Just Passing

I was in Melbourne for the Drama Victoria conference on Friday and was shopping briefly in Bourke St afterwards, looking for a nice bag for my daughter's valedictory dinner, which, by the way, was that night!!!
Found the itty bitty Brotherhood shop in Royal Arcade and spotted this in the window. By the way they had a sale on! $8 reduced to $6.
Unfortunately I didn't have more time to browse (train to catch, event to attend) as there looked to be some interesting clothing items there.

Frog Collectors Alert

The Salvo's shop in Koornang Rd Carnegie has a shelf with assorted frogs which have just arrived. If you're in to frog collecting be quick. The lady said some had sold already.
Good Luck.

{old finds}

I found these two treasures back in May of this year, long before I started blogging about op-shopping goodness!

I seem to have a knack for finding gorgeous linen, the pink sheet pictured is part of a DOUBLE bed size set, flat sheet + fitted sheet + pillow cases = $7.50

White coat is a little girls size 2 and in MINT condition, pure wool, genuine vintage and a few small marks on the front that I think will come out with a hand wash - $9.50. I almost fell over myself to get to this coat when I saw it, there was a lot of squealling with delight when I brought it home.

The best part is that this will probably fit my baby girl Cait next winter.......bring on the snow I say!

Jxx

{linen}

I have been AWOL, I have still been shopping I just haven't been blogging!
What: Vintage Sheet Set - two flat KING size singles
How Much: $7.50
Where: Brotherhood of St Lawerence - Knox City Shopping Centre
I pop into this op-shop at least once a week; every week they seem to have a 'fill a $5 bag' special going and they have a HUGE rack of $5 jeans.

I like this oppy because even though the rummagability (yes I made that word up) factor is low, it is neat, tidy, easy to navigate with the pram + 3 kiddies and the stock seems to turn over quite fast.

Prices are at the higher end of the scale, but the staff are friendly and the location and parking is great especially when I am already there and running errands.

Opposite the library on the ground floor if you are ever over at Knox!

New

Had to show you guys this piece, I think it's one of the best things I've found to date!



WOW!

Bigger pictures at my blog: forevayoungvintage

on op shopping and ebaying

There's been a bit of activity around the traps lately about the practice of purchasing goods from op shops for resale on ebay. I have a few observations to make on this issue:

1. Economically, I don't see how the resale of items purchased at the op shop drives prices up at the op shop, or certainly how it could be the sole cause of rising prices. Paid staff members, increasing rents, greater need for the services funded by the charities - these are all factors as well. The pricing issue has previously been written about very thoughtfully (along with a great many other issues) by The Vintage Detective.

I once looked at a very sweet vintage needlepoint bag at a second-hand dealer. It was pricey and I was a bit affronted when I saw that the Salvo's receipt was still actually in the bag. But then I figured well, the dealer has made the shopping effort, been in the right place at the right time, has rent and utility overheads and needs to feed him or herself as well. Everything second-hand comes from somewhere - an estate sale, an auction house, the op shop. Is one source more pure than another? The internet, and ebay in particular, has made it possible for anyone with an internet connection and paypal account to be a second-hand dealer. Is it any wonder that on this new scale of second-hand selling that the source of goods has moved to the op shop?

2. On the ethics of reselling items - I defer again to TVD for a summary of some of the issues here. I think that to object to this practice assumes that everyone is there looking for the same thing. I also don't think that op shops are short of stock - I once heard that Brotherhood of St Laurence has something like a phenomenal 20 tonnes of donated goods coming through its sorting warehouse - everyday. As soon as something is off the shelf, wherever it goes to, there is room for something else fresh out of the back room. And no vintage dealer can be everywhere at once.

And just to finish, my own personal view? I've thought about doing it many times, have seen things at the op shop and thought that it would certainly sell elsewhere for more, have even gone so far as to purchase something with the intention of on-selling ... but haven't quite been able to bring myself to do so.

This blog is a great forum to discuss and debate these issues. Your views and comments are welcome but please be aware that any comments that may be construed as hurtful or unpleasant (by me) will be removed.

Altered Dress

I just wanted to show off my altered skirt that I picked up from a small op shop.



This was actually a huge dress which was extremely ugly. The skirt had nice pockets and a nice balloon shape to it, so I tackled the garment with some scissors and decided to cut it off. Next, I found an old elastic band which I then sewed around the stomach area. I think it really spruced up this garment!

More at my blog---> forevayoungvintage

Diesel dress find!

