Tag Archives: Salvation Army

monday morning

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I spent some time on my deck this making a massive to-do list for the day in the world’s most adorable notepad holder. I found this needlepoint beaut at the Salvation Army in Austin, Minnesota for all of 50 cents and ever since it’s made writing out my daily to-dos a much more cheery experience. I love thrifting something that’s as functional as it is cute. And with all the craziness that’s happening in the next couple of weeks, I have a feeling this baby’s going to be getting a workout.

Since making this list this morning (which continued well onto the second page!), I’m proud to say I’ve crossed a good deal of my to-dos off, including doing my dishes, a task I successfully put off all weekend long. How were your Mondays? Sun-filled and productive, I’m hoping!

xo,

Meghan

P.S. If you’re sewing-savvy, check out the myriad of plastic-canvas how-to books on Etsy. There are so many kitschy cute projects out there!

thrifting mission: find some new yoga clothes

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I’ve recently become addicted to grown awfully fond of practicing hot yoga at a wonderfully friendly studio in Uptown called Moksha Yoga. While I absolutely LOVE what it’s been doing for my heinie and my insomnia, washing my gross, sweaty gear every other day was a time-consuming drag. I looked online for new clothes for about a minute-and-a-half, but when I saw $48 shorts and $108 hoodies, I almost fell out of my chair. So, I did what I always do. Went to the thrift store!

Since the idea of sweating my tatas off in clothes that have already been worn by some other broad skeeves me slightly, I hopped over to the underground Target (aka the Target Basement) at the downtown Salvation Army Family Store, which is, if you’re not familiar, filled with brand spankin’ new merchandise. As expected, I found exactly what I was looking for. From roll-over top yoga pants to super light running shorts to tops to T’s to sports bras to plus-sized gear, this place has got it all. And everything’s super sensibly priced!

Here’s what $45 (three dollars less than the aforementioned shorts!) bought me…

Two towels (so totally necessary for hot yoga), a neon pink sports bra (the only neon color I can tolerate), THREE pairs of shorts, a raspberry colored cropped sweatshirt and an extra-long baby blue hoodie (because I freeze on my way home from class if I forget a sweatshirt). The bonus part is that five of the eight items I came home with are PINK. Yesssss.

I’m set for a while, I think, right? Thrifting mission: complete.

Namaste y’all!

xoxo,

Meghan

P.S. There’s one more day to enter the Girls Got Rhythm Fest ticket giveaway. I’m picking the lucky winner tomorrow after 5 p.m.!

peach things

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Been into collecting pretty peach things lately, or so it seems.

Even if a thrift’s a total dud, I can practically always find a scarf I like enough to bring home. This one was 50 cents at Salvation Army and it’s 100-percent silk.

The softly scalloped placket sold me on this drape-y silk blouse, another Salvation Army find.

Exquisite peach ranunculus, courtesy of Bastian + Skoog’s ridiculously charming PEANUTCART. (Such brains those ladies have, my goodness.)

I hope your hump day is, well, peachy!

xo,

Meghan

heads up: president’s day weekend sales

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Hey lovelies, happy Friday!

{source}

If you’re looking to get your shop on this weekend, here’s the scoop on some President’s Day sales.

Today through Sunday

Hope Chest for Breast Cancer: Take 30% off all home decor, lamps and artwork at both the Orono and St. Paul locations.

Saturday Only

ARC’s Value Village Thrift Stores: Save 50% on everything except orange- and white-tagged items Saturday only. Stores will open at 9 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Monday Only

Savers: Take 50% off all used clothing, shoes, accessories and tagged bed and bath items. Sale runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Salvation Army Thrift Stores: This year, the half-off sale at Salvation Army is limited to the downtown Minneapolis location and only applies to the goodies in the Target basement. The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Hidden Treasures Thrift Store: This hole-in-the-wall thrift kicks off a week-long bag sale on Monday—fill a bag of winter clothing or outerwear and pay just $5. Hidden Treasures is open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Unique and Valu Thrift Stores: Everything in all five metro-area stores will be half-off! Shops will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Happy shopping!

xo,

Meghan

recently thrifted

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Just popping in to share some small finds from the past few weeks…

How precious are these delicate little bow earrings? I can’t recall where I thrifted these, but clearly, I didn’t spend more than 50 cents on them.

