The Stories of Christmases Past Come Alive in the Aisles of Thrift Shops

My favorite thrift shop isn’t a hodgepodge of junk. I’m thankful to live a reasonable distance from a lovely shop that is able to feature second-hand merchandise that’s almost always in good condition.

It’s an upscale story land where the glam and quality of items from the past offer soothing relief after necessary shopping trips to today’s soulless retail outlets in any season.

December is a wonderful month to visit a thrift shop. It can be such fun to seek bargains for creating your own vintage Christmas celebration or to peruse thrift shop aisles filled with potential one of a kind Christmas gifts.

I adore white trees and blue is my favorite Christmas color. Note the” way cool” chandelier.

Or, maybe you just like to window shop – revisit Christmas as you remember it. Perhaps discover items older relatives recall from distant days of childhood. Like the delight of 1980s Norman Rockwell and other themed collectible ornaments. – I discovered a treasure trove of those on my recent visit.

Norman Rockwell designs are a classic favorite. I do recall 1980, though I hadn’t been around too long at the time.

Following is a gallery featuring some of my favorite discoveries. I managed to limit my purchases to a vintage green sheet set, pillow cover, and a butter knife in the same pattern as the stainless Oneida utensil set my family pulled out of the drawer, only on Christmas and other major holidays, when I was a kid.

I often wish I had saved our set when my mother passed. It wasn’t expensive, but was of a quality and density far superior to today’s thin stampings. I take heart in the fact that the set I purchased at an auction when my husband and I “set up housekeeping” as they used to call it, should last for the rest of our days.

Beautiful bows for decorating trees. Love the nutcracker pillow.

Nature themed decor is my favorite. I found these chicadees and greenery enchanting.

Frosty the Snowman, a perennial favorite childrens’ Christmas tale.

A cheerful Christmas dinnerware set.

So many nativity scenes from which to choose.

Candles for every window. A colonial tradition, which I believe was revived in the 1980s.

Colorful ornaments for angel lovers.

Who didn’t get a bike for Christmas as a child?

Little red wagons, especially Radio Flyers were found beneath many a Christmas tree.

Cat’s Meow mini replicas of local businesses and historic buildings made great little gifts in the 1980s and later. They seem to have lost their cult popularity, but remain available.

Order today’s featured and custom crafted Cat’s Meow items here.

Have a wonderful holiday season, stay healthy and warm. May all the roads you travel feature lovely views like this one, but be free of snow.

A Hope for Peace and a Unique Arrangement

This thrift shop find is whimsically inspirational. A reminder we can make great artistry from inexpensive found objects. Such fun to browse secondhand shops and view the unique ways merchandise can be displayed.

Just remember to wear a mask and keep your distance as you seek cheer and support local businesses these winter days – so stores can stay open safely.

The dove and the upward reaching display behind it seems symbolic of our hope for a more peaceful and positive 2021.

Currier and Ives and Other Lovely Winter Scenes

A lovely selection of nicely framed prints awaits thrift shop browsers. At least the one in the right foreground I believe to be a Currier and Ives. The others are similar in style, but I’m not sure of the painter.

We must consider the beauty of winter, even as we struggle with ice and snow.

There are many trade-offs as times change. Home life is much easier during the cold season than it was back then, but at least in earlier days there wasn’t the necessity of traveling treacherous highways daily.

Not for Sale – On Display at My Favorite Thrift Shop

This thrift shop is more upscale than most. I love the photos hanging along the stairway, like this one – is it perhaps set in Paris?

Reminds me of an Audrey Hepburn movie. Romance on a rainy day.

Love the gingham umbrella.

 

 

 

A Delightful Display of Diminutive Vintage Sailing Ships

This thrift shop does a wonderful job of whimsically displaying merchandise for sale. Love these little watercraft, sailing across the seashell-strewn shelf.

Fun Vintage Find – Cool Wheat Pattern China

Simply graceful, is this lovely wheat patterned china in creamy white and deep, rich green. It’s still on a thrift shop shelf after several weeks, I’m surprised. I’m guessing it’s from the 1970’s?

The shape of the cups resembles those disposable cone shaped solid plastic coffee cup of that time period. I recall one bought a holder for them with a handle, that accommodated their special shape.

Anyone else remember those? I hadn’t thought of them in years.

A Peek into My Favorite Classic Clothing Store – and a Look Back into the Retail Garment Industry

How true. Spotted this photo in my favorite thrift shop. So many pieces of clothing made decades ago fit better and appear classier than the one size fits all garments of today.

When I was a kid and my mom shopped for clothing in the specialty stores that lined the Main Street in our downtown, I recall half sizes being available, in both shoes and dresses. Skilled shop employees assisted her in finding just the right style and size, as we waited in the dressing room in the back of the store.

Simple skirt suits and classic dresses were well made. Plaids matched at the seams. No loose threads, and buttons didn’t need to be sewed back on until after years of wear. Sizes were consistent from style to style, maker to maker.

I’m glad clothes are more casual and comfortable today, but I so miss the consistency and quality of earlier decades. Today I can only find pants that fit in one specific store, after I try on most of the styles they offer. There are no attendants at the dressing rooms, no tailors who will do small alterations (I would think those would be needed, now that most high schools have eliminated home economics and few moms teach their daughters to sew garments.

Another industry fallen victim to the greed of today’s top businessmen and women. Sadly young shoppers won’t hold store owners accountable as they weren’t around when customer service and manufacturing were geared toward the customer’s experience, not the CEO’s bank balance.

Well, there it is, I’ve said my piece, passed on my experience of the history of the retail garment industry. Now I’ll inspect my purchases, wash, iron, and hang them, offering them a chance to be worn again.