Hi there, Dani here.
I've been trying to avoid shopping of late but the lure of the op shop is always too strong for this old girl. I quickly ducked in to SPACE in Fairfield last week and found this little Diesel dress in tencel. Two whole dollars it set me back. It was originally ankle length which looked (and felt) a little awkward but it was a matter of five minutes work to bring it back to just above the knee. The photo makes it appear shapeless but it has a lovely shape when worn.

Posh Oppe Shoppe Sale

Just in case anyone is interested, the Posh Oppe Shoppe in Glenhuntly Road, Glenhuntly, has a sale on at the moment (not sure if it's ongoing, or today only). They have 50% off a range of items, like China, Kitchenware and Clothing (except jeans). They are usually a bit expensive for my liking, so grab a bargain while you can!

An Op Shopping Excursion

Witchery dress found at St Vincent's in Hampton

I haven't posted here for quite a while.  Not that I haven't been op shopping all this time, of course not!, but if you ever drop by my blog you will be aware of our house moving project.  It has been selfishly hogging my time so that blogging is a rare occurrence. However, I had to share a recent jaunt to some of my favourite op shops with you.  

Two new Melbourne friends (1 from Sydney & 1 from Chicago) are very keen thrifters, but lack a local's knowledge of all the secret haunts where treasure can be found.  So I planned a day (from school drop off to pick up) to share 4 of my favourite haunts. The trip was such a success that a plan is developing for fortnightly jaunts.  Lucky I still have a few secrets up my sleeve.  Here is our itinerary if you would like to go on your own excursion.

1.  Sacred Heart Mission Op Shop - cnr Inkerman Rd & Hotham St, St Kilda East:

great for adult and children's clothes, ties and jewellery.

2. St Stephen's Op Shop - 116 Martin St, Brighton:

run by a lovely bunch of nanna's who will help you find just what you are looking for, and at a great price!

3. Gibney's Gourmet Foods - Martin St, Brighton:

we stopped here for a scrumptious lunch and coffee break.

4. St Vincent's Hampton - 501 Hampton St, Hampton:

large collection of china, glassware, clothes, books and furniture.  I always go home with something from here.

5. Oppe Shoppe - Hawthorn Rd, Caulfield North:

shoes, clothes, bags - they often get Olga Berg and Nine West seconds.

I wish I had photos to share of the bootful of goodies 3 girls can accumulate on one excursion, but well we were just to busy searching!  I'll let you know how the next goes.

Happy thrifting.

More things

I probably should stop buying vintage jumpers and jackets and big, furry zip vests since it's now heating up here in oz-land, but op-shopping isn't very seasonal and I can never turn down a great find based purely on the weather!



Fur is always a touchy subject. Actually, this vest is made from faux fur but it reminded me of a real vintage fur cape that I sold in the past that got me a few nasty emails during the listing. I wouldn't wear fur myself (don't really like the look) but I'm not against anyone who chooses to wear vintage ones. Personally I feel like this is a sustainable way of dealing with the fur that already exists. I guess the other argument is that wearing these garments still makes them desirable and therefore promotes the trade. What are your thoughts?

More at my blog> forevayoungvintage

Careful with your "donations"...

Some years ago a friend was working in a local op shop in a country town.
It was coming up to Christmas and the volunteer staff had been run off their feet but were looking forward to having a month-long break with the op shop closed until after the New Year.
My friend was called into the back room by one of the senior staff and was profusely thanked for all the hard work she'd done and told how much they appreciated her efforts.
"Here's a little something to say thank you and we thought it would look lovely on your table at Christmas,"
She was handed a green and gold painted glass bowl with angels around the outside of it and an odd lid firmly stuck on top that had been donated to the shop sometime earlier in the week.
My friend packed it into her bag and took it home, thinking no more about it until shortly before her husband got home.
Taking the bowl out she saw that it was pretty dusty and needed a wash to sparkle properly.
Try as she could the lid was stuck fast but after a while she managed to get it off, just as her husband walked in the door.
"What have you got there?" He asked, peering over her shoulder.
She explained how she came by the bowl, adding,
"But it's full of this dust or dirt or whatever,"
Hubby made some choking noises as he grabbed it out of her hands, stopping her from dumping the "dirt" in the bin.
"That's not dirt, that's somebody's ashes!  They've given you an urn with a cremated person's ashes inside!"

They never were able to trace where the "donation" had come from, despite many discreet enquiries!