I love writing about my thrift store finds almost as much as I like shopping at thrift stores. I’m planning to do posts on my favorite dumpster/garbage day finds, my favorite clearance deals of all time, and my favorite Habitat ReStore finds. Maybe I’ll even do a post on my favorite overstock/bargain store finds of all time. But right now I’m thrilled to share my favorite thrift store finds of all time.
Thrifting is My Hobby
I can’t recall when I started thrift store shopping. But I do remember NOT liking thrift stores as a kid. I was the type of girl that would never be caught wearing used clothing. (Gasp!) I preferred my hypercolor tees and Pepe jeans, you know, the kind of stuff everyone else was wearing. I’m proud to say both of my kids love a good thrifting session. I usually give them the option of waiting in the car, or coming in for a quick lap around the store. They almost always choose to come in and explore.
How Often Should You Thrift Shop?
During the summer of 2020, I was on a roll. I could not enter a thrift store without finding something totally amazing. Those were my glory days. I wish I could say every trip turned up something fruitful, but that’s just not the case. Plus, I now live in a 700 square foot house so I have to be very discerning about what I lug home. But I have my favorite shops so when I’m passing by and I have a few minutes I stop, take a lap and scan for awesome stuff.
I almost always spot something that I could resell at a decent profit. Last night while my daughter was at gymnastics I popped in the nearby Goodwill and saw this vintage History of Tennis shadowbox, which I saw on eBay for around $90. I left it for someone else, but it’s just an example that thrifting can be a lucrative side hustle.
My Favorite Things to Hunt for at Thrift Stores
No matter what you’re looking for, you just may be able to find it at a thrift store. Sometimes I am shocked but what I find. In fact, you’ll see some examples of that later on in this post. But my favorite things to scan the thrift store for are:
- midcentury furniture
- glassware
- clothes (especially for my kids)
- home accessories
- kitchen gadgets
I have also found great, gently used shoes on multiple occasions for me and my kids. Ok, now on to the really fun part: MY MOST EPIC THRIFT STORE FINDS OF ALL TIME!
Paul McCobb Dining Chairs, $2.50 Each
Paul McCobb is a famous American modern furniture designer. Even though he died at just 51, he left behind a legacy for beautiful designs that can be found in museums and homes. There’s even a Paul McCobb furniture line at CB2 right now! When I saw these chairs at the thrift store, I immediately recognized the midcentury design. I flipped one over, saw the Paul McCobb label and immediately got sweaty palms! The chairs were priced at $10 each, but that day they were having a BOGO sale on chairs, plus furniture was 50% off! I recently recovered these chairs with fabric that I also found at the thrift store for $3 a yard! Check out this little Reel I did on Instagram about my chairs:
View this post on Instagram
Nespresso De’Longhi, $6.50
While I love a good deal, there are some things I am willing to spend money on. One of those is a Nespresso machine. My husband and I bought one on Black Friday a couple of years ago as our Christmas present to each other and we loved it. So when I spotted this one sitting on the shelf of a thrift store last year, my heart started to race. I often think– who donates a perfectly good $479 Nespresso machine? It was missing one little non-essential part which I ordered online for about $20, including shipping. My husband now has our original Nespresso machine in his office and we have this one at home. Aren’t we FANCY?!?!
View this post on Instagram
Midcentury Contour Lounge Chair, $30
As soon as I spotted this amazing retro chair I pulled the tag off of it and ran to the register to pay. It is just so funky, cool and unique I had to have it! While some models came with 21 patented features including the vibrating action of the Viverator (R), sadly mine did not. Check out this vintage 1950s Christmas ad featuring Santa enjoying the Contour Chair Lounge! The colors of the original upholstery fit in perfectly with my son’s travel themed room that including a giant map wallpaper mural.
Vintage Teal Glassware, $20
Teal is one of my favorite colors so I also keep an eye out for teal knick knacks, decor items and glassware. I found these two beautiful teal sets of glassware on separate thrifting trips. I can’t remember exactly what I spent, but I know it was less than $1 per glass. The first set I found was the larger of the two. They were extremely dusty and dirty, which is why someone else probably hadn’t snatched them up yet! There’s a pro tip– try to look beyond dust and dirt if it’s something you believe you can clean!
KitchenAid Dishwasher, $29.89
The timing could not have been more perfect for this KitchenAid Dishwasher. We were just beginning to flip a home and I was trying to stick to a very strict budget. Finding a like-new appliance for less than $30 felt like a miracle at the time! Of course, you never know for sure if something like that is going to work until you install it. Thankfully it works perfectly and we use it almost every day! 
Also worth a mention would be a Heywood-Wakefield dresser I scored for $30, and each of my growing collection of globes. (How many is too many?!) I could definitely go on, and I may end up adding to this post when things come to mind. Or when I make more epic thrift store finds! But I’d love to know– what have been your favorite thrift store finds? Share in the comments or message me on social media.
