Roadfood and thrift stores

In addition to great, cheap restaurants, I also enjoy grabbing bargains at thrift stores. How many of you combine roadfood and thrift stores, and what are your favorite thrifts?

There was an article in this Sunday's Austin American-Statesman about Dooley's, a REAL "five and dime" still open in Fredericksburg, TX, after 80 years. It's a fun store to visit, and the article is really interesting:

http://www.statesman.com/life/content/auto/epaper/editions/sunday/life_entertainment_f305d424724322870017.html

I have built an entire collection of logo winery glasses and martini glasses from thrift stores. My favorite here is "Out of the Closet", an AIDS Foundation store. They seen to carry only things in good condition. I have found some great bargains in the thrift stores in Ventura on "Antique Row. I do enjoy shopping at the thrifts----it's amazing what you can find sometimes.

I'm a voracious thrifter. I found my flawless compressor-based Bialetti countertop gelato machine (2 liter, about $700ish new) for $10 at a local thrift. All sorts of obscure kitchen implements pop up from time to time, too. I bought a coconut reamer/scraper for $2.99 this weekend; it clamps to the countertop and allows you to remove the flesh of the coconut without gouging off your fingertips.

Eric

quote:

Originally posted by EdSails

I have built an entire collection of logo winery glasses and martini glasses from thrift stores. My favorite here is "Out of the Closet", an AIDS Foundation store. They seen to carry only things in good condition. I have found some great bargains in the thrift stores in Ventura on "Antique Row. I do enjoy shopping at the thrifts----it's amazing what you can find sometimes.

Ventura's Main street is my mecca! We go up there one weekend every few months and I come home with the car loaded! Out of the Closet can be sometimes pricey, but has quality stuff. Speaking of which, what do you all think of Salvation Army's "boutiques"? I think their pricing seems arbitrary. But if something has been there over a month, it is automatically half price so you can get some deals. But I really love the little independent hospital and charity thrift shops you find in the middle of nowhere. That's where the real treasure lies. It is my dream to someday hit that 3-state swap meet.

quote:

EliseT writes Speaking of which, what do you all think of Salvation Army's "boutiques"?

I often like the Salvation Army's places (I'm not sure we have any that they style "boutiques" out here), but there are a lot of variables. On the East Side of Providence, where I live, there is a huge Salvation Army place, which often has a lot of neat stuff. The problem is, since it is close to two colleges (Brown and RISD), it tends to be overrun with the young and hip (apologies to any here that fit that description) who snap up everything worthwhile. I tend to like to go to the ones out of the city - less competition.

I used to spend a lot of time in thrift stores, but don't as much now. One thing that I have always found: if there is a book section, it will contain a copy of either Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint or Herman Wouk's War and Remembrance, if not both. Nothing against either author, but it says something.

The Salvation Army stores out here have a seperate section of the store with a seperate cash register and everything called the "boutique". They have all the furs, wedding dresses, coffe table books and anything they consider "antique". It kind of lessens the thrill of the chase.

As for the books, they do represent copies sold as well as discarded, so maybe it doesn't neccessarily mean the book is bad (Although I did have to stop reading Portnoy's Complaint myself because I found it distasteful).

quote:

But I really love the little independent hospital and charity thrift shops you find in the middle of nowhere. That's where the real treasure lies. It is my dream to someday hit that 3-state swap meet.

I agree one of my favorite thrifts is a little shop operated by a hospice in Severna Park MD, This is big money country folks. It sits around the corner from multimillion dollar homes. I have made several good finds there including a bunch of CDs that included a Tony Bennett album, The Junior League of Hawaiis "Aloha" cookbook and several unusual smaller cookbooks featuring ethnic cooking and a Naval Academy wives cookbook. One of my best purchases was just recently. I love any thing tea related. I had been looking at purchasing a good tea set but the price always out me off. I went in one day and found a tea service for 6 complete with cake/sandwich plates marked at $5. The teapot did have a damaged spout but I intend to put flowers in it. I already had a teapot anyway. The important thing was that I had just seen a cup & saucer set in an antique shop that was identical. It was selling for $8 for just the one!! I gave the ladies $10 & went merrily on my way. (I always give more than the asking since it's for a charitible cause and even at that it was a steal.)

quote:

Originally posted by EliseT

The Salvation Army stores out here have a seperate section of the store with a seperate cash register and everything called the "boutique".

