Thrift Stores

As far as thrift stores go, I don’t know when I embraced that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure beyond looking for that Ugly Christmas sweater, but I must admit that I have arrived.  Yes, I have arrived and sought the treasures in the land to build my Christmas castle kingdom! Some people go to Neiman Marcus. I have been, and I do love it; all the free perfume sprays and glam; it reminds me of a princess diary movie, a fairy tale Christmas. My reality is a realistic tale of Christmas driving all over Galveston & parts of Houston to seek treasure in various resale shops to buy my new casa’s most colorful, vintage, and theme-based décor. I want my home to have elegant corners, shelves, walls, trees, and Christmas, but I’m on a Little Rascals budget. This tight belt comes as we are spending needed funds to renovate. I haven’t minded the frugalness. I immensely enjoy it, and it has granted me much creativity. So here are my yuletide shopping adventures. Maybe, just maybe, if you are in my neck of the woods, you can check these out as well!

People seem to enjoy this kind of shopping. But back in the days 3, 5, and even ten years ago, it was primarily barren of customers; at least, that’s been my observation. I struggled to figure out where to park this season in most places! It’s crowded inside these troves; maybe it’s the rising cost of things and services, which probably has something to do with it, or people like adventure or challenge like me!

However, I had so much success finding some epic Christmas décor that I compiled a list to share my experience of some of the best places I shopped. However, first, I want to share some background on where this mindset must have come from.

Well, here you have it; it must run in the family. I remember my grandmother attending every Garage Sale in Texas City. She would grab her black, overly stuffed billfold each Saturday morning, stuffed with coins, bills, coupons & her checkbook. I recall her giving my cousin and me .25 cents and saying we could buy something. I never really paid attention to what she was getting, but I knew she was always in a hurry. “Hurry up, Sammy, let’s go,” even though he was already waiting in the car for her. Us kids would open that big, heavy yellow car door and jump in, and my Paw Paw would put on his blinker, clear his throat, and wait for her instructions to the next one. She’d have the sales circled in red in the paper. She was the one who met the homeowner when the sun came up; the early bird gets the worm. She had to hurry because she had to beat the donut man. She would make sure my cousin and I had the 1^st batch, fresh hot off the however you make them, chocolate donut holes from Shipley’s Donuts. After we got our little sack, she would have her chauffeur, my Paw Paw, drive her to any other sales on the tail end of her desires, and then we’d head back to her house and drop off the lot.

Not long after that era, I discovered my mother going to Goodwill. I don’t know what she ever bought there, but I never wanted to go with her for some reason. But like her mother, my mom is always in a hurry.

Not until later in life, not sure what got me to Goodwill, but I went a couple of times then saw it wasn’t too bad and then ventured onto thrift stores here and there and resale shops and antique shops and consignment shops and realized they are all the same concept, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! Well somewhat.

Because I know that my mother is the queen of resale and goodwill, she can be a consultant. She knows when to go when the discounts are available, and what the color code means. She knows when they stock, and it’s wild, hilarious even.

Before I headed out, I called my mom to ask if she had ever been to some places I was about to go to. She replied that she rarely goes off the island (even though it’s just a hop, skip & a jump), but she had been to a couple of the places and gave her thumbs up; I told her I would discover the rest and give her feedback, well mom, here you go!

I called before I made each trip; I hadn’t time to waste in the hustle & bustle of the season.  Some places on Google had photos, reviews, and a brief description. But I wanted to ensure they were open and asked, “Do you guys have Holiday items for sale?”. I loved listening to each person’s response as the answer was “Ah well, somewhat” or “We have a great selection of beautiful Christmas décor.” So here is my review.

 Santa Fe, Texas, The Missing Piece Vintage & Resale. It’s a tiny little blue shop from 1764. They told me that it’s been everything except for a church and a bar. There are two small rooms in the front room with some things on the outside. I saw glassware, dishes, some clothing, shoes, and toys. I picked up a vintage Rudolph, the red nose, reindeer (rare find and vintage from the 70s and in great shape, only $5.00) and some gold decor pieces for my formal dining room dinner table, a gold Santa head that looks like a vintage ornament and mini gold sleigh. You can follow them on Facebook. They post new inventory in the weekly sales. Two ladies work there. They were kind and offered help, made suggestions, and were personable. I was in and out in about 10 minutes because it was so small. They had a television showing of I Dream of Jeanie and some added nostalgia. It was a great touch!

The only thing I did not like was that the store smelled like cigarettes, and I felt like I had a cigarette smell on me. I am a sensitive smeller and a nonsmoker; that was the downfall, so I was glad the place was small and had things almost color-coded. I went for the gold section, nailed it, and found Rudolph. It was a sweet deal!

