Where I Explain Why I’m Blogging.

I used to use LiveJournal. Remember that? I barely do. Next came MySpace, now Facebook. I have lots of photo albums and posts on Facebook detailing my thrifting exploits, but there isn’t room for a lot of detail. Even then, I still feel like I’m spamming a bunch of people who couldn’t care much less about some 1960’s drink set I bought. I thought starting a blog might mean I could spare my high school friends and possibly find some people who ARE interested in the pink lace 1950’s suit I found.

But, as I said before, it’s not just about old shit. Even if I didn’t put together some crazy ensembles, I’d still shop at thrift stores. I thought it would be nice to encourage others to do the same, specifically in my home base of Columbus, Ohio. I wanted to provide a useful resource for people who wanted to thrift: locations, hours, what their sales were like and other reviews. Will this mean that I find less great stuff? Will Americans ever fall out of love with consumerism? It is entirely possible that I will find less great old shit at thrift stores, and I am completely fine with that. I would be ECSTATIC if I could encourage someone to buy second hand when they normally buy new consumer goods. I don’t care if it drives up the cost of vintage either. Back to my original point about no one getting screwed over when I purchase something? That goes for dealers as well. The great old shit is still going to someone who will love and appreciate it; it’s just going to someone who does not have the time or obsessive nature I have. At the end of the day, as long as someone is making the choice to buy secondhand over buying a new consumer good, I am happy.

So I’d like to be a good example. Show people what sort of great stuff there is to be had in thrift stores. Though my outfits tend to be a bit more eccentric than the gen pop, I hope to be an inspiration. And probably entertainment.

Where I Explain Why I Thrift.

I have always admired a vintage aesthetic. That is a lovely way of saying “I like old shit.” Ever since I was young, in fact. My possemate suggested that we can trace it back to the programs we watched and characters we admired as children. Hers was the mother in Parent Trap. Mine? Wizard of Oz and Annie. Dust bowl, Depression. But my tastes change so often that I can’t nail down any one influence. I can say that I don’t stray all too far from the 1940’s – it’s a look I often return to. It’s not always been easy to find a volume of authentic pieces in thrift stores, however, so I would buy pretty dresses and skirts and shoes and things in stores.

I have always been thrifty. Sometimes a cheapass for cheapness sake, but most often because I didn’t have a lot of money. Thrift stores made shopping a bit more within my grasp. I’ve always had a lot of clothing. A. LOT. I really enjoy shopping. Well, enjoy is the wrong word. I get a little obsessed. For me, there is nothing quite like the thrill of the hunt. I’m not your typical woman that way: I do my shopping alone. I like to focus. But I would also shop at discount stores like Gabriel Brothers, Schottensteins and TJ Maxx.

What finally made me commit to buying secondhand whenever possible was an irreverent little film called What Would Jesus Buy. The tone of this film is quite lighthearted, but it made me think seriously about where our goods come from and who is screwed over in the process. Around the same time I was shopping in an Ann Taylor store and took a wrong turn looking for the dressing rooms. I stepped into a room full of one suit in mid-steam and massive boxes full of beautiful suits wadded up into balls in plastic bags. It was like pulling the curtain back and seeing the Wizard. I, like most people, had been operating with some sort of delusion wherein I thought some sort of Pretty Clothes Fairy had waved her wand and deposited all these things into little boxes in little malls.

What can I do? If I can guarantee that no one was screwed in the making of my stuff, I will happily spend the money. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. I decided to do the next best thing: I recycle. Buying second-hand means there is one less person creating a demand for new crap.

Thrifting for me is not about snagging some vintage treasure. It is a human rights issue. With an added benefit of pretty dresses.

Where I Stop Procrastinating.

Instead of allowing the blog idea to languish until I had the perfect header, today I got a wild hair and decided to go for it. So here you go. Design will evolve as I figure out what the hell I want to do, but this works for now. Hello, and thank you for reading!