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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Thrift Shops
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A lot of Calgary thrift shops, I've noticed, have gotten expensive in the 2 years I've been gone. Ridiculously so. It's a curious inversion - when the economy is doing well, the superabundance of cheap superfluous consumer goods makes it's way to the thrift shop to be cheapened even further. In times that are a bit leaner - like now for instance, things are marked up - fewer donations and more customers mean they can charge more.
Still, sometimes they get it wrong. Way wrong. When first I got here I spotted a handsome, modern, well made teak table. The price? $1800.00 Maybe not bad for what it is, I'm sure it cost more at the shop it came from, but - really? WTF? $1800?
And I needed a table, several actually, but I made do with cheaper garbage. In the months since they've acquired a few new tables - identical, a high end furniture place must have went out of business...
This is the last update I spotted on the price - and it's still for sale:
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Thrift Shops
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After a year in the Valley, perusing the same-old-same-old thrift shops, finally, Calgary.
It's an El Dorado. Unbelievable. I feel like a Somalian Child brought to the biggest all-you-can eat buffet ever.
There's nothing I need, and so all this looking, it's a bit for Batshit, he needs some housewarming supplies, but I fall into the same old habits of looking at everything - and there's a lot to look at, antiques, collectibles, housewares, jewelry, clothes, furniture, and seriously at a fraction of what you'd pay in Nelson. The one big drawback Nelson has is there are no reasonably priced thrift shops - Share excepted (reasonable priced, but seldom any bargains...). Calgary, well, it's got it all.
Some finds I left behind:
An antique oak table converted into a coffee table. Cool.
Antique flapper doll...Kewpie?
More on the antique creepy doll theme, I hate leaving a creepy doll behind but these are silent auction and there's no telling how high the bidding will go. And I won't have time to come back and pick them up (and stick them in my locker, jeez!!!)
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Thrift Shops
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In one of those curious perversions of Capitalism, Nelson Thrift shops are ridiculously expensive. Think "High End" Consignment Shops in Calgary. Garage Sales, by comparison, are startlingly cheap - finds I missed this weekend (not missed, wisely decided against) included a Sailboard, with Sail, in good working order, with another complete Sailboard thrown in for parts, $50.00 OBO. A Paddle board, near new, $120.00. And countless other treasures - the fun thing about Nelson Garage Sales is you can still find treasures even if you're late, or the next day.
Calgary, on the other hand - has reasonably cheap thrift shops, where money is abundant people don't like to buy used and so the prices are kept low. Nelson, by contrast, people generally don't have as much money, so thrift shops tend to be a lot more trafficked, driving up prices.
...There might be an opportunity here...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Thrift Shops
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And the weekly routine of searching for furniture has turned up some serendipitous finds....a fine pair of antique candlesticks, and a vintage weight. Just what I was looking for (or not...)
It's not the jellyfish I was so hoping for, but it'll do...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Thrift Shops
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The Education Funding Thrift store closed it's doors on Monday, June 29. No reasons given, no forwarding address. They were the store on 37 ST SW, North of 17 ave, beside the 7/11, (formerly in Bowness), their storefront was forever cluttered with donations, bicycles, used and decrepit furniture for which they wanted an arm and a leg for. Negligible rent, free stock and minimum wages weren't enough to keep this enterprise going. Their hours were erratic, prices high, on their closing day (open until midnight with "Fill a bag for $10.00 specials") they were still clinging to the belief that their rubbish was sold too cheap, they weren't selling any of the collectables as these were to go off for "appraisal".