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Good Thrift Hunting

May 7, 2013

: East Greenwich RI, Main Street

: Worth Repeating

: at the entrance

: modeling the shoe

: full of adventure

: Arlette, Curator and Owner

: dress up

: balloon skirt

: the back room

: modeling a cool hat

: beaded cashmere

: facing Main

: vintage party dress

: glam in the back room

: for evening

: expert in value

I am technically on restriction from all thrift stores since I do not need or want anything. On holiday I do fall off the wagon from time to time, thinking I need a souvenir of the place. Yesterday I discovered a palace of super fly thrift in East Greenwich, RI, where I went to check on my ancestors. On Main Street, right next to the Town Hall, is Worth Repeating Consignment Boutique. I knew right away I had to do it. I had in mind to find something for my neighbor Heidi to give a a gift, but she has very specific fashion needs. I asked Arlette Cornwall, the shop curator and owner if she had any chicken specific gear. It turned out that, tragically, she had just sold a fabulous purse featuring a Rhode Island Red…it would have been the bomb for Heids, because she is so into her chickens. We also checked out a very cool turban hat that Heidi might have worn, but it was very small and I have no idea about my neighbor’s head size. Having exhausted the gift search I knew from the feel of the place that I had to succumb to the call of the vintage. I have only bought one thrift item in the entire two weeks I have been on the Rhode Island rode. I did score a fun lightweight silk skirt and then hightailed it before I went any deeper. If you are not on restriction from thrift shopping I highly recommend a visit to Worth Repeating. If you are, well the, like me, you probably need to cheat once in a while in a very worthwhile, and perhaps historical setting. Arlette is there to make your shopping fun complete. She knows her stuff and prices things in a very attractive way. I left town without the graveyard visit to my dead peeps, so I can almost feel myself being drawn back for another visit. Arlette is a siren..be careful…she can read your mind.

New York Revisited

September 25, 2012 — 4 Comments

I had not been to New York City since June of 2001. The World Trade Center was there last time I looked. A recent visit for a fast paced weekend reminded me why I love the city. I like the way NewYorkers talk, dress, act, and the way they interact. For one afternoon I attended a conference for bloggers which I enjoyed immensely. I met in person some people I have known digitally for a long time, and others I had just recently followed. The Triberr conference made the trip worth the effort, but the city itself provided the perfect place to be.

I stayed in Chelsea at a very well priced and, for me, well positioned small hotel called the Chelsea Inn. It was Euro stye with breakfast vouchers for the Belgian cafe next door. I was happy with my giant room on the ground floor with antique fixtures and furniture. It was comfortable, secure, and clean. The staff made me feel very welcome. I did share a wall and the street noise with Manhattan’s busiest nightclub, The Splash. For me, this was not a problem. Not everyone is prepared to deal with that level of noise, but I was just reminded that I was not in Tucson any more. The up sides of the area far outweighed the issue of the pulsing beat all night.

My spacious room at the Inn

I thrift shop for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the chance to find some vintage items in good condition. I sew and know fabric, so I usually feel self assured about my talent and skill as a savvy thrift shopper. In New York City, however, the thrifters have a bigger, better market from which to choose. They may even have jobs in the fashion industry. I noticed right off the bat that the company of shoppers was very advanced in discernment. The prices were so low and the quality so high that I wanted the entire inventory at the Angel Street Shop. I was over my head here, and had no room in my carry on baggage to take much back home with me. I had to leave empty in order to return later with more composure.

I dined, shopped, walked and gawked at the architectural detail in Chelsea, which is forever to be my new New York ‘hood. I have determined, after a really excellent shopping spree with my friend Margaret, that it can be totally worth the effort and the airfare to fly here and do all of one’s shopping. I did not even take in the two very local museums, Rubin and Jewish History, just blocks from my new hotel home. The value and the entertainment never stop in New York. I will not wait so long to return.