2015-04-12T20:49:45-04:00

Even more thoughts, Goodwill in New Rochelle – now CLOSED :( and an upcoming sale!

April 12, 2015June 18, 2022/ToniOnThrifting.com/2 Comments

Welcome back!

I have to tell you that I envy people who can sew; the thrift shop world is their oyster. I can do minor repairs but hems and sleeves, you do not want to see my handiwork. Finding a tailor that does quality work while not charging an arm and a leg, now that requires research.

One thing to take into consideration is that if you find a suit, dress, jeans, etc. and it is a good bargain or a brand you love, is it worth the price of alterations? That is when having a general idea of your tailor’s prices comes in handy. I have seen many a suit on a rack with tags on them but by the time you have the sleeves tailored and the skirt or pants hemmed, you might find a brand new suit of the same quality with a comparable price at TJ Maxx or Marshalls. So always take alterations into consideration when making a purchase like this.

Since shows where resellers are showcased became so popular, you have quite a few amateur and professional resellers out there. You will notice them with their phones and tablets looking up items and taking pictures of items. I totally understand that everyone has to make a living and I respect that but unfortunately, this is another reason why thrift store prices are going up. Thrift stores are now doing research on their items and charging a higher price. They check eBay, Tradesy, etc. and see what an item is going for and price it accordingly. What does irk me is when a reseller tries to get an item for next to nothing at a CHARITY thrift store to sell for profit. Oh well!

I have found that I get those RARE buys of a lifetime because I just happened to fall in love with an item and is reasonably priced and later on, when researching it out of curiosity; I realize what a score I made. I once bought a unique red vase at a yard sale in CT for $5 (I did not even bargain) only to find out it is a Orrefors vase worth $175. I put some eucalyptus in it and every time I look at it, I smile at my rather spectacular find. 🙂

Now I will get to Goodwill. I love Goodwill, who doesn’t. Goodwill even has a rewards program so make sure you sign up for it. My most favorite Goodwill of all time is in Connecticut but I am not ready to divulge my best kept secret yet. 🙂

The best part of Goodwill is that they help people in need go forward with their lives. They also have an outstanding array of services for veterans. They help people with all types of disabilities gain employment through specialized programs. And if you know me, any organization that helps individuals with developmental, intellectual and other disabilities have a better quality of life, they will hold a special place in my heart now and always.

I will treat each Goodwill store separately as they each have their own distinct personality and specialties in my opinion. And now….drumroll….today, I will tell you all about a particular Goodwill; this one is in New Rochelle.

Goodwill Store and Attended Donation Center

Shoprite Plaza

8 Joyce Road

New Rochelle, NY

914-633-0964

Monday-Wednesday from 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

Thursday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Sunday from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

http://goodwillnynj.org

Every week this Goodwill posts a “color” of the week and all items with that color are 50% off. The best thing about this Goodwill is SUNDAY because Sunday is a two color day. They let you purchase items from the previous week’s color AND the new color that is posted on Sunday morning. So on Sunday, you have a greater chance of scoring some great items at an even lower price. Not all Goodwill stores use the color policy.

If I go on Sunday, I usually start in the dress section because this Goodwill fluctuates quite a bit on dress prices leaning to a bit higher than other Goodwill stores – so Sunday is the day I buy dresses. They have men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and quite a selection with most reasonably priced. Their housewares section is very good although occasionally there are some broken items on the shelves so buyers beware – I don’t want anyone getting hurt. They have some good home décor as well and some furniture. Always check the front window display and near the cash register for they tend to “show off” the better quality buys. I like this Goodwill and you will see the resellers there especially in the housewares section.

And don’t forget it is a donation center as well (side door) so clean that closet out with the old so you can bring in the new — you will be helping a worthy cause! 🙂

PSA – you will love me for this one!

I must, must tell you about a sale that will be coming up in September. I know that it is early but it is probably by far the best attic/rummage sale that I have ever been to EVER!

The Irvington Presbyterian Church in Irvington, New York (Westchester County) will have their annual ATTIC SALE OUTREACH on Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12. I believe that it begins at 10 am each day but I will of course confirm all the details as it gets closer. It is not a far drive from the city and Irvington is quite a lovely town to visit with lots of history and great restaurants.

