Thrifting in Oregon

Over the Summer I was able to take a trip with my family to Oregon. As I love visiting thrift stores here in California I hoped to find a few stores on the trip. I was lucky to visit a few and scoop up some great finds!

I love vintage brooches and found both of these in Redmond, OR. They have a Goodwill and also some great antique shops. I loved a shop there called “Beyond the Ranch” which I will cover in another post because I took a ton of pictures while I shopped.

I also purchased my first pose doll in the Redmond Goodwill. I loved her Mrs. Claus outfit!

This Disneyland tin also came from GW in Redmond. I’m always happy to find old Disney merch while thrifting; I love this design with characters at park attractions.

This tourist cream and sugar souvenir set from Canada is kitschtastic and I hope to include it in an upcoming project!

While in Salem we came across a Value Village (like Savers) but it was about to close. I just walked through the housewares and sewing/craft section and found a couple of bags of vintage patterns! I love the vintage graphics and once I strengthen my sewing skills hopefully I can put these patterns to use.

I came across some brass figures and candlesticks from two shops– a GW in Tillamook and another in Redmond. I’m not a big candle person but I love the pineapple detailing. There were a ton of brass animals at one of the Goodwill’s but I decided to stick with the deer. Like any shopping trip while traveling, I had to be mindful of space.

While in Portland my mom and I made a stop at Monticello Antiques and I found this killer lime basket purse. It was a fun shop– I also picked up some vintage postcards, a mixed vintage fabric bag, and the palm tree tie in the picture above.

Thrifting in another state was a lot of fun! While I was traveling with non-thrifters I tried to be mindful of my time and didn’t stay in any store too long. I focused on the housewares section and avoided clothing because I didn’t know what access I’d have to a washing machine.

**TIP: Before traveling, search for antique stores or antique malls (or flea markets or whatever you’re looking for) on Yelp and Instagram. I wrote a few addresses down ahead of time for cities I’d be visiting. If you have some unexpected free time in a town, just search on Google Maps under “thrift” or “antique.” That’s how I found the majority of the shops. Luck also had me passing by a few while on the road.

A few of my fave antique (non-thrift) shops:
– The Mercantile in Springfield, OR
– Monticello Antique Market in Portland, OR
– Antiques and Art on Main in Pendleton, OR
– Farmers Co-op in Redmond, OR
– Beyond the Ranch in Redmond, OR

Retro Building Revamp on Whittier Blvd.

In 2015, Friendly Hills Bowl on Whittier Blvd. closed its doors. It had been a staple in Whittier for many years and I was concerned about losing the awesome “Googie” architecture on the famous street. Last Fall, Aldi supermarket and BevMo opened their doors on the property and I was happy to see they worked in some of the vintage elements from the original property.

This sign once read “BOWL” with purple diamonds. I was so excited to see that they reworked the signage.

You can see the stone wall and strong lines on the roof– these were all from the bowling alley.

I shot these in October when BevMo had just opened and Aldi was nearly open. You can see the “Friendly Hills” sign which is original design but with updated color. The diamonds below used to read “bowl”– I love that signage from the bowling alley was still able to be used.

LOVE IT!

This image is from the Whittier Daily News site and you can see the original “bowl” signage before it was redone. The link to the story is here.

Vintage Ephemera Friday #007

Ephemera is defined as something that is not meant to last long– often paper goods. I find myself picking up matchbook covers, postcards, and old magazines at estate sales, flea markets, etc. I know that there are plenty others who dig this stuff too so I’ve decided to post a new piece every Friday as a series, “Vintage Ephemera Friday,” or #VEF on IG.

I encourage anyone else who reads this to also post cool old ephemeral goods (old papers, pins, magnets, pretty much all advertisement goods, whatever you like!) and post it with both “#VintageEphemeraFriday” and “#VEF” tags so in the future others can search through the collective finds.

I’ve always loved postcards and I used to have a goal of finding “Greetings From…” themed cards from each state. Due to their popularity, I’ve only come across 2 out in the wild (by wild I mean not searching for them to buy online). This Alaskan card is one of them. I love how each letter has a scene special from the state.

It wasn’t used through the mail, but you can see the stamp space says it is a one cent stamp. With Alaska joining the union in 1959, I am a little confused on the timeline. I don’t know how many visitors were there before it became a state that would send out postcards. You will note that the card calls it a territory so it’s definitely pre-1959.

Please feel free to join in and post your vintage ephemera finds here or on IG on Fridays! #vintageephemerafriday #vef

A Trip to the Long Beach Antique Market

I recently visited the LB flea market at Veteran’s Stadium in Long Beach. It is a great monthly market that is open air near Long Beach City College. It is like the famous Rose Bowl flea, but I like the ease of this market better. The parking is free, there are only 2 price times (early bird is $12 and after 6:30 am is $6), and it isn’t as overwhelming as the Rose Bowl. I went to RB once a couple years ago and I felt like I could never see it all and the parking was very crowded. With Long Beach, it is much more relaxed but not a tiny show. There are rows and rows, but it’s still comfortably walked through in one visit.
It’s a great choice to browse for vintage treasures; I never walk out empty-handed! The event is usually on the third Sunday of the month, but sometimes they add extra shows. I visited this time during their special Memorial Day show. Check their official site for schedule and details.

Unless you are a reseller or looking for a specific item, you probably don’t need early bird entrance. There will still be plenty of goodies when you get in! There’s also plenty of parking with signs all over when you get close to the school.

This was my favorite booth by far this trip– piles and piles of vintage linens! I spent a little time digging and scored one of my fave vintage finds EVER.

Is this the coolest stroller ever? It’s like the vintage Cadillac of strollers. I wonder who bought it?

I really dig these shelves but have no place for them… the little kewpie on the ground makes me sad, though!

My number one tip would be to bring cash, especially small bills. If you have exact change, there is a shortcut line at the entrances. Sellers also appreciate smaller bills so they don’t lose their change throughout the day. Also a little haggling is expected, but be nice!

I picked up a few treasures during this shopping trip and I will make a thrift post next week! If you have any questions please let me know if I can help. Also, if you have any flea market recommendations, please let me know I love a good vintage treasure hunt!