I got this deadstock bag at the Burnsville Salvation Army during a yellow tag day, so it cost only $1. (It was from a collection of clothes and accessories Target did with Hamilton Wood Type.) I put it to good use the week after I thrifted it when I was running late and needed to wrap up a belated birthday gift.

On that same trip to the Burnsville Sal Val, I found a vintage sheet set from Stevens Utica, still in its original packaging. (On Etsy, just one used sheet in this pattern sells for around $17!) These I believe will wind up at the store…they’d be great material for a sewing project!

These (blonde) matryoshka dolls are from the Value Village over in Saint Paul. It’s likely that they will wind up in one of Mighty Swell’s grab bags.

Have you been out thrifting lately? Did you find anything wonderful?

xo,

Meghan

thrifting trip: minneapolis to cambridge

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{A gawk-worthy sunflower farm blooms outside Isanti.}

Hello dears!

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite Saturday morning thrifting trips, from Minneapolis to Cambridge. This route rocks because it’s peppered with thrifts you can visit on the way, and once you’re to Cambridge, there are three stores within a couple of blocks. The drive’s do-it-in-your-sleep easy–just cruise up Central Avenue (also known as county road 65) and you’re there! I recommend going on Saturday mornings before traffic builds up (there are a ton of lights on 65). And, some of the thrifts in Cambridge close up shop in the mid-afternoon on the weekends. New to this map, I included a few of my favorite spots to stop for snacks, ranging from the co-op in Cambridge (if I’m hankering for kombucha) to the Main Street bar/grill that makes delicious Bloody Marys and super cheap burgers.

Happy hunting!


View Larger Map

If you like this post, might you find my thrifting maps for St. Cloud, Burnsville and up 35W useful too?

xo,

Meghan

recently thrifted, glowing globe lamp

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{vintage globe lamp, $2.50, Salvation Army Thrift Store, Blaine}

Like everyone else on the planet, I’ve been watching Mad Men again from the start, thanks to the holy union of Netflix and my Wii. Watching it the second time around is a luxury…I’ve can zone out on the plot and focus on the details of the interiors and fashions. Like Don’s globes.

Exhibit A.

{Image from the Mid-Century Modernist}

I haven’t personally jumped on the globes-as-decor bandwagon, mostly because I need a new collection as much as I need a hole in the head. That said, this lamp was too cute to pass up! It works like a charm, is small enough to fit in a variety of spots around my house and it cost less than a fancy cup of cold press.

Did you get out thrifting this weekend? Find anything awesome?

xo,

Meghan

thrift store review: the salvation army in frogtown

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Salvation Army Thrift Store, Frogtown, St. Paul

I’m not going to lie: the Boss inspired me to stop at this Sal Val on Monday. Ever since I read about a fellow thrifter’s insane Bruce Springsteen concert T-shirt find there, I’ve been more than a little motivated to check it out again. And my goodness, am I glad I did! It turns out, a few days prior to my visit, a vintage shop that had recently closed had donated boxes upon boxes of merchandise to the store. We’re talking super primo designer vintage, most of it from the ’50s and ’60s. Anyway, as you can imagine….a major bonanza ensued, as evidenced by my overflowing cart.

After I stuffed my cart with vintage, I spent the better part of the next hour going through the rest of the shop.

WHAT’S GOOD

♥ The store is large and well laid-out, two things I really appreciate.

♥  While they don’t have as big of a selection as the downtown Minneapolis Salvation Army, they have a more than decent amount of nice furniture and lamps. I saw a well-crafted coffee table for $10! Also spotted? A couple cute vintage lawn chairs and a pair of hanging bird cages I’m totally kicking myself for not buying.

