Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Thrifting


The thrifting in the small towns around The Villages (always spelled with a
capital T) is prime. These tiny towns abound in Thrift Stores – Belleview has 4,000 people and 8 Thrift stores. There aren’t the “for profit” with the corresponding high prices thrift stores like Savers and Family Thrift, these are Little Old Lady thrifts in the best and vanishing sense of the world. In one day I paid a visit to St. Jude, St. Phillip and St. Theresa. They are clean, nicely organized and the prices are from a by gone era. At most of them books were only a quarter and the highest I ever paid was a $1. It’s a far cry from Houston and the $4.94 & 6.96 prices I’m accustomed to seeing at Family Thrift.

Even the Goodwill was reasonable – all the books were $1.99, with of course the exception of what they consider “Better Books”. Luckily, their idea of better books is radically different than mine. Better Books consisted of some dreary copies of old People’s Book Club Books and some hardback classics with nothing to distinguish them from thousands of other hardback classics.

I struck gold in the “ordinary” books – a definitive book on Irish Wolfhounds and another on Worchester Pottery. The first was courtesy of MediaScouter, the latter from my own brain. Naturally, the latter was the most satisfying, though the former will bring in a bit more money.

The Villages does not allow estate or garage sales – that’s another reason I wouldn’t want to live there – so guess the only outlet for excess stuff is a thrift store. So many people come to the Villages with nothing more in mind that playing golf till they go on to the Great Golf Course in the Sky so there stuff has to end up somewhere. The Great Golf Course in the Sky comes with an eternal supply of everything one could ever need!

1 comment:

Kate The Great said...

Oh my goodness, I thought I was the only one who talks about the Thrift Store with a capital T! The books at my favorite are $1.91 for hard cover and .25 cor paperbacks. I've gotten all my daughter's best hardcovers there. Thrifting is the best!