You don’t need a map to find something special at a thrift store, although having good directions helps.
I believe women have a shopping gene. Or, more specifically, a bargain-shopping gene. So when I found myself with a free day and six hours before I had to pick the boys up from school, mine kicked in.
I entertained heading to all the regular venues I adore—Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Solvang—but I decided a bigger challenge lay in thrift store treasure hunting. Santa Maria alone has about six that I know of, and I thought that would be a good start. Spending a day perusing thrift shops is not to be downplayed, however. Finding a bargain—not just an inexpensive item, but an item that has a value that far surpasses its price tag—is not as easy as it seems. It’s the shopper’s equivalent to finishing a triathlon. The high afterward is just about the same.
It was a beautiful morning as I set out with one goal in mind. To find the item—for me or my kids or my husband or my sister, it didn’t really matter—that would leave my friends envious of my shopping prowess. Paying a buck for a pair of jeans that retail for $45 and shave 10 pounds off my frame would qualify.
I headed to the far end of town, past Betteravia, past Main Street, past Donovan to the Pepper Tree Plaza and the VTC Thrift Store. I once complained to my husband that since moving back to Santa Maria, I hate the thought of ever having to drive all the way to the other side of town, because the city has grown so much since I was a kid. He then pointed out that the city itself hasn’t grown; it’s the same distance, just filled in a little more. So with that in mind, I headed to the farthest thrift store and figured I’d wind my way back.
Only VTC Thrift Store wasn’t there. (A call to the store later revealed they had moved to South Blosser.) My bargain shopping brain then started figuring the gas I wasted into the amount of discount I’d need to still make my trip worthwhile. I can’t help it. I’m not a numbers kind of girl, until it comes to spending money. Then, somehow, my brain is able to calculate problems of mathematician proportions.
I did find the Central Coast Rescue Mission’s thrift store on North Broadway. The store was crowded, but everyone seemed excited at their finds. I could overhear a couple of women giddy about finding brand-name kids clothes like Old Navy and Baby Gap. The shop has a room for electronics, lots of clothes, and various knick-knacks. I scored a super cool Hawaiian shirt (from a shop in Hawaii) for Sebastian for $1 and a pair of Baby Gap cargo shorts for 69 cents. Not bad, but not the prize.
Next stop was the RAD Thrift Store on West Main Street. I browsed through a huge assortment of furniture and odds and ends. In fact, I was a little overwhelmed at the amount of goods in the store, and I didn’t know quite where to get started. This is where Sebastian, my 6-month-old son and shopping partner, came in handy. I’d find a skirt and hold it up to him, and ask him what he thought. He’d reach out his chubby hand and swat at it. Depending on whether he made a cranky face, smiled, or giggled, I’d either put it back, put it aside, or buy it. Sometimes he’d make a little squeal noise, and if I liked the item, I took the squeal as encouragement to buy it. And sometimes if I liked an item and Sebastian made a cranky face, I took that as a sign that I should just buy it and hurry on to the next store.
As the day wore on, so did Sebastian’s patience. I made a stop at the Goodwill Industries store in the Stowell Center Plaza.
Jeff, the manager there, gave me the bad news: I just missed their sale. They have a sale on the last Wednesday night of the month and the second Wednesday morning. The last sale they had brought in more than 400 people and helped Goodwill beat out the Santa Barbara and Simi Valley stores in sales.
Though the sale had streamlined their store, I found a lot of goodies. Thumbing through the racks, I felt like the Carrie Bradshaw of thrift store shopping. A corduroy, cargo-pocket skirt, knee-high leather boots, a button-down shirt borrowed from the men’s section, and a wide cinch belt for under $10. Who says you can’t find good fashion in a thrift store? It’s merely a matter of having some good fashion sense, a little time on your hands, and, most importantly, a willingness to hunt. And that’s exactly what I discovered: I love hunting for a good deal for that special find, whether it’s an outfit or a tiny Danish wooden music box.
I found a lot of items—many special, some functional, a couple that were pointless—but the most important thing I found was the realization that there are treasures all around. You just have to look for them.
Arts Editor Shelly Cone considers bargain hunting to be an art. Send comments to scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 2-9, 2008.