“One of the advantages of being disorganized

 is that one is always having surprising discoveries.” 

― A.A. Milne

And thus is the case in all of my favorite thrift shops. They are seemingly chaos through which one needs to sift through to discover gems. Unlike neatly manicured department stores there are no duplicate items in thrift shops. You can't walk in and ask to find a specific brand of electronic or clothing. It just doesn't work this way.

Instead whats left is to pan the aisles and keep a sharp eye. Most of the time items are categorized under broad titles. There is a section of women's clothing divided into sub categories of shirts, jeans, dresses, outerwear, etc. Thrift stores often group clothing by color and not by sizes. It is more labor intensive then to find clothing your size but it after years of thrift shopping I can often see if something fits just by looking at it because of this. It's made me recognize and become more aware of my body shape.

My advice is to not focus on looking for clothing in your size but only pulling out clothing that attracts your attention. As in finding a fabric that appeals to you or a certain cut and only checking the sizes on items you like otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy because you'll see how many things don't fit you.

Thrift shops aren't just for clothing though. Some of my most surprising discoveries have been vintage items. Above is a 60's Remington Streamliner manual typewriter. It is fully functional and in excellent condition for it's age. It was complete with its case for easy transportation and it's an adorable mint color. I found this at a local thrift for $9.99.