thrift stores – The Committed Collector

Posted on August 10, 2019 by admin

Shopping with a Purpose

With such nice weather in Western New York this weekend, it’s easy for me to be tempted by estate sale signs and flea market ads, yet I’m trying to remember my resolution to do more curating this year and less shopping.

Nonetheless, it has occurred to me that we committed collectors can do both at the same time–as long as we’re resolved not to buy any more for our collections as we look for things to organize and display what already waits for us back home.

If you like garage sales and thrift stores and any other kind of antiquing, you know that the Rochester region offers many opportunities to find the kinds of things we need to maintain our collections. If you haven’t noticed all the useful things a collector can find secondhand, read on because I’ve got quite a shopping list for you.

If we can resist the temptation of adding additional pieces to our collections, making the rounds on a Saturday or Sunday can result in the following items that are useful for curating the collectibles we already own:

Price guides or other books and magazines are what all of us collectors need to identify and date our collectibles. The going rates may have changed, but the information and photographs are often still helpful.
Storage tubs and similar plastic bins, which come in all sorts of sizes, keep all kinds of things clean and dry.
Plastic shoe boxes, cardboard hat boxes, and padded round vinyl zippered bags are meant for three-dimensional things like, well, shoes, hats, and china.
Wire milk crates, wooden fruit crates, glass canning jars, and decorative metal cookie tins can corral collectibles like records, books, buttons, and miscellaneous junk, respectively, and still look good doing the job.
Albums and sheet protectors, as well as other kinds of binders and sleeves meant for protecting photographs and papers, help organize a variety of ephemera.
Needless to say, picture frames, bulletin boards, and three-panel screens or room dividers are great for displaying flat items like photos, postcards, and pin-back buttons.
Specialty display cases for treasures like coins, golf balls, baseball cards, and souvenir spoons are often found at sales or in shops and can hold the intended items or other, similarly shaped collectibles.
Acrylic boxes and glass domes for displaying–and keeping dust-free–model cars, antique dolls, and taxidermy are worth looking for–again, for the intended pieces or for other things.
Custom-made acrylic risers or things like cigar boxes and cookie tins can elevate items at the back of our displays–especially if re-purposed items are covered or painted (but painted only if they’re worn).
Shelving, bookcases, and large entertainment units offer lots of open vertical display space.
Curio cabinets and free-standing display cases offer enclosed, protected space, and some even lock for added security.
China closets and corner cabinets usually provide display area up top and storage space down below, whether for the family silver or something else altogether.
Obviously, dress forms and department store mannequins are free-standing ways to show off vintage fashions.
Likewise, wooden hangers, peg racks, coat trees, and hat stands can be put to work holding accessories of all kinds.
Piano lights, desk lamps, and floor lamps all come in handy when it comes to putting our collections in the spotlight.

With a list like that, I could spend the whole day making the rounds and never notice the things that usually tempt me.

Okay. I’d probably see plenty of temptations, but I’d be bringing with me something more important than spending money.

I’d be taking along my resolve to find things that help me safeguard and showcase the pieces I already have and love–and that would make for a worthwhile day of shopping.

Happy Hunting, Everyone!

Patti
The Committed Collector

And you? Would you find it difficult to make the rounds of the neighborhood garage sales or country flea markets and resist all the temptations? Or are you disciplined enough to shop for practical pieces? Leave a comment, why don’t you, and let us know. We’d love to hear about your strategy.

Posted on May 25, 2019 by admin

Spring Collection Clean Up

In the springtime, a Saturday (or a Sunday, for that matter) in Western New York means one thing for many collectors—opportunities to go out antiquing or junking or even thrifting, as I recently heard our favorite pastime called.

Happily for us committed collectors, any day off during the nicer weather—especially three days off over Memorial Day weekend—brings us the chance to make the rounds of some of the garage sales and flea markets scheduled in and around Rochester. Also, rain or shine, antiques shops and other retail outlets offer comfortable alternatives.

If you collect things like garden accessories, vacation souvenirs, and 21st Century garage sale goodies, opportunities simply abound for adding to our collections at this time of year—which is compounded when spring has been late to arrive, and we’re overdue to come out of hibernation.

However, I’m one of the local collectors who needs to resist all these temptations and stay home, for I’ve already collected so much that I could, well, fill a museum, and so have so many of my collecting club friends. We’ve been hunting and gathering diligently over the years and have bagged hundreds and evens thousands of trophies.

Some of us have been consistent about keeping an inventory and either displaying or storing our collections appropriately. Some of us—myself included at times—have gotten to the point where the tail is wagging the dog, which is certainly the case with my collection of canine figurines, postcards, and pictures.

