Now Rand and I can both stretch out on the sofa at the same time. And later, when I'm in the mood for a change, I can rearrange the pieces. Thanks goes to Aimee, for the heads up, and to my sister's boyfriend Josh for driving all the way to Ozark to move it. Helping me accumulate great furniture is the way to my heart.

How to Clean Vinyl Records

There is something special about listening to music on vinyl records. I love digital music, but with records, it's more of an activity all by itself. Rand and I love to put on a scratchy record and relax in our living room together. It's not hard these days to get into vinyl, since new record players can be purchased at a pretty reasonable price and there are records available everywhere. A lot of new music can be purchased on vinyl, and often they include complementary digital downloads of the album. This past Christmas, Rand got me my favorite Neutral Milk Hotel and Green Day albums on vinyl records.

New albums are a little pricey, so it's also nice that there are bins and bins of old records for sale at nearly every flea market. It takes a lot of crouching down on the floor and digging through music you hate just to find a treasure, but it is so worth it. When I finally discover a record I've been wanting, I usually squeal and run for the register as though someone else might try to take it from me. Some of my favorite recent finds include Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, Carole King, and Linda Ronstadt albums. They usually range from $0.50 to $5 in the flea market bins.

You can find some amazing deals digging through flea market record bins, but you should always check the record itself before you buy it. First of all, make sure the record is actually in there and that it's the correct record. Second, look it over for scratches. Some records look like they've taken a lot of abuse, and if you see deep gashes in the surface of the record, those can't be fixed and will affect the sound quality. However, don't be intimidated by a layer of dust and dirt. That can usually be fixed.

Here's a recent record I picked up at a flea market in Springfield. I have loved Peter, Paul, and Mary since I was little, so I was pretty excited to find this album for $2. It had a couple of small scratches, but mostly it was just covered in grime. Here's a closer look at the surface of the record. I can live with a couple scratches, but look at that dirt. 

Since it wasn't too damaged but it still didn't sound great, I went searching for a method to clean the record without hurting it. It turns out, once again, Dawn is the best choice. Is there nothing that stuff can't do?

Giving your old records a scrubbing is incredibly easy. Grab some Dawn, a rag, and get to the sink. Squirt some dawn all over the record, but try to avoid the paper label in the middle. Get your rag wet and scrub both sides of the record.  Rinse the record off under cool running water, again doing your best to avoid getting the label wet.

Towel dry the surface of the record with a lint-free cloth, then lay it out to air dry completely. From what I've read, it is very important that the record is completely dry before you play it. 

I was amazed at the results! I did my best to capture the difference in photos, but the real improvement was in the sound quality. It still sounded like a scratchy old record, but in a much better way. Does that make sense?

Of course I had to go through and clean all my records after making this discovery. Things are sounding much better around here these days.

Thrifty Finds // 9

There's been a little thrifting happening around here, and I've found some good stuff. I've also found some thrift-loving blog friends like Jessica and Kate, which makes digging through old smelly junk even more exciting than it already is. I love thrifting, but thrifting with a buddy is the best. Not only do you find goodies, but you can chat about all the items you spot from your childhood and laugh at all the creepy/strange/funny things for sale. There's never a shortage of those things.

Here's my latest haul:

1970's DIY books-$1 each
Thrift Haven

My brain exploded with inspiration after looking through these books. Then I became overwhelmed with project ideas and had to recover by taking a nap.

Aloe Vera plant-$10
Vendor's Mart 

I've wanted an Aloe Vera plant for this bullet planter for a while now, so I was pretty excited to find a big one already in a ceramic pot. All I had to do was set the whole thing in the planter. Best part: the cats don't eat succulents!

Candy Dish-$2.50
STD Flea Market (I know, I know)

One of my 101 in 1001 goals is to expand my studio pottery collection, which is a joke because this is only the second piece of studio pottery I've ever purchased. Now I'm just slightly closer to being able to say I have a collection. I love the color of that dish.