♥ The shop has an above average collection of framed artwork, including (at the time of my visit) some larger scale mid-century pieces, some cool Native American powwow photos and some small kitschy pieces from the ’70s.

♥  The prices are really reasonable. Over the past year, prices at nearly every Salvation Army have gone up substantially, but this store is an exception. For example, I didn’t pay more than $3 a piece for any of the vintage I snagged, and some of it was discounted by 75% thanks to the tag sale they had running.

♥ The service was exceptionally sweet and patient. While I was waiting in line, I saw the manager and cashier address two fairly difficult, argumentative customers with poise and kindness.

♥ And last but not least, they have a dedicated vintage section. Which makes this girl’s life a whole heck of a lot easier!

WHAT’S NOT GOOD

♥ The couple times I’ve visited, I’ve noticed that the housewares section has really slim pickin’s. If you’re looking for Pyrex, dishes, knick knacks or bake ware, you might not have the best of luck here.

♥ It’s not super clean, a fact I can overlook in every thrift if the prices are rock bottom, as they are here.


The vintage goodies (numbering in the dozens), need laundering and steaming before they make their Internet debut, but here are a few other things I found on Monday that got me excited.

A complete, 16-volume set of Family Circle’s DIY Encylopedia from 1973 ($8). (Incomplete sets retail for around $50 on Etsy.)

I cannot wait to dig into these babies, you have no idea! Here are a few of my favorite covers…

I also picked up a couple random pieces of framed art. We’ve had a couple customers at Mighty Swell request more big-eyed boy/girl ’70s art, so I picked this up (even though it sort of creeps me out).

This photo of the Dump Sweet Dump (50 cents) mirror is too funny not to share! Yes I am wearing a wool sweater in June…it’s Minnesota!

After purchasing this cap-sleeved ditty (75 cents), the number of red and white gingham shirt I own is now up to three! Yikes!

Go here to find: Clothing (modern and vintage), art work, furniture, photo frames, books.

Selection/Variety: ♥ ♥ ♥

Quality: ♥ ♥ ♥

Pricing: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Organization: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Customer service: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Cleanliness: ♥ ♥ ♥

Stroller-friendly? Yes!

Do they take credit cards? Yes!

While you’re there: There’s a ton to do over in this ‘hood! I love Ethiopian food and Fasika down on Snelling is one of the best spots in town. Go with a friend and split the veggie sampler. It’s nourishing, healthy and a total bargain at $14. If you’re in the mood for more thrifting, try digging for treasures at the Goodwill outlet at 2505 University Avenue or visit the plain old regular Goodwill store over at 553 Fairview. I also love finding stuff I never knew I needed at Ax-Man Surplus on University. That store is so fun!

Where it is: 572 University Avenue West

Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Contact: 651.789.0099, Facebook

xo!

Meghan

thrift trip: burnsville loop

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When I leave work feeling like a crabbed-out stress case, there’s one thing that can always make me feel better: Shopping. Thrift-store shopping, to be exact. I wait until traffic dies down, and then grab my iPod, some water and hit the road. While most of my favorite thrift trips are all-afternoon adventures, I’ve got a few routes down that can easily be done after work (even if you’re a 10-6-er like me).

This one, back and forth to Burnsville, is one of my ole stand-bys for those nights when retail therapy is most definitely required. I like to head south on 77 (Cedar Avenue) so I can hit the Savers that’s barely in Apple Valley. Then I cut across to Burnsville on Cty. Rd. 42 which leads you directly to the Unique and Salvation Army stores. (Pro tip: If you’re stretched for time, just hit the Unique and Salvation Army in Burnsville—they’re literally across the street!) From there, you can head back to Minneapolis on Hwy 35W, or cut back to 77 on Highway 13 hitting Antiques Minnesota and the Chap Thrift shop in Burnsville along the way.

(Click the pinpoints to see pics and details like hours, phone numbers, website addresses, etc.!)


View Larger Map

If you liked this post, check out my other thrifting treasure maps…one for St. Cloud and another featuring Family Pathways Thrift Stores up Highway 35.

Hugs!

Meghan