I haven’t shared any thrifted finds lately, and as many of you know, one of the most fun parts of buying secondhand is talking about what you come across. My favorite source remains Facebook Marketplace (more on that here), but I also like to hit up random thrift stores and Goodwills, especially when I’m in a different town. (The Goodwill near me remains the absolute worst. I can’t remember the last time I’ve found anything there.) Here’s a quick–unstyled–list of what I’ve thrifted lately, what I paid and what I plan to do with it.
What I bought: A pair of fully upholstered vintage chairs and matching ottoman. (I love an upholstered leg.) The tag says Distinctive Furniture by Gilliam. They have great lines and the fabric is in perfect condition. Bonus: the green vines match my kitchen walls.
What I paid: $300 for the set.
Comparing to: This set of fully upholstered chairs from the 1980s on Chairish is listed at $850. (Also not a bad deal, btw.)
What I bought: A pair of wheat sheaf candles sconces I found at a Goodwill during our summer travels.
Made me think of: The sconces flanking the fireplace in this writer’s apartment.
What I paid: $8 each.
Comparing to: These sheaf sconces by Chelsea House.
What I bought: A faux bamboo vanity and chair set. The mirror is attached and there is an old Pier 1 sticker on the bottom. (I didn’t realize Pier 1 had been around since 1962.) I’d love to know more about this set if anyone is familiar with the collection.
How I plan to use it: It’s currently sitting in our garage waiting to move into my youngest daughter’s room, once the attic renovation is complete and the great room swap of 2022 begins.
What I paid: $40. Yes, $40! (Props to my dad for spotting this first and saying, “that looks like you.”)
Comparing to: Honestly, I couldn’t find this anywhere online. But, here’s a faux bamboo desk and chair set in a similar size, manufactured in the 1970s and listed for $1000.
What I bought: A pair of small lampshades in a fun leopard print and in great condition. Lamp shades, especially patterned ones, are pricy. It’s worth grabbing them when you find a deal and tucking them away.
How I plan to use it: I have no idea, but if I come across a pair of mini lamps or tall buffet lamps that I love, I’ll be ready.
What I paid: $3 each.
Comparing to: This similar style on Ballard is currently on sale for $58.
What I bought: A pair of navy wingback chairs. Tag says manufactured by CR Laine. They are older but in great shape.
How I plan to use them: As you can see, they made a short stop in our kitchen before I found the green chairs I shared above. I ended up selling one and keeping the other. I think it will be perfect in one of the boy’s bedrooms. (Does my family enjoy my used chair addiction, you might ask? I don’t care.)
What I paid: $400 for the pair.
Comparing to: This pair of vintage Chippendale chairs listed for $1300. (Although I like the fabric on mine better.)
What I bought: A sculptural white vase. There’s no markings on it anywhere. For all I know, someone could’ve made it in church ceramics class or picked it up at TJMaxx. I just like the size and shape. It’s a good “sit-around” piece.
What I paid: $9.
Comparing to: This similar size and style on Zulily for $89.
Now, I’d love to hear what you’ve thrifted lately.
You are a five star shopper Emily!
Love all your finds! Our GW is awful too and too pricey. Thrifting in the early days was great because it was not that popular and deals were to be found! Thanks for sharing!
Buying used upholstered pieces scares me because of cleanliness (ie has this been peed on, pooped on, barfed on, I don’t know!). Do you clean them at all? I want to get over this but can’t shake the thought!
I really loved this post Emily! Goodwill near me is, in my opinion, quite pricy and full of junk!
Love this kind of post! Keep the finds coming.
Love these types of posts. I envy your thrifting luck!
Nice finds. I’m always hesitant buying second hand, esp chairs! You’ve inspired me to be braver :) And I love that your back to old school blogging… such a welcome change.
These are great finds! All of our Goodwills are terrible, I’ve never seen one good piece of furniture there. I have my other favorites, though! You’re right, half the fun of thrifting is sharing what you find!
You have some wonderful finds! My last find was a beautiful pair of solid wood, turned leg Ethan Allen sofa tables. I was so happy to find them on Facebook Marketplace.
Really loved this post. The sharing was great, what I pd, what my plans are. Hope theses posts are repeated.
We need to go thrifting together! You are speaking my language.
Hi Emily,
You mentioned that you didn’t realize that Pier 1 had been around as long as it had. In the late 60’s I was in high school. I remember shopping at the local Pier 1 store & buying a bedspread from them. I wanted a Moroccan vibe & they carried all the perfect accessories for me to get that look.
That when I discovered incense. I thought I had the coolest bedroom. 😂
I’m sure it was the coolest! :)
Excellent! That vanity takes the cake! I thrifted a big metal planter for a few dollars recently. It looks perfect on top of a pedestal with a huge fluffy fern in it by our front door. Your post on the mini Christmas tree reminded me that when the time comes, a small tree will work there perfectly for the holidays! Love the post!
Living in Charlotte, I agree with you about GW! Any places you recommend in the vicinity?
Awesome finds! I prefer local thrift stores over Goodwill although I’ve found the GW in the suburbs (I’m in Nashville) are better than in the city.
To those above asking about buying used upholstery. I’ve done it before, too, and recommend it! If you do FB Marketplace you can always ask if they were smokers, cats, etc. A lot of thrifters use the Bissell “green machine” to clean their finds. Emily might have some tips but also A Glass of Bovino blog has a whole post about this!
My best find was last spring on Craigslist (although I use FB Marketplace much more regularly). I found 8 Lee Industries upholstered dining chairs. I don’t usually buy second-hand upholstered items, but I thought I would probably have to reupholster these anyway. Turns out they were PRISTINE (with navy linen-type fabric, silver nail heads and a cute bridle-type vertical brown leather band on the backs) and absolutely perfect for my space. I paid $800 for 8.
My best strategy (besides yours of “being open” while you browse) is to search by manufacturers’ names.
Wow, great finds! I’m inspired.
Your finds are amazing! I love it all, especially the wheat candle sconces. And the faux bamboo vanity was such a score! I love hunting for thrifted and secondhand pieces. One of my favorite recent purchases is a set of two dining chairs that I gussied up with a little makeover. You can check out the before and after on my blog if you’re interested. Thanks for sharing your finds with us!
I never thought about it but you are right, sharing our thrifted finds is the best part. A friend drove up for a thrifting day a couple of weeks ago. She found great drinking glasses in various patterns, sizes and shades of green for her Thanksgiving table. Then spotted 3 storage boxes with heavy cardboard dividers for storing wine glasses for me. We are moving next year and have a large collection of vintage bar ware. The cost was $10. Her cost was $1.50 per glass. I love all your chairs, GREAT finds. The vanity and chair is wonderful.
Oh and the wheat sconces, totally fabulous.
I haven’t purchased anything on Facebook Marketplace but I have sold a lot on there myself!
Love your blog, thanks for coming back!
Laura
Excellent blog post. I throughly enjoyed it. I purchased cat food and litter from Marketplace 😺
I found your vanity set online and it looks like it went for $40 too – unless this was to you!!! https://www.auctionninja.com/clearinghouseestatesales/product/er-1-painted-bamboo-vanity-matching-chair-375476.html