Falsa Blanket-$4.00
Urban Market

I'm seeing a lot of vintage textiles from around the world lately, so I picked up this Mexican Falsa blanket thinking maybe I could use it to create some pillow covers. Then the thought of sewing made me so tired I had to take a nap. I hope to tackle that project very soon.

Be sure to check out the Nifty Thrifty link up at A Living Space. There are some incredible finds over there. Until next time, be thrifty!

The Pink Chair // How to Clean Vintage Upholstered Furniture

I'm ashamed to admit it, but there was a time in my life when I would have looked at a chair like this and thought, "Ew."

Vintage upholstered furniture can look really gross at first, since upholstery holds on to gross stuff better than materials like wood, fiberglass, or metal. But it only took one look at those legs, that tufting, that pink velvety fabric, and that midcentury hotness to convince me it was worth a try to get it clean.

Also, it was FREE.

A friend of my mom's thrifted this chair and gave it to her. My mom didn't need it, so she offered it to me. It was still in great shape, but the fabric had some stains, crumbs and crustiness.

Let's see what we can do.

Here are a couple of sick before shots I took to show you how dirty this guy was.

Sorry if this first photo hurts your eyes. It ended up blurry, but I needed it to help illustrate what a good job I did.

So this is how I recommend cleaning up a vintage upholstered piece of furniture like this one.


Step 1 // Vacuum like a crazy person. I throw the hose over my shoulder and run the end of it up and down the upholstery like a paint brush. Get down in all the tufting, details, and deep inside the cushions. Go over every surface a least twice, until you have all the loose stuff removed. Don't forget to turn it upside down and vacuum underneath as well. That's where cobwebs and critters like to hide.

Step 2 // Make repairs. I had to turn this chair over and tighten some things up. I still need to replace the things on the ends of the legs because they're scratching up my wood floors, but at least all the bolts and screws and whatever are tightened up.

Step 3 // Spray all the fabric surface with a light layer of upholstery/carpet cleaner. I know you're smart enough to find the carpet cleaner at the grocery store, but I took a photo of what I used. Bloggers are supposed to do that. Actually, seeing that logo with my living room makes me realize I want a sunburst clock.

This stuff says it can clean both upholstery/carpets, but be sure to check the label of whatever you buy. Let that sit for a few minutes, then scrub the whole thing with a clean cloth. Look closely for stains and be sure to get into the little cracks and crevices. Repeat this step as many times as you need to get the fabric looking good. When you're done, the piece may still feel a little damp, so let it dry.

Step 4 // Touch up any wooden parts, like legs, with a rubdown using Howard Feed 'n Wax. Rub it on, give it a few minutes, then wipe up the excess that didn't soak in.

Step 5 // Sit down, admire your piece of furniture and congratulate yourself for being eco-friendly and stylish.

So don't be grossed out by vintage upholstery! As long as the fabric's not falling apart, see if you can revive it. If it's too worn or torn, consider reupholstering it.  I have a little green love seat that has sat in my classroom's reading nook for the last five years, and now I'm thinking I might get brave and try to recover it.

Maybe white vinyl?

I ended up throwing a sheepskin on this chair to hide all the cat hair that Max and Mitzi would get all over the seat anyway. Max never leaves this spot now.

The Flea Market Booth

{Photo by Jessica Lafferty, Via More or Less Jess}

“I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till I drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.”

-Jack Kerouac, On The Road

I thought Kerouac's On The Road was so awful I couldn't even finish it, but it does contain one of my favorite quotes ever.  This statement describes me perfectly: I like too many things. I've got a million ideas running through my head at all times, and there are so many, many things I want to try and learn to do and experience that I'm constantly jumping from one thing to the next. My goal is to get better about sticking to the things I start, since this habit has resulted in lots of unfinished projects and ventures that I don't follow through on very well *coughthisblogcough.*

So even though I probably have too many rods in the fire as it is, today I'm here to tell you about my latest scheme: My mom and I have opened a flea market booth.

