Boot Hill Cow Pet

No one really seemed to take notice of my odd little hint the other day, which means that either I was too obvious and you saw through my not-so-clever ruse or I mystified you all.  Either way, this is the special junking place I got to visit the other day:

I told you it only kind of rhymed.  Boot Hill Cow Pet.  Goodwill Outlet.  Get it?  Huh? Huh? Get it?  Oh well.  Enough of that.

This particular outlet is in Nashville.  (What was I doing in Nashville?  Well, that's another post yet to come!)  If you are unclear about the concept of a Goodwill Outlet, here's some helpful information.

Unopened 90's X-men Valentines

This was the third GW Outlet I have visited, but I consider it to be my first "real" GWO experience.  I went to one in Gary, Indiana right after we got married, but everything was priced by the item (extremely reduced), not the pound, and the only brought out one new bin the whole time I was there.  I got some good stuff, for very little money, but the whole experience was kind of lame.

I also went to one in San Francisco.  This one was small and cramped, but stuff was sold by the pound.  It was a higher per pound price ($1.49) than others I have heard of, but I still came out well.  I went twice, on two consecutive days, and was a bit disappointed to find on the second day that no new bins had been brought out.

The store in Nashville had the whole Outlet thing going on.  Most stuff was .79 a pound, except for shoes, which were $1.39.  Luggage, furniture, and books were priced per item, although there were a few of each that would come out in the other bins.

I've scattered pics of a few of the things I found through out this post.  Everything was bought at the per pound price.  I have to say that this was one of the wildest junking experiences I have ever had.  The people-watching was as fun as the junking, and that was awesome.

Complete Bible on cassette

Let's talk about the drill first, then I'll share some thoughts and observations.  They wouldn't let people take pictures inside, for some reason.

Basically, you're in a large warehouse-like room that's filled with large blue bins on wheels.  There's a yellow line taped on the floor around every bin.  There are separate bins for clothes, shoes, books, luggage, and everything else.  A few bits of furniture line the walls.  Groups of people are rummaging through the bins and tossing stuff into their carts.

Vintage Briefcase

Every so often, someone comes out of the back and starts wheeling a few of the bins away.  After a while, the bins return, filled with new items.  Everyone lines up, careful to stay on the outside of the yellow lines, and waits for the okay to dig in.  While they wait, they crane and stretch to try and see what might be in the bins.  Touching anything is forbidden.  Getting too close is forbidden.  Staff people stand by the bins and play hall monitor to this group of adult kindergartners, making them back up and keep their toes outside the lines.  The adult pre-schoolers, in the meantime, are literally (and I am using that word correctly here) bouncing up and down in anticipation.  It's truly a sight to see.

Big Raggedy Ann!

Once the staff are satisfied that everyone is suitably outside the lines, they give the okay and everyone dives in!  Then it's all stretching and reaching and elbows and, in a couple of cases who really needed larger pants, butt-cracks all over the place as everyone tries to out-dig and out-grab everyone else.  Eventually, they start fading away, hopefully with a few more items in their carts.

When you are satisfied that you have enough, you head to the check out.  If you have a few items, then you put them on a scale on the counter. If you have a cartload, you wheel it on a large scale set in the floor.  I got quite a kick out of that, let me tell you!  I made two trips through, filling up a cart each time.  I'll talk about my strategies in a minute, but first some overall reflections.

File Boxes and NIP Puzzles

First off, it was way more fun than I had anticipated.  I knew I would have a good time, but I also knew that there would be obnoxious people reaching and grabbing and generally spoiling the fun for everyone else.  I'm not a grabber or an elbow-thrower.  I tend to adopt the philosophy that it's all just stuff.  There will always be more stuff.  There will always be more chances to get stuff.  My reason for existing will never, ever include having to make a jerk out of myself to be the first person to get stuff.  Ain't gonna do it.

Frame and Lego Case

Instead, I didn't see any of that going on.  People seemed to be very respectful of each other and their hunting.  People were even leaving their carts stashed in corners and adding stuff as they went, and no one else was bothering them.  I had not expected this, as I had read that you needed to keep an eye on your cart, lest anyone rummage through it.  In fact, I think I irritated a couple of folks hauling my overstuffed cart around.  I did end up in one situation where another guy and I reached for something at the same time.  He was just going to move it aside, so it was no biggie. 