I have to say-----the boutique section here in the Long Beach store seems more like a way to inflate prices then anything else.

yes, Ventura is fun-----I've gotten a lot of cool stuff up there. I love the store with the old "lunchboxes". Imagine my surprise when I saw the atomic submarine lunchbox I carried when I was young now fetches $70.00!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by ocdreamr

I have made several good finds there including a bunch of CDs that included a Tony Bennett album, The Junior League of Hawaiis "Aloha" cookbook and several unusual smaller cookbooks featuring ethnic cooking and a Naval Academy wives cookbook.

I have the "Aloha" cookbook too-----one of the few of that type that's actually hardcover. I really like it. It may not be truly authentic but I did use it back in the 80's to do a pretty credible luau straight out of it. I still enjoy reading it and looking at the "fun" recipes!

I would venture that there's a correlation between good food, good junking, and good(interesting) people. It's been my experience that all go into the mix, and hopefully you come out with Springfield and not Shelbyville. If the people led interesting full lives, then the junk they owned reflects that and I think the food in that neighborhood/town that is appealing reflects the same idea. Adventurous, not bland.

We spent 2 weeks in Gulfport Mississippi last year and decided to take a ride over to Hattiesburg.......I think I was expecting to see Harper Lee, but instead we found a good old Dollar Store. We snooped through the junk and came up with......STEAK KNIVES and really good ones, too. They were two for a buck. So I bought two. Now when we have friends over we look at each other and say, "We need to go to Hattiesburg and get two more knives!!" What was I thinking? I should've bought a dozen! After leaving the Dollar Store with our two precious knives we passed a Chinese restaurant that had obviously just opened because on their marquee was this: "We are welcome". Ok, we do need to go back.

When visiting New Orleans, I hit upon some great thrift stores heading toward the minor league stadium in Metairie (sp?). I got a South Alabama baseball tee shirt, a Pirates tee shirt with coach written on the back, a Bimbo's bread sign, and a New Orleans Saints belt buckle, all in one store! All mint. I wish I remember the name of the place. It was pink. Oh, Mayhaw?

There was a great thrift store in New Orleans where I bought a bunch of old Mardis Gras costumes...with a very good po'boy served next door. They are in the same mini-mall as the "Mid-City Lanes Rock n' Bowl" on South Carrolton. I also like the little shops by the French market. I got some very cool antique glass mardis gras beads there for four dollars each.

Dearfolk,
My favorite Atlanta neighborhood eatery, The Lakewood Diner, is located on Lakewood Avanue right around the corner from my favorite Value Village Thrift Store on Stewart Avenue... well, they renamed it Metropolitan Parkway. I would write more, but the library's closing.
Hurriedly, That Thrifting-And-Eating Machine, Ort. Carlton in Rapid-fire Athens, Georgia.

Dearfolk,
Now I get to reply to my own reply.
On the road, I always try to coordinate thrift store hopping with eating roadfood in local eateries. Everywhere I go, I scout the local specialties and the meritorious restaurants that serve them. As I wander, I will report back on my finds. Be forewarned, and keep watching this space.
Developmentally, Ort. Carlton, Ye Travelling Trencherman of Almost-Studious Athens, Georgia.

While the joy of thrifting has been somewhat diminished by the rise of eBay, there are still places in this country that aren't convinced that every set of country cornholders or McDonalds Star Wars glasses is a "valuable collectible". I've heard really good things about Pittsburgh lately, where the '50s are apparently alive and well, but I'm partial to Lincoln, NE. I actually found a nearly full set of Franciscan Starburst dinnerware (with gravy boat and S&P shakers) for next to nothing. That was several years ago, though, so the "collectible" fad may have finally killed it. However, the main thriftstore strip in Lincoln has some very good (read: cheap) Mexican restaurants, if I recall correctly.

On "Salvation Army Boutiques": That's just their way of trying to cash in on the aforementioned collectibles thing. They've got their sorters on the lookout for anything that they might've seen on Antiques Roadshow. Unfortunately, they usually end up with "vintage" REO Speedwagon jerseys and the highly sought-after penguin ice bucket. Stupid eBay...

Elise, that's the one. There were like 3 great thrift store within a couple miles from each other. St. Joseph, MO. is a thrift store mecca. Just miles from Arthur Bryant's in KC. There were about ten stores in that town. I got a great MONDALE cap for a quarter. I'm apolitical so save the comments.

