It’s no secret that I have a bit of an addiction to thrifting. I just can’t get enough of the thrill of the hunt. One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to hit up the local thrift stores of whatever town I happen to be visiting or passing through.
Since I’ve been on the island, I’ve gone on a few adventures that have landed me in some pretty sweet thrift stores. In fact, this island has one of my very favorite “thrift stores” of all time: The Exchange.
It’s actually not a thrift store at all. It’s more of a community swap, or exchange (ha!). Because the island is so isolated and it’s so difficult/expensive to bring things here, The Exchange allows residents to continuously swap unwanted goods. Not only that, it cuts down on consumerism, consumption, and waste.
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, no?
Here’s how it works: whatever you don’t want or need anymore, you bring to The Exchange. It’s a fairly sizable place where you can find anything from toilet seats, to old records, to building materials, to toys, to furniture, etc.
You can drop your unwanted items off and be done with it, or you can try to hunt down an item you are looking for. If you take something from The Exchange, you either need to leave something of “equal value” or pay what you think it is worth. Does this make sense?
It’s an awesome concept that I wish more communities would adopt.
The Exchange is only open three days a week, so it’s a pretty great place to do a little digging around, talk to the locals, and check out some action. Yes, life is a little slow around here, if you can’t tell.
So, if you see me posting something on here and I mention that it was free… well, it’s from The Exchange. I’ve scored some really amazing finds this summer and I’ll keep sharing them with you in the coming weeks.
Here’s a peek at my most recent thrift store/Exchange finds:
PS: Emma took these pictures. Not to brag, but….. I’m just sayin’.
Retro Puffy Jacket: $3
Gap Skinny Jeans: $11
Vintage Skirt: Free
Granny Top and Belt: $5 (top) Free (belt)
Tan Vintage Wedges: $5
Rainbow sandals: $3
Red sude Stuart Weitzman flats: FREE!!!!
I definitely have more things to share with you guys, so stay tuned!
What are some of the best thrift store finds you’ve ever snagged?
9 comments
my favorite thrift finds EVER:
~a pair of vintage boots given to me by a friend's mom
~a floral dress that I found about 2 years ago, and have yet to wear because it's "granny" and everyone in my house thinks is the ugliest thing EVER
~my best fitting pair of jeans EVER that aren't made anymore and I'll be devastated when they finally fall apart (the rest of the way)
by the way, those rainbow sandals and the poofy vest are fantastic!
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The Little Hen House Reply:
July 31st, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Ooooh! I love vintage boots! I think it might be time to bust out the granny dress. With the boots????
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The Little Hen House Reply:
July 31st, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Ooooh! I love vintage boots! I think it might be time to bust out the granny dress. With the boots????
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I really need to get my ass to a thrift store. I love skinny jeans for $11. What a great find. And those wedges? Awesome!!
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My favorite find has been a beaded necklace with a matching BIG finger ring, and I mean it, the ring is metallic with big stone and gem embellishments on top. I really loved the concept of community exchange store, wish I had one in my neighborhood too. I would be then mostly found there during my daytime
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That's it. I need to go thrifting with you. The only things I ever find are blouses with shoulder pads and smelly purses.
Obviously I'm thrifting at the wrong places.
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Can I hire you to come down to Rio and find non-scary thift shops for me??
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nice blog.nice price!
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I really loved the concept of community exchange store, wish I had one in my neighborhood too. I would be then mostly found there during my daytime
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