Mom and I have been tossing around the idea for awhile. I inherited my love of thrifting from my mother. The problem for dedicated thrifters is that eventually your thrifted treasures start to pile up and you run out of space. Secretly, we both probably belong on an episode of Hoarders, so we've been feeling guilty about buying more junk when we both have too much already. And if something is standing between me and thrifting, I get antsy.

We looked at our options. Garage sales are great to visit, but having a garage sale of your own is the worst. We could just donate it all, but we really wanted to see if we could make a little something to put towards future thrifting. My mom suggested a flea market booth months ago, but neither of us knew anything about it or how to get started. I consulted my blog friend Danavee, who recently celebrated her three year flea market boothiversary and seems to really know her stuff, for some advice. She shared her knowledge of rent, rules, taxes, and so on, and she made it sound a little less scary.

So we went for it. We've opened up a booth at Vendor's Mart on Glenstone. Our booth is in the basement, where the rent is cheaper and we still seem to be getting plenty of traffic. So far, we've had no trouble paying our rent plus making some bread for ourselves.

The lighting's not great for photography. I plan to talk to Vendor's Mart about that.

If you're in the SGF area, stop by! It's not the kind of booth that's strictly vintage or anything like that. It's just mountains of all the stuff my mom and I have collected over the years, mostly home decor items, plus some random things you'll be surprised to see that I ever owned.

So here's hoping that we can stick with this little pursuit for awhile and learn all about it. I'm already feeling much more free to thrift as often as I please, since now if I change my mind about it later, I can just put it in the booth. Hot dog!

Thrifty Finds // 8

Saturday was spent thrifting up a storm around Springfield with my lovely new friend Jessica. We hit Vendor's Mart on Glenstone, STD Flea Market, 1/2 Price Books, CD Warehouse, and this creepy little place behind a fence that just had a handwritten sign that said "Flea Market." It was a pretty successful trip, I think.

Here's what I ended up with.

Tough Smoker Guy drawing-$5
Vendor's Mart

I love this guy. He looks like a rock star, smokin' and everything. Right on! He doesn't care what you think!

Vintage Decorating Books-$1 each
Vendor's Mart

These decorating books from the 70's are amazing. I keep seeing so many things in these books that my mom had in our house when I was little and I think, "I love that thing! Whatever happened to that?!"

This is New York-$1
Vendor's Mart

This is my favorite find of the day. This children's book from 1960 shares all the great things about my favorite city, all with Mad Men charm. Includes beautiful pictures of an outdated NYC skyline, plus some beer and cigarette advertisements on Times Square, just for fun. Still working on convincing Rand that we belong there, so this book might help.

Missouri State Framed Print-$5
STD Flea Market

For only $5, I couldn't pass this up. This thing is huge. I offered it to Rand for his office, and he accepted. I think it is the view from National, looking southwest across the corner toward Grand. If I'm right, it show houses in an area that is now a parking lot, so I wonder how old it is. Second favorite find of the day. Go Bears!

Records-$1-$2.50 each
STD Flea Market and the place known only as Flea Market

I need to write a post about my new love for Carole King. All these records were in great shape! I got Linda Ronstadt-Simple Dreams, Carole King-Tapestry and Rhymes & Reasons, Paul Simon-There Goes Rhymin' Simon, and Jim Croce-You Don't Mess Around With Jim.

Mid-century Glass Carafe-$3
Vendor's Mart

This thing was so beautiful. It had little swanky gold diamonds and asterisks all over it. Then I brought it home and broke it. I set it down without removing the newspaper it was wrapped in. A few minutes later, I guess I forgot there was a beautiful carafe in that newspaper, so I brushed the paper out of my way and knocked it over. I cried for a few minutes.

I also picked up a copy of Jhumpa Lahiri's collection of short stories,  Unaccustomed Earth. I've almost finished the first story. So far it's wonderful!

Thrifting makes me so happy. I spent about $30 total, but for me, it was more fun than a shopping spree through the mall. Searching and digging for treasures, giggling about the strange stuff you discover, the rush of spotting something you love, then rushing for the register as if someone else may try to grab it out of your hands... I would always rather be thrifting.