You are very perceptive. Thrifting and food are two of my best passions (along with baseball, but that's another topic). Check my thrifting obsession here:
http://thriftgoddess.netfirms.com

and my food passion here:
http://fruitedplain.netfirms.com

You have hit the nail right on the head! Great topic idea!

When my wife and I visit a city or region, we buy tee-shirts. Not the kind for $12. each but thrift store bargains for $1.00 each. When Joyce and I visited Las Vegas last year, I bought 36 Las Vegas and Casino shirts for $1.00 each in a store between The Strip and Downtown on Main Street. I even found a Las Vegas Stars (AAA Minor Legue) baseball team shirt.

She must have bought about 40 shirts as well.

I remember that in California, thrift store sales (if resale) are free of sales tax.

Thrift store bargains and roadfood, two of my best vacation events.

Dearfolk,
A musician here in town has a work shirt from Falls City Brewery with HIS NAME ON IT that he bought in a thrift store in Louisville for 25 cents - it fits him perfectly, too.
Not too long ago, someone I know in Atlanta found an Atlanta Flames hockey team t-shirt for 75 cents or thereabouts. They went out about 1977. Plus, he knows someone who found several Kiss tour t-shirts (in XL, no less!) from 1975 to 1977 for a quarter a pop in Anniston, Alabama. Now THERE's a thrifting town! And there's gotta be decent roadfood there, although I have yet to run across anything truly stellar.
Recently, my own best find has to be an autographed copy of a book by Eugenia Price (Georgia writer) for $1.01 on half-price day: that means I paid 51 cents plus tax. Eugenia Price has been unable to do any book signing for six or seven years due to her (ahem!) demise.
Right down the street from the Goodwill store in Opelika, Alabama is Dave's Bar-B-Que, which has THE WEIRDEST barbecue sauce I've EVER seen - it's more like gravy! I tried it on the french fries and it was superb! It was brown and gelatinous, but quite tasty, all in all.
Just down the street and around the corner from the Goodwill on Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. in Atlanta's West End neighborhood (years ago it was Gordon Street) is a luscious-looking soulful diner named Chanterelle's, at 644 (I think it is) Evans St., S/W. At some future thrifting time, I will scour out that Goodwill, the hasten over for some culinary research to accompany my finds.
Folks, I LIKE this thread... it really hits home for me! Let's keep it alive for awhile, so I can hit the road and report back!
Roadly Trippingly, Ort. Carlton, Ye Travelling Trencherman (And Thrifterman!) in Decent-Enough-In-Both-Those-Fields Athens, Georgia.

ED: What was the name of that burger place you like in Ventura? BTW Art's Corner Cafe has a great breakfast!

quote:

Originally posted by goldsborscht

When visiting New Orleans, I hit upon some great thrift stores heading toward the minor league stadium in Metairie (sp?). I got a South Alabama baseball tee shirt, a Pirates tee shirt with coach written on the back, a Bimbo's bread sign, and a New Orleans Saints belt buckle, all in one store! All mint. I wish I remember the name of the place. It was pink. Oh, Mayhaw?

quote:

Originally posted by Mayhaw Man

quote:

Originally posted by goldsborscht

When visiting New Orleans, I hit upon some great thrift stores heading toward the minor league stadium in Metairie (sp?). I got a South Alabama baseball tee shirt, a Pirates tee shirt with coach written on the back, a Bimbo's bread sign, and a New Orleans Saints belt buckle, all in one store! All mint. I wish I remember the name of the place. It was pink. Oh, Mayhaw?

Goldsborscht,
I missed your pleading in this message the first time around. I hate to see a thrifty shopper beg. There are a series of thrift shops on Jefferson Hwy, all basically within ten blocks of each other. St. Vincent de Pauls, the Salvation Army, The Bridge House, and the Junior league all have them there. The Bridge House Store is Pink.

If you like that Saints Belt Buckle, I feel pretty sure that after the Saints get through getting stomped by Manning and Co. tonight on ESPN you will be able to find some serious bargains on Saints regalia (including clothing with entire sets of soon to be unused season tickets).

My theory on Thrift Shops is thus....the quality and number of thrift shops in a given area is directly proportional to the difference in income between the upper crust and the lower class.

