I wanted to give you all some background on The White Elephant and why it may possibly be the best thrift store ever. And maybe give you some pointers in finding your favorite thrift store.
The White Elephant is located in a town called Green Valley, Arizona. It is just south of Sahuarita which is just south of Tucson. It is a middle to upper middle class area of retirees (mostly). It is run by all volunteers (except the manager I think?) and they are incredibly sweet! I've heard from several people that a lot of the residents of Green Valley will all of their belongings to this thrift shop because it is such a big part of the community. SO they get a lot of really old stuff. Hence the reason there are so many good vintage finds! The best part though? They don't price like an antique store, they price like a garage sale or flea market. So you find a lot of the same things I found last week in the antique stores for a fraction of the cost!
This last time I went they had a really really cool old crib that would be amazing if you sanded all of the lead paint off of it and refinished it! They also had some really great vintage baby gowns and baptism gowns. I wanted to pick them up but they were tiny! And I didn't really know what I'd do with them so I passed them up. But they've got everything from kitchen sinks and toilets (literally), to wood, clothes, toys, antiques, bedding, notions, fabric, and much more! If you ever make it to Tucson you gotta stop by the White Elephant.
So here is what I got this time.
Random vintage notions. A zipper, ribbons, buttons to cover, and a belt buckle kit.
All laying on a quilt that I'm sure someone spent a lot of time working on! It said "crib size" but it is perfect for a little blankie to snuggle up on the couch with when (if it ever) gets cold here?!
These adorable little fire engine red ballet flats that I'm sure were never worn! No scuff marks on the bottoms or wear marks inside. I may change out the flower but I REALLY like the color they are!
Another popcorn bucket to store my Korean red pepper in. I'll spray paint this one too a fun color maybe red because it will store red pepper?! And a frog prince bag thingy that I thought would be a good prop if I ever made a Princess Tiana dress (that some little person has been asking for! Like I dont have enough on my plate at the moment?)
Finally the game operation with ALL of it's pieces amazingly. And some random books I let the girls get to keep them busy through the store. The Elfabet book looks really cute and Hailey is working on her letters so it is perfect. Belle picked the other two. The Mother Goose one is a pop up book and the little one is a Precious Moments Christmas book.
All in all I only spent $12.10. And we had a fun morning. This was the first time Hailey had ever been with us. She is usually in school when I go. She really does share my same love for hunting and thrifting! She kept saying, "lets go see what they have over here..." Then she'd pick something totally random up and say, "OH! I've always wanted one of these!" I think she said that about 50 times no joke! Belle on the other hand just grabs things and puts them in the stroller!
SO! Go look for a thrift store in a middle to upper middle class retirement area... and I'm sure you will find some really cool stuff!
Love and Hugs,
2 comments:
My local St Vincent de Paul actually has all these characteristics. Their hours are terrible, so usually only retirees can shop there..meaning that I score a great haul every time!Great post...I love your blog. :)
we should make a trip out to sun city/peoria one of these days...they have some stellar thrift stores out there...
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