Queen of the Thrift Store

Yes, she is becoming the true Queen of Thrift Store shopping and getting quite good at it,  even a little obsessed with it.  That is ok, it is not a bad thing.  She could be obsessed with more harmful things, so, thrift store shopping is actually a very good thing when you think about it.
She trolls the aisles looking for a Classic at just the right price.  Nothing ratty for her, no no.  Vintage clothing is her passion. The 1930’s & 40’s  particularly were  great eras for women’s clothing.

Boots are extremely important also.  Good quality name brand used boots in grand condition with their soft supple leather.  Boots, ah boots,  that were originally more than $100.00 easy some years back.  Boots that will never go out of style.  Now those are a find.

Leather Vests and Long Mohair City Coats are on her mind as she searches and picks through item after item, aisle after aisle.   That perfect something is there somewhere, hiding out, waiting for greedy fingers to come upon it.

There are necklaces, bracelets, old rings and costume jewelry galore.  She picks and sorts with a keen eye, then spots a nice string of pearls and sets them aside for purchase.

Ribbons, old lace hankies and doilies are plowed through, ah ha!  She snatches up some beautiful pale lavender evening gloves, vintage  for sure.   Silk ribbons that once adorned some little girl’s pig tails are also gleaned, along with a little velvet clutch.

She gathers her treasures and takes them up to the counter and greets the girl whom she has come to know through her many trips to this particular store.  “How are you today Gracie?” she asks, and they engage in some small talk.

On the way home, she grabs a sandwich and coffee and can hardly wait to spread out her finds and look them over, ahhhh,  not bad for a day’s work.

She cleans, irons and polishes all, then tries on the evening gloves with a rhinestone bracelet admiring herself in the mirror.

Her visions are of a young woman wearing a lovely evening gown with the gloves making a grand entrance into a nightclub of days gone by.  She imagines the woman and a handsome gentleman waltzing and fox trotting to the sounds of the band.

The music ends and she is in the present again surrounded by her wares.  She lets out a contented sigh, applies her price stickers and puts everything away.

Tomorrow she will take all down to her shop and arrange the beautiful evening gloves and lace hankies along with the clutch and jewelry on top of an antique dresser whose open drawers spill forth more lacy garments of  other times.

The Queen of the Thrift Store dresses for bed in a long silk nightie and climbs into her soft, high four poster bed.  She snuggles down under her coverlets and lets out another sigh dreaming of  plumed hats, diamond rings and shoes from the 40’s.

More important, she dreams of the handsome gentleman with his coat of tails and the lovely young woman dancing and spinning, waltzing around the room and out to the balcony.

The gentleman lowers his head and draws the young woman closer for a lovely long kiss as the music from the band fades softly into the background  ……………………