Cincinnati Thrift on Air!

In case you missed it,

 

check out myself and Phylicia Wilford from Black Girls Thrift Too on WCPO's "A New Day." 

Sorry for the creeper cam -- hopefully I'll have a better version soon!

Bon Nuit!

The Burlington Pike Thrift Store

 The Burlington Pike Thrift Store

is located is located right off the Burlington Pike (of course) on a side street.

It's adjacent to a sports bar (filled with friendly people and an ATM) and

The House of Curious Treasures.

This place is a local business owned by a very friendly and knowledgeable woman.
She gets most of her stock from her customers--- They buy and sell!

 Upstairs is clothing and bags. They have men's, women's and children's items.
The stock is small, reasonably priced and there is even a dressing room/bathroom.

 Downstairs is where the real treasures are.  Everything in here is hand-picked. 
I find the place completely wondrous, like your grandma was a secret thrifter
who was preparing for an apocalypse in which wooden frames,
milk glass, and kitchenware were wiped from the planet.
You can find impractical items such as curved glass candle stick holders
to useful such as an iron and streamer. I bought a coffee grinder and coffee saver tin. 
Both were in pristine condition and work perfectly. I'm looking forward to a return visit.

 This 1970's wood art is a gem I proudly display in the entryway.

 For more information on location and hours check out

Northen Kentucky Thrift Stores.

 Bonne journée à partir Thrift Cincinnati!

The Almost Thrift Shop

I stumbled upon 

The House of Curious Treasures 

by accident.

I was out shopping with a friend in Florence, Kentucky when we spotted the large, hand-painted "Thrift Store" sign from the road.  Sometimes, there is nothing better than a sign that gets straight to the point. When we had finished at the thrift store that the sign belonged to, also known as the Burlington Pike Thrift Store, we saw random items strewn across the lawn next door. As you can see from the photo below, it looks like the most eclectic garage sale known to humanity. BUT...if you look closely you will see the yellow and red "HOUSE OF CURIOUS TREASURE" sign in the left hand corner.  Although, it's mostly covered by a Budweiser sign.

The exterior of The House of Curious Treasures.

When you enter the vibe is a complete 180  -- the inside is warm and cozy. So cozy in fact, that most of the time you shuffle from side to side.  Luckily, the excellent stock of small framed art, Pop Art lamps, 1940's beaded purses and costume jewelery make up for the lack of space.

I've fallen in love with the warm yellow interior paint and endless black and white framed photos. 
This artwork would be perfect for my imaginary Paris flat.
 I'd sit at my window overlooking le Champs Elysees, and type feverishly while La Vie en Rose played on an endless loop.

I'm crazy about this combination of portraits with rock pillars and colored glass.

There is never cash in my wallet, only a card, so I appreciate a helpful sign such as this,
as to avoid embarrassment.

I refer to this place as "the almost thrift store" because of the wide selection of art, trinkets, dishes, Coka-Cola items, vintage purses, costume jewelry, and the occasional postcard of a Cincinnati child from the 1900s. The prices are comparable to a thrift store and they also buy and trade items.

Be sure to check out the Northern Kentucky Thrift Stores page for more information on The House of Curious Treasures.

Shopping with...Evan

Today, I went shopping with my good friend Evan.  He had previously mentioned, via text message, that he hates all the clothing he currently owns. Thus began my begging him, and eventually convincing him, to join me in my thrifting adventures.

And so the blog segment of 

Shopping With..

was born.

Evan and I focused on the area of Florence Kentucky, approximately 20 minutes from downtown Cincinnati.  Evan, a native Kentuckian, showed me two great places I had never heard of before, The Burlington Pike Thrift Store, and The House of Curious Treasures (more on these later), but our main target was Goodwill in Florence on Tanner Lane.

Evan's before shot outside Goodwill.
His shirt was so sad, it crawled up into his mouth and made him frown.
That quickly changed to a smile when we learned it was
50% off everything in the store today!

There are 5 dressing rooms and no lines...FANTASTIC!

This Goodwill, is bright, open clean AND fits more than one person in an aisle! 
This shot shows approximately 80 percent of the clothing section.
The quality of their items was above average.
  They also had a large shoe section (mostly black), a small furniture/kitchen appliances section, and a couple racks of purses.
  I would say the main draw of this store is its vast clothing selection.  There is also a donation drive-through.

THE RESULTS

MEN'S DKNKY SWEATER

$6.99 

And look, a smile! As you can see, the key to any great thrift store purchase is FIT and QUALITY.

If you can believe it,
these photos were shot on a small patch of grass next to the thrift store parking lot.

MEN'S GRAY HALF-ZIP SWEATER

$2.50

Smart and thrifty.

What a model.  Ladies, he's single, loves the great outdoors, watching Criminal Minds,
and pondering the reality of mermaids.

 Thanks Evan!

Hopefully, I can convince others to join me for future thrifting adventures!