$4.99 Romper
I found a vintage, floral romper from Goodwill today. There were several at the store, including a couple terrycloth ones. I chose this one because it tied in the back and therefore was more adjustable and fit better.
Glassware from Goodwill
I picked up these handpainted glasses from the Goodwill on Harrison Ave (see bean rating below). They were in the “boutique” section and were priced at 2.99 each. Love them.
Bean Rating: Goodwill (Harrison Ave.)
I stopped by the Goodwill right off of Melnea Cass Blvd. today after a morning shoot and found a ton of great blouses. This is a HUGE store so be prepared to shuffle through racks upon racks of clothing. I will upload pics of my purchases later but for now here is your bean rating.
Women’s Clothing: 5 beans (an amazing selection of clothing, very organized and ranging from vintage to lightly used and new items).
Men’s clothing: 4 beans (I have to be honest I was so involved in the women’s clothes that I didn’t dig to deep in the mens but their section was fairly large).
Books: 2 beans (there is a wall of books ranging from children’s classics to adult books).
Shoes: 3 beans (over 6 racks of shoes but some of them are pretty worn and low quality. If you have small feet (size 6/7) you’re in luck. There are alot of cute cowgirl vintage boots there now).
Records/LP’s: 2 beans (there is a corner rack filled with records).
Housewares: 3 beans (A whole section devoted to glassware and dishes).
Jewelry/Scarves/Furniture/Frames: 1 bean (store was weaker in these areas).
Bottom line: Go to this Goodwill for clothing (especially women’s clothing)! Within the women’s section blouses and tops were stronger than dresses and skirts.They also have a “boutique” section behind the cash registers where they sale nicer glassware, antique cameras and other (more expensive) items.
50+ Family Yard Sale Today
POST FROM CRAIGSLIST
ISBCC’s GINORMOUS Community Yard Sale
Saturday, July 9th 2011
10am — 4pm
No early birds please. We will be in the parking lot behind the building!
50+ family participating!! Cash only!
If possible, please bring small change and a few plastic bags to help you grab things as you shop.
100 Malcolm X Blvd., Roxbury Crossing MA 02120
Intersection of Tremont St and Columbus St
(easily accessible via the Roxbury Crossing T-stop on the orange line)
7/9 Yard Sales in JP & Roslindale
Don’t miss all the the yard sales in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale area tomorrow.
View JP/Rosi Yard Sales 7/9/11 in a larger map
Flea Markets
I am hesitant to map too many flea markets on the directory because to be honest, I haven’t been able to explore many. For now I have added the Revere Flea Market (in yellow on the directory map), which is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, March through December. My friends and I are going to try to check it out this weekend and give you the lowdown.
I did find a flea market resource online called Flea Portal. You can search by state or city and it gives a description of what the market has. Beware though, sometimes flea markets are full of nothing other than old women selling their rustic, Americana, arts-and-crafts…awkward. Check out the Massachusetts flea market listing here
New Map Feature!
Thanks to the help of my fellow thrifty friends, we have created a map of thrift stores, consignment boutiques and church thrift stores for the site. I will be adding to this map regularly so stay tuned for reviews of each of the stores. Check out the “Directory” tab above to explore the map. Pink markers: consignment boutiques Blue markers: thrift stores Turquoise markers: church thrift stores (limited hours)
Map Your Walls
Look for books with maps or sketches and frame them. This was a book of US maps that were intended to be used as placemats. My friend and I split the low 12-dollar cost and divided up the book. Frame four or five on the same wall for an interesting centerpiece or frame them one by one and give them as gifts to people. Also, even if you do not know the first thing about using an old film camera, they make for an interesting addition displayed on your bookshelf.
Frame Walls
Frame Walls
When designing a wall of different frames and art, pick a subject or color to base the theme around. For this wall I chose to frame B&W photos I bought for a $1 each at an antique store in gold frames and paired it with browns and a splash of color. Before you hang anything on the wall, map out your design on the floor. 
Otherwise, your wall will be full of holes by the time your finished. Also, this is a time to embrace your creativity. Things don’t have to line up perfectly and frames can be different colors and styles. Walls like this can say alot about someone’s personality. Check out the DIY page for more details on frame walls. I started collecting photos of “people with their dogs” about a year ago. I got all of these at an antique store in West Virginia called Stray Dog. They have an AMAZING amount of b&w photos ranging from people with their cars, children, weddings and houses. I bought the mis-matched gold frames at a Salvation Army for $1 each.