That means a combination of guilt and pride should be enough to keep me home and working on my current collections. Like anyone who truly appreciates their collectibles, I should be willing to spend as much time curating my treasures as I spend acquiring them.

Afterward, I can spend time feeling good about having my collections fully organized with some stored properly and others displayed attractively.

I’ve decided that I can give up the lesser days of spring—like today when thunderstorms are forecast to bring rain and humidity to town—and spend time taking care of my treasures.

For instance, once I’ve cleared up the clutter from my last shopping spree—at the Genesee Valley bottle club’s show at the end of April—I’ll be able to fully enjoy our porch. My treasures will be inventoried, stored out of the way, or displayed in more appropriate places, rather than plunked down on our wrought-iron table and forgotten.

I’m looking forward to being able to get some spring cleaning done (on the porch, anyway) and then decorating that space with my vintage floral tablecloths. The table will be clear and ready for my yellow tulip dishes and yellow glassware, and the bookshelf will be dusted and ready to display some ceramic vases and planters I’ve collected.

Best of all, we’ll be able to relax, surrounded by some of our seasonal collections, in a space that is not only attractively decked out, but is also fully functional.

I’ll be the first to admit that acquiring new pieces for our collections is heaps of fun, but if we’re not careful, we committed collectors will end up with heaps of stuff. Stuff, however, doesn’t make for a curated collection—only time, effort, and care will create that.

Afterward, we can feel delighted by our collections, appreciative of having them fit in our homes, and proud of our efforts—which are all things worth working toward.

Happy Spring Cleaning—I mean Spring Curating—Everyone!

Patti
The Committed Collector

I wish I knew the secret to quick and easy inventorying. If you’ve learned how to make the process efficient and effective, why not leave a comment? I’d love to be able to share your tips for keeping track of your treasures.

Posted on January 26, 2019 by admin

Pictures, Postcards & Photographs

It’s a Saturday morning in Rochester, and the local shops are calling to me. How easy it would be to answer the summons and make the rounds of the thrift stores, antique shops, and retail outlets.

I know one of my favorite co-ops, The Shops on West Ridge, is having a sale today, and I recently heard about some markdowns on vintage merchandise at Henrietta Mall Antiques. One friend told me about all the treasures she found at Savers thrift store in Webster, and another collector says the Goodwill store in Brockport is the best in our area.

What’s more, I really do need a new purse—something functional yet stylish—so TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Stein Mart are on my mind, too, especially since they usually have great china and glassware.

So why am I resisting? Why am I at home gearing up to tackle one or two long overdue projects? Well, because they’re long overdue and because I’m being mindful of my resolution:

Collect less; curate more.

Among my overdue projects is framing a variety of pictures, postcards, and photographs that I have amassed over the years, and, unfortunately, amassed is the right word. It’s not unfortunate that I have lots and lots of artwork; it’s sad that I haven’t done as much as I intended with them.

I’ve become the keeper of the family photographs, so I must have thousands of photos. I’ve also been collecting postcards for a year or so and already have a few hundred—or more. Then, there’s my “art” collection. I love pictures and paintings, prints and posters, so I have dozens of them. Most of which, however, are lined up in closets.

In fact, I have an entire closet (albeit a small one) with two shelves filled with rows of vintage pictures and department store art and stacks of decades’ old calendars meant to be matted and framed.

Then there are the dresser drawers crowded with small photo albums filled with postcards, old and new, as well as numerous shoe boxes packed with all those family photos.

Now, however, it’s time I did something with these collections. Fortunately, Santa’s on my side.

This past Christmas, St. Nick gave me a handsome frame for the Hallmark poster celebrating 100 years of himself, which we’ve had since it was produced in 1992–1992! The poster is still under plastic, against its cardboard backing, so some years we simply propped it up, but other times, embarrassed to display an unframed poster, we left it in the closet and decorated without it.

Getting the Jolly Old Elf’s poster framed is first on my to-do list today. And when I have it framed, we might just decide to leave it up in a place of honor for the entire year because it depicts such beautiful antique images.

Santa also brought me a half-dozen mattes, in a lovely shade of sage-green, for my collection of Audubon-like bird pictures that I’ve always intended to hang along one side of the staircase. I previously bought frames for them, so getting the pictures up on the wall should be easy.

Along the opposite stairwell wall, I intend to hang some of our treasured family photos. Sepia-toned pictures of our grandparents have been waiting for decades and decades to take their rightful place in our home. Photos of our parents and our brothers and sisters and the next generations, too, also need to join the reunion in our personal gallery.

Sorting through the photos and albums and then choosing our favorites will take some time. Then finding the right mattes, frames, and layout will turn creating this gallery into a project, but that’s okay.