Good Old Memories Resale, Dickinson, Texas. I purchased a brass mini angel candle set; it goes perfectly in my angel & gold room. This large store was spotless and even had a customer-friendly restroom. The items were eclectic: home decor, furniture pieces, collectibles, trinkets, bowls, and brass; everything was pricey, giving me what seemed like department store prices. Overall, this is more of an antique store; again, it is beautiful and a large variety. Good for me, everything was 10% off, so I got a little discount on my little brassy set, and my total was $9.75. I did want to buy some little stuffed vintage animals for my ladder under my tree, but I was not willing to spend over a few bucks on old stuffed animals.

Saint Christophers, League City, TX. This one works off donations, and I believe it is tied to a church. It’s super cute and quaint. The storefront looks like a decorated little Christmas village. Everything here is well-kept, organized, colorful, coordinated, and clean. They have a variety of clothes, collectibles, ornaments, and some kitchen items, as well as lots of games and children’s items. The staff are all volunteers. They are very friendly, accommodating, and personable. I enjoyed the experience and look forward to going back.  

Friendswood, TX Hope Village Resale Shop. At first glance, I was not pleased as everything was in a small room, had no air circulation, had a low ceiling, had too many clothing items for the space, and was not well organized. Then I entered an opening where I saw a shelf with some holiday items, books, knick-knacks, and things you use that require plugs. I was about to leave the store when I heard Christmas music; I followed it. Lo & behold, it was its little holiday village with decorated tables and shelves full of holiday sales, beautiful dishes, and collectibles for your theme-based rooms. I stayed a bit and purchased a set of beautifully hand-painted dishes. They wrapped each piece in paper and placed it in a box for me. I’m glad I stayed; that area was huge, with loads of elbow room, and the music was such a great touch!

I did go to another resale/thrift store in Friendswood, TX; however, it is not worth mentioning here. There was nothing to see, folks, and I left as soon as possible.

Webster, TX Interfaith Caring Ministering (ICM) Resale Shop. Hey, I like this place. It’s been fun shopping in this store. It’s big, has a lot to see, a large variety, and even some high-end items. I noticed some items were vintage loads of holiday items, and they even had several trees for sale. I bought some collectible plates for a table setting and a few décor items that went with my Angel & gold theme room. The only thing I didn’t like was the service. The ladies at the register seemed to have zero tolerance for questions, didn’t smile much, and rang you up in a hurry. Most of this store smelled okay, some parts were older, and some items they needed to donate themselves, but all in all, I did like this store.

RCC in League City. It is a small store with hard-to-find parking and small aisles in the front, and the store smells unpleasant. It seemed like they had some interesting items in the back of the store, but I was there to shop for the holiday, so I stayed focused in the front, where they had holiday items for sale. I was perplexed at the pricey-tagged items; I did some quick checks and found the cost was the same here as the actual store, which was weird. I kept on strolling. I did not like that you had to walk around with the little grocery hand-held basket down the tiny aisle space, but you needed to, as they won’t allow you to place items on the counter. The store doesn’t have great lighting; you need to move stuff around to see what you are looking at, as it is designed with clothes on a body level and décor above it.

I did find one item I liked that was priced exceptionally well, only $15, so I am glad I went. The guy helped me carry it to my car, which was heavy. I bought a large handmade out of a wooden post for a fence that was created into a Frosty Snowman, standing about three ft. tall, all painted with the nose scarf, buttons, and top hat. When I saw Frosty, I knew where he belonged. He was perfectly placed on my front porch, surrounded with poinsettias. That is precisely what I did; on my way home, I stopped at the Houston Garden Center and purchased eight plants, which turned out beautifully in a pinch! So now we will keep a Snowman theme and build on that for our front yard. Our Christmas lights are white, so it all matches!

My favorite, and I cannot wait to return, is in Webster, TX, off Nasa Parkway, Hidden Treasures. It is Neiman Marcus of resale. I found most of my items here. This store is perfect. The holiday décor was color-matched in sections and theme-matched, and the trees were fabulously decorated. The items in the store are unique and rare and very well-priced for the high-end resale market. They have dishes, dining sets, all types of furniture, and all the bells to go with the sets; they even have a clearance section. I love how the designer couples everything. This place sells ladies’ bags and jewelry, and the whole store smells excellent, with a large area to place items while you shop. They have well-kept restrooms; wrap your items in quality paper so they won’t break. I purchased several items here for my dining areas and accent table décor. The staff is super friendly and caring and very personable. It is out of my way, but it was worth the trip!

I had great fun driving from one shop to the next, listening to Christmas music, and keeping the Christmas spirit. However, I had the most fun putting it all together at home. My home isn’t finished being renovated yet; I still have some shopping to do when finished. But I assure you I will aim to save and seek those unique finds when it’s time.

For those who thrift shop or are considering it, I hope my review has helped you some. If you have shopped in these places, let me know if you had a similar or different experience. I’d love to hear from a fellow thrifter, saver, and reseller. The more I know, the more I can tell my mom!