Thrift: the Antidote to Boredom
Posted on 27. Oct, 2009 by Katelynn Christiensen in Community
One thing I have found that bonds us PUC students together is our experience of those awful days when there is nothing we have to do, nothing we particularly want to do, and all our ideas cease to sound exciting. So, as your fellow sufferer, I would like to suggest that on such an uneventful day, you take on the adventure of thrift store shopping. There are a number of thrift/discount stores in this area, so I will highlight a few for you.
Closest to home, nestled in the hills of beautiful Angwin, sits the Community Services Center, better known as “The Dorcas,” a common name for thrift stores, referring to Dorcas in Acts 9:36-42. She was a dressmaker who made clothes for the poor in her town. You will find it at 275 Clark Way. The building is very blue and, therefore, hard to miss. I have heard inspiring stories from individuals who have ventured there. One family was attempting to furnish their daughter’s apartment as cheaply as possible and found two end tables and two lamps – all for only $10! Another friend of mine has found textbooks there… might be worth looking into.
On Main Street in St. Helena, you will find the Acorn Thrift Shop. It is smallish store with a humble entrance, but inside, smart deals and good times lay waiting. There is a sizeable section of clothing, mostly women’s, but men and children are not excluded. One corner of the store is full of books; you are likely to find something of interest. Two smaller rooms are built into the main store; one is filled with shoes, and the other contains primarily dishes and glassware. If you are in need of goblets or china dishes, this is the place to go. It would be silly of me not to mention that, on my last visit to Acorn, I spied some Guess, Ann Taylor, and DKNY pants in excellent condition selling for around $10.
Lolo’s, a consignment store, also located on Main Street, is a place you might be interested in checking out. Keep in mind that it is a consignment store, not a thrift store, so it is not as cheap. However, good deals do abound; prices are marked down to about 25% of the original retail price.
A number of people do not know the difference between these types of stores, so I will explain. When people want to get rid of their clothes and other belongings, but do not want to throw them away, they donate them to a thrift shop. The money from sales is given to a charity or church organization. People in consignment, however, are in the business of making money. While both have standards for what they will accept, consignment stores have much higher standards. In most cases, clothing must be name brand, season appropriate, and barely worn. People bring their clothes to the store to be sold and then take home a percentage (around 40%) of the final sale price. This is also an option if you are looking to make some money!
If you are willing and able to make the roughly 30 minute drive to Calistoga, you are sure to have a good time. Just as you enter town and turn right onto Lincoln Ave, you find yourself face to face with the Bargain Basket AND Sugar Daddy’s Consignment and Original Design, next door to each other. Bargain Basket provides just what its name promises: great bargains. Sugar Daddy’s carries some truly decent clothes at reasonable prices.
Over the past few weeks, a few friends and I have stopped by most of these shops. We had awesome times trying on random and ridiculous outfits. If you are in need of something to do, I highly recommend giving thrift stores a shot. Remember to bring a camera to capture the memories!
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Andy Riffel