The best part of this sale is that since 2000, over $200,00 has been donated to local, regional, national and global organizations, way too many to mention but when I get the flyer, I will post.

This sale is for anyone who loves rummage sales. They have rooms and rooms of clothing, household, antiques, costume jewelry, books, holiday decorations, you name it — It is so unbelievable, they have rooms designated just for women’s, men’s and kid’s clothes. They use the outside with tents for furniture and larger household items.

This sale is so popular that they use the school across the street for parking. I don’t ever remember going to a rummage sale and thinking, I may not get to see everything in a couple of hours. You go from room to room and just keeping finding bargain after bargain. Last year I found a Max Studio dress for $8, a gorgeous vase for $4, a cardigan for $3, too many books to mention. The book selection is the BEST I have ever seen at a sale like this. The pictures do not do the cardigan or dress justice.

I am sure that they have the best SELECTION on Friday but the best prices are on SATURDAY. I went on Saturday afternoon and they were anxious to sell, sell, sell and I was anxious to buy, buy, buy.

So until next time, HAPPY SHOPPING!!

More thoughts and thrift stores on City Island

April 6, 2015September 16, 2019/ToniOnThrifting.com/4 Comments

Hello and welcome back! Thank you for the positive comments, I sincerely appreciate it.

I will start today with some tidbits and then on to my two of my favorite thrift stores (although small) in the Bronx. The best part is that they are on scenic City Island. More on that later.

I also enjoy running and whenever I am at a run/race in Central Park, I always try to follow the “unwritten” rules of the run. Practical sense things like don’t run with your elbows out, if you take cup of water from a volunteer – be careful where you discard it so another runner does not slip on it or get doused. I will share with you what I feel are the “unwritten” rules/guidelines of thrift shopping. And of course, these are just my opinions but they have always led to better shopping experiences for me.

If you take something off a rack, please put it back if you are not interested in it. Most thrift stores that I have been in really do appreciate things like that. Please have patience on the checkout line, it is not the grocery store and they do not have numerous cashiers to keep things moving. I have gotten some very good advice about thrift stores off the beaten path from chit chatting on the checkout line. Be kind and courteous to everyone around you (we should be doing that anyway) because what I consider enjoyment (and also financially sound) may be an absolute necessity for someone who is in dire need of getting clothes for their kids or for someone who may need a suit/dress for a job interview. You just never know. And of course, please use your “indoor” voice if you must use your cell phone. 🙂

Don’t forget to check the racks outside the dressing rooms too. They sometimes hold gems that were not on the rack when you were looking.

One thing that I would like to mention in the smaller thrift shops that are independently operated, there may be room for bargaining at times but not always. My suggestion is that you should always be polite if you ask for a couple of dollars off on an item but please don’t try and get an item that may be worth $10 (thrift store price) for $2. It is a pet peeve I have been told on numerous occasions from staff. After a while, you will know where and when prices are negotiable.

Don’t be afraid to ask when the “fill a bag” sale is (at the smaller thrift shops). These types of sales are awesome. The Humane Society of New Rochelle (more on this shop in a later blog) had one offsite last year and I was able to fill a bag with Lands End pants, three brand new Eddie Bauer shirts and a couple of other great items for $5. You can never go wrong with one of these sales, at least in my opinion. That was my all time best fill a bag day.

The same rule goes for thrift shopping as for typical shopping. You have to ask yourself, are you going to wear it/use it? I have purchased a couple of items that were unbelievable buys but never ended up using them. No harm, no foul but why waste money, especially nowadays.

And now….drumroll… two of my favorite thrift shops in the Bronx:

St. Mary’s Star of the Sea (go through the side to the rear, door has sign on it)

590 City Island Ave.

Bronx, NY 10464

718-885-1440

Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 am until 3 pm

This is a smaller thrift shop but I love it for the prices and especially for the staff. They are amazing, kind and helpful. The prices are incredibly reasonable, the selection most days is good and the housewares section is very small but I found two great extra-large glasses that I can use for desserts for $2 each. They have a decent men’s selection too. There is always a steady crowd and when inventory is at max, good selections. You can even grab a cup of coffee and donate to the coffee fund jar which is neat. What they do have is a great fill a bag sale occasionally – and they do let you fill the bag — I will always post when I know the dates.