Since I’m focusing on curating the collections we already have, and then enjoying our treasures (rather than shopping for more), I should have plenty of time this year to make real progress.

Patti
The Committed Collector

How about you? Which collections do you need to organize and display? Which ones do you want to integrate more fully into your lives? We’d love to hear about your plans, so please leave a comment.

Posted on September 18, 2018 by admin

It’s Collecting, Not Shopping

It seems I’ve done quite a bit of shopping lately, especially for the past several months.

However, I’ve barely been to the grocery store once a week recently. I’ve simply been too busy. I haven’t made the time to go to a department store to replace the new sandals the dog chewed up. And I’ve been avoiding home improvement stores where I should be picking up a gallon or two of paint to be ready for some projects.

Still, I’ve brought home quite a few bags lately—and a few boxes, too. You see, I’ve been enjoying a bit of a collecting binge since the beginning of summer.

In May, there was the stamp show, so naturally I bought a whole stack of vintage postcards. At the end of the month, my husband went to a conference, so I went along. With no antiques shops anywhere nearby, I made do each day by checking out both thrift shops there.

That was a real extravagance for me, and seeing how their merchandise changed each day was a real lesson as well. Entire collections appeared on the shelves overnight; some of the oddest things disappeared quickly, and some of the better items lingered behind.

I wondered how those collectors felt about their longtime efforts becoming ready-made collections up for the taking. Hopefully, the collectors themselves made the decision to donate their things, rather than family just getting rid of them.

In June, a community organization held its yearly benefit sale, so I checked out its offerings and added to a few of our collections. One of our esteemed local museums also held its annual sale, and I had to make two trips to the car before I was finished. (Is it any wonder that I want to establish a museum dedicated to displaying large collections of this and that?)

Then, two suburban churches held their annual garage sales, and it’s a tradition that I go to them. It’s a tradition that I go to a local Fourth of July benefit sale, too, so I went there—and through the checkout three times. (If you’re wondering if I’m exaggerating, I’m not. It’s been a great summer.)

I felt a little guilty and short of funds after those hauls (and I was headed out of town anyway), so I skipped the July church sale that I absolutely love. On the trip, however, I made up for that earlier sacrifice and made out like a bandit at the local discount department store, thrift shop, and library book sale. If I bought anything practical, I’ve forgotten. I do remember, however, that I did need to borrow a suitcase to get all my treasures home.

Back in Rochester, another church held its annual garage sale in August, and it’s a tradition that I go to it, of course. The fact that I discovered an additional church sale just added to the fun—and a sale on next year’s calendar.

In between, a friend held an impressive moving sale, and I felt obligated to go, of course. I wouldn’t want to risk offending him (and I might just find something I couldn’t live without—I found a half dozen things, actually).

Feeling even greater guilt at that time and having considerably less cash, I again sacrificed going to another favorite church sale at the end of August. (If I wasn’t feeling guilty enough then, I certainly am now as I write this.)

I did give in to temptation and complied with my husband’s suggestion of a day trip, lunch on the town, and an hour or two at a favorite used bookstore, where I did, indeed, buy books—for my teatime collection, my literary library, and my kitchen. (I dust my cookbooks more often than I try their recipes.)

Labor Day weekend arrived and brought us some company, who just happened to want to check out as many thrift shops and antiques malls as we could get to, and I managed to find more teatime items, china, and glassware. Making the rounds of four shops and two malls in three days is hard work, but it’s also a labor of love.

Temporarily feeling the agonies of remorse and poverty again, I skipped a Labor Day sale that I love and redoubled my efforts to open my museum.

Soon after, however, the antiquarian book fair was held, and I bought some more vintage postcards, of course (and some books as gifts). This past weekend was the glass show, so I bought a vintage tablecloth, a piece of fine china, and four ceramic teapots, but no Depression Glass because I still don’t officially collect Depression Glass.

This coming weekend is another esteemed museum sale; then there will be the glass pumpkin sale, and at the end of October is the local postcard club show. I know I shouldn’t even be considering any of them, but that’s what we committed collectors do, isn’t it?

I also assume the department stores are already stocked with their autumnal wares, and I’m really trying to resist being tempted by additional Halloween decorations and more turkey platters. I mean, how many does one really need, right?

However, we certifiable collectors never have enough because there’s always something new—or something old—to be found. There’s always another size or style or variation to discover. There’s always something else equally beautiful, creative, or ingenious to admire.

Although it may look like we’re shopping, and we’re certainly buying things, we’re actually just doing what we love most: collecting, building our collections, completing earlier ones, and starting new ones. It’s what we collectors do best.

Enjoy the hunt!

Patti
The Committed Collector

How about you? Are you crazy about collecting too? If so, leave a comment and let us know where you like to go shopping, or, rather, collecting.