Confession

I used to be afraid of thrift stores.
Seriously. Like, deathly afraid.
To me, they were smelly, dirty, murky, and repulsive;
I didn't want to rifle through someone else's stuff;  Let alone, buy it and take it home...
I thought it was all just junk.

I was also scared that my image would be marred or something...like, what if someone I know sees me there? I don't want people to think I'm poor.

I'll just say it because I know you're thinking it: Shallow much?

I was raised to be very frugal, but I didn't grow up "thrifting".  (unless you count snooping through my grandma's stuff and asking her if I could have it).

To be fair, I grew up in a very small town and the nearest thrift store was an hour away. The first time I ever remember going there was with a date.  We chose each other's outfits to wear ice-skating.  I wish I had a picture.  We found some extreme clothes there...

I'm pleased to admit that I am now an avid thrift store shopper.
I love the thrill of the hunt.
I love tapping into my creative powers, thinking to myself...what could I DO with that?
I love that you can take something meant for one purpose and change it to serve a totally different purpose.
I love making things new again
I love making them MINE. And knowing that my next door neighbor isn't going to have the exact same table/chair/dresser/etc. as me.
I love not spending a FORTUNE to get what I want.

I don't remember when I changed or why I changed, or even what the first thing I bought was.
But I'm glad I did.
And now, I'm proud to say, "I bought that at a thrift store" and watch people's surprised reactions.

I bring this up, because,
I think I'm going through withdrawals.
I haven't been thrift-store shopping since we moved to Seattle for the summer.  
Not that there aren't great stores here (they have a Goodwill OUTLET for crying out loud)
I'm just scared that I'll find something that I absolutely love and I won't be able to take it back with me.
(we fit everything for the summer in the trunk of our car)

I will go. This week. I hope I find something great! (and small)

Have you found anything great at a thrift store recently?