Budget Corner at Trinity United Methodist City Island

(side entrance, you will see the signs)

116 City Island Ave.

Bronx, New York 10464

718-885-1080

1^st and 3^rd Tuesday of the month and some Saturdays 10 am – 2 pm

(I would call first just in case for Saturdays and when you go there you can grab a Saturday schedule. I will also post one when I get it.)

This is another small thrift shop that is good because there seems to be a lot of turnover with the clothes and they seem to have new inventory almost every trip. There is a lot of foot traffic in this store. The housewares section is okay at best. They have a decent men’s section with casual clothes. The women’s section is a bit more extensive (dresses, skirts, blouses) and they have some kids clothes. There are a lot of shirts and jeans on the shelves so don’t pass them up. They occasionally have the fill a bag sale but very far and few between. Just a PSA for my peeps — this is one of those places were negotiating prices might be a bit tough. 🙂

So until next time, HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

Toni’s Thoughts on Thrift Shopping (And The Beginning of Her Dream Blog)

March 29, 2015September 20, 2015/ToniOnThrifting.com/5 Comments

Welcome to my blog on thrift shopping. I have been dreaming about writing this blog for a very, very long time and I am excited to finally be starting it. Please bear with me as I am new to blogging so this will be a learning experiece. Thanks in advance.

I thoroughly enjoy shopping in thrift stores. I have spent countless hours in numerous Goodwill, Salvation Army, and many, many other various thrift shops and consignment shops (although I do favor the thrift shop over the consignment shop).

The thrill of finding that little black dress that I otherwise would never have been able to afford and those occasional trendy pieces that I normally would never even think of purchasing are pure enjoyment to me (yes, one of life’s pleasures for me). There are so many things that I have learned from my countless excursions and from talking to other “thrifters”. I will never claim to be an expert; just an overenthusiastic thrift shopper who loves learning how to get the best buys. I hope that you enjoy my blog and find some interesting bits of information that you can use.

In later blogs, I will share my favorite thrift shops with you but for now, I hope to share some useful information with you.

Thrift shopping has changed over the last few years due to the recession. More and more people are using consignment shops for their designer clothing and accessories so that has cut into thrift shopping quite a bit. Also, websites like Tradesy (www.tradesy.com) are making it easy to buy and sell designer clothes and handbags at competitive consignment prices. Not to mention Facebook has many groups in your area where you can buy and sell clothes, accessories, household and many other items online. Times are tough for many and people are looking to make some extra money to help with the bills, that is totally understandable. But don’t worry; there are still plenty of bargains to find and plenty of places to find them.

I have visited countless places in Manhattan, the Bronx, Westchester County and lower Connecticut. I will try and include websites and addresses/phone numbers wherever possible.

The first thing that I must emphasize is that you cannot go thrift shopping in a rush. Patience is the key and the most important factor when thrift shopping. You must take the time to look and most importantly, inspect, inspect and inspect again. You can find an amazing piece of clothing but if it has a stain that won’t come out or a tear that can’t be repaired, it is just wasted money and then you are defeating the purpose. The same goes for household, what might look good from far away may have chips or cracks that can’t be repaired and wont look good on that shelf/furniture in your home. The dish set in the box may say eight dishes but upon inspecting the contents, you find mismatched pieces. I have found some pretty spectacular home furnishings and décor in my travels and the best part is that most of them are unusual and end up being conversation pieces.

While in a thrift store in Connecticut, I learned the best piece of advice from another shopper. She and her husband went through the departments/racks that they were interested in and then pulled the clothes that they were considering and put them in a shopping cart. They then went to the back of the store in a quiet corner and inspected and I mean thoroughly inspected each piece of clothing to make sure that it was in good shape and worth the asking price. What impressed me most was the fact that her husband helped and really seemed to be into it. They were both happy and animated when they were talking to me and eager to share their thoughts. I wish that I got their names; they definitely deserve a shout out and lots of thanks.

You must also be open-minded. You are not going to find items that you like every time but you can use the time to find out which stores are carrying things that are in “tune” with your life and style. You pretty much know what name brands fit you well and look good and that also makes it easier when thrift shopping.

Much more to share so until next time!

ToniOnThrifting