New Orleans is a great thrift shopping mecca because we have a fairly large percentage of rich people(generally old money) and a huge population of poverty level citizens. We do not have a large middle class. Therefore, great thrift shops. I noticed the same thing in Dublin, Ireland. That place has got some of the best charity shopping (as it is called there) in the world. If you are looking for bargains in wool and leather, Dublin is the spot.

And Elise, up on Magazine St (above Louisiana Ave) you will find some amazing bargain shopping in the old, slightly worn cool, kinda antique, popular culture item category.

And to get back on topic, while bargain shopping out on Jefferson Hwy you can pull into Ted's Frostop. This place has great burgers, breakfast 24 hrs, and a really nice 50's feel to it (which is how long it has been there, since the days when this was the route out of town to Baton Rouge)

There, now I won't get anymore nasty little messages in my email telling me to straighten up and fly on topic.

n

We have a nice Goodwill not far from us where I've picked up some really cool t-shirts with names of events/locations on them, as well as drinking glasses or coffee mugs with the same. So inexpensive and I like things like that. I've never been a yard sale/swap meet person really, so usually when we drop old clothing off at Goodwill, it's a perfect opportunity.

Mayhaw, you just fly wherever your little wings take you! Thanks for the thrift store suggestions. We only have four days there this time (including flight time), and we have to find the wedding site, restaurant or caterer, and bakery. Plus celebrate Halloween, which will be a "lost" day. I wish we could just go thrift for a week. I wonder if that would be an acceptable honeymoon???

We have a very nice Salvation Army store here in Morgantown that seems to specialize in furniture anymore and books. We akso have a Goodwill that once in awhile , you can find something worthy. On the more commercial end...not technically thrift stores but the bargains are astounding on occasion are the Big Lots stores and a chain known as Gabriel Brothers. Big Lots are fairly well known around this section of the country , so I'll expand on Gabriel Brothers a bit. Gabriel Brothers is a chain of about 40 stores now I believe, which features out of season, discontinued, buy outs and so on. They grab their merchandise from places such as designer factory outlets, Neiman Marcus, Bloomies, Saks Fith Avenue, Macy's, Dillards, Lazurus, Leggetts, Nordstroms........even Victoria's Secrets and Frederick's..... Sometimes you run across some seconds or slightly damaged things, but for most part you can haggle with store staff and get a further reduction, and most times the damage is negligible and repairable. These stores feature everything from clothing to domestics and everything in between. They also are the owners of the Hanes outlets and Rugged Wear outlets. The corporate headquarters for this business, is located here in Morgantown, as well as it's main distribution center. Fortunately for me, my ex husband is one of the distribution center managers, (and we're on good pals terms)so I often know what is coming in before it hits the stores and have him grab at his discount for me. Some examples of their deep discounts include Ralph Lauren and Laura Ashley king size bedspreads for 29.99, Tommy Hilfiger jeans for men at 10.99, Waterford crystal 2 piece champagne flutes for 12.99. Often the tags from the original stores are left on and you can see what the original pricing was. I recently got a dress that had a 600.00 tag from Saks on it, for 9.99. The cities that I can think of that have these stores , off the top of my head are:

Morgantown West Virginia
Pittsburgh Pa
Belle Vernon Pa
Washington PA
Bethel Park Pa
Uniontown Pa
St Clairsville Ohio
Zanesville Ohio
Akron/Canton Ohio
Cumberland Maryland
Columbia Maryland
Frederick Maryland
Fredricksburg VA
Roanoke Va
Winchester Virginia
PArkersburg WV
Fairmont West Virginia
Clarksburg West Virginia
Weirton West Virginia
MArtinsburg West Virginia
Charleston WV
Huntington West Virginia
Beckley West Virginia
Bel Air Maryland
Boardman Ohio
Erie Pennsylvania
Altoona Pennsylvania
Greensburg Pennsylvania
Harrisburg Pa
Mansfield Ohio
Mechanicsburg PA
Mentor Ohio
Middleburg Ohio
Northfield Ohio
York PEnnsylvania and Wyckliffe Ohio

I guess I've been hiding under a rock too long. After reading all of the posts on this topic, it looks like I'll have to start hitting the thrift stores. Sounds like a new hobby in the making for me, friends. Although, my husband might not be too crazy about it.

Just opened this year...A very large GoodWill Store in Owensboro, Kentucky...Yep, it is right next door to the Moonlite BBQ !