JP Featured on Apartment Therapy
Don’t miss these photos of unique apartments in Jamaica Plain. Many of the items in the homes could easily be thrift store finds. One thing they all have in common is alot of color; and for those of you who have been in my apartment, you know I LOVE color. “When Apartment Therapy added Boston to our growing list of cities, our House Tour archive grew steadily with beautiful and inspiring homes from Jamaica Plain.” See all the photos here
Major Clearance at JP Boomerangs
Boomerangs in Jamaica Plain will be closed for renovations Monday, July 11 through Thursday, July 21 and will celebrate a grand reopening Friday, July 22.
From now through Sunday, July 10, all books, music, videos and dishware will be 50 percent off; all furniture will be discounted 25 percent. From July 5 through July 8, all articles of clothing will be $1 each! On Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10, there will be additional discounts or bag sales depending on what’s left in stock.
They will not be taking donations at the Jamaica Plain store while the store is renovated. The last day to donate items before our renovation begins is Thursday, July 7.
Yard Sale Finds: July 2nd
Before we headed out this morning, Billy mapped our route by checking the garage sale listings on Craigslist. We stopped by three yard sales, two of which were priced fairly, the third one wanted $2-$5 EACH for records. But Billy stuck to his guns and said “I’m not paying that, their not even worth that.” 
As he walked away and we were getting ready to saddle back onto our bikes, the lady stopped him and they finally settled on a 3 for $5 deal…not bad. He also got an old liquor cabinet for $4 and some other records at a name-your-price yard sale. I found a nice leather backpack for $2. I bought 8 frames, a mirror, a brass owl, a belt buckle and a broach all for $5.
I have been gathering frames at yard sales and thrift stores lately as part of a gift I am making for a friend’s baby’s nursery. I will share photos of the finished product later!
Saturday Adventure: Yard Sales
I’m headed out with my neighbor to scour the local, holiday yard sales! If you want to track our adventure follow me on Twitter @emcmillion
Bean Rating: Thrift Shop of Boston
I checked out the first night of the Summer Stroll in Roslindale and I have to say it was a bit of a let down. I thought there would be more going on outside, more of community-gathering of sorts. Instead, the only way you knew which stores were participating was by the pink and purple balloons flying outside. Despite the tiny letdown, I did have alot of fun and got to eat some delicious guacamole and chips!. The Thrift Store of Boston had some pretty good deals. Most of the white ticket items that were only $1 weren’t exactly what I was looking for. I did find a really cute long, striped dress, a floral table runner and a decorative cutting board (I will post pics soon) all for $14. The place is super cluttered and kind of smelly (like mothballs) but if you can get past those two characteristics you can find some really interesting items. Here are my bean ratings on a scale from 1-5:
Women’s clothes: 1 bean
Men’s clothes: 1 bean
Books: 3 beans
Shoes: 2 beans
Records/LP’s: 3 beans
Housewares: 4 beans
Jewelry: 2 beans
Furniture: 4 beans
Art/Frames: 4 beans
So if you are looking for housewares and furniture definitely check out this Roslindale establishment. And as for the Summer Stroll, I will give it a second chance next Thursday.
Take a Thrifty Stroll Through Roslindale Village
Starting this Thursday and continuing every Thursday through August 11, Roslindale Village Main Street will be holding a “Summer Stroll”. There are tons of tastings, performances, shows, sales and exhibitions to enjoy. The Thrift Shop of Boston in Roslindale Square will be participating in the weekly events. This Thursday all clothing marked with a white ticket is $1; half price for bric-a-brac, linen, books and music w/ a white ticket.
The thrift store will continue to offer great deals and live performances including:
July 14: All clothing with red ticket is $1.00; red ticket on bric-a-brac, linen, books and music is half price
July 21: Live in Store performance by “Hurricanes of Love” and TBA
July 28: All books are $.50; all music and videos are halfl price; all clothing with green ticket is $1.00
August 11: Live in Store performance by “Welcome Home” and TBA