I wanna play!

Originally, I planned on avoiding the new bins while everyone else was diving in.  I quickly found that I could do pretty well for myself going through the more picked over carts.  Most of the items in this post came from bins that everyone else had finished with.  However, once I saw someone pull a vintage trike out of one of the newer bins, I decided that I had to try it at least once.  It was a trip, let me tell you, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting.   

Ice skates!

I wish I was a sociologist, so that I could do an observational study of a GWO.  There were mothers there looking to get nice clothes for their kids, but not spend a lot of money.  There were obvious resellers.  The eBay folks were being very picky and focused, while the flea market folks were a little more eclectic.  I saw people buying cartloads of shoes, video tapes, and super nice clothes.  When we pulled up, there was a guy unloading three or four carts of all kinds of junk into his pick up.  Some of the best vintage stuff I saw was in the cart of one lady who looked to be about 75.  There was also a younger girl there going for selective vintage items.  I think she was more a vintage fan, than anything else.  Of course, there were also three or four hoarders as well.  They were the ones most likely to be vocally irritated at other people for getting things they wanted.

Shutters

One of the things I learned was that there are many ways to go about shopping in such a place, but it is important to have a system.  People were repacking their carts and sorting their purchases, neatly folding the clothes and stacking the other items.  This enabled them to keep track of things and also fit more in their carts.  Others brought lightweight reusable shopping bags and used those in their carts to organize their items.  Some folks come for the day, staying from open to close, often coming every day.  They hang out during the time after the bins have been picked and the arrival of new bins.  They chat, text, read.  There's a kind of little society going on in this warehouse.

Sweet Train Case!

My own strategy was just to cut loose and have fun.  If I wanted it, I grabbed it.  I did sort through my stuff, but I tried not to think about it all too much.  I just wanted to enjoy the experience.  If I were to do it again, I would spend more time thinking about weights and such in order to maximize my profit. 

Even without putting a lot of thought into it, I still did pretty well.  Once I got everything packed into boxes, I found that I had spent about as much per box as I would have at a typical (very good) church sale, but I had a lot more to show for it.  By contrast, I went into the regular Goodwill store right by the Outlet, spent about half what I paid for one cart, and got less than a third of the amount of stuff.  Regardless of how you do it, GWO shopping is a bargain!

Bizarre Burlap Snake Thing

You do have to check everything carefully.  It's all been transported from stores all over the place and then dumped into these bins, where it's roughly rummaged through.  The potential for damage is high.  Also missing bits and pieces, but if you search the other bins in the store, you might just find those pieces.

Sadly, there is not Outlet in Kentucky.  We're one of the few states that does not have one.  What's up with that?  I keep hearing rumors that we're going to get one in Louisville, but nothing so far.  Bummer.

This is not something I could do every day, much less all day.  The potential for burn out is too high for me.  I could see dropping in once a month or so during the warm months, maybe more when it's cooler and there are no yard sales.

MAVIS!

You can kind of get an idea of what I found from the pics in this post. This isn't everything, of course, but a good sample of the best items.  One thing I didn't get a pic of was a rotary dial phone.  It's tan, rather than red or black though.

One last find I wanted to highlight is Mavis, who is going to become a yard sale companion this summer.  She's sturdy and hefty, perfect for both hauling around neighborhood yard sales and junk set out times!

HISSSSSSS!

SURPRISE!

Sometimes, you get more than you thought you were getting.

Friday, I had a doctor's appointment downtown, so I stopped in at the thrift that is just down the street from his office.  I didn't find too much there, but there was this.

It's a vintage sick call cross.  These used to be fairly common in Catholic homes.  The top crucifix comes off and there are things inside that a priest would use if he had to make a call to anoint a sick family member.  They do still exist, but are not as common as they used to be.

Typically, when you find one, it's empty.  The kit is supposed to contain a bottle for Holy Water, a small cloth, and two candles.  Over the years, those things can get used up or lost.  This one was a good price for an empty kit and a really good price for one that still had the contents, so I picked it up. 

I come across these regularly, even though it's been a while since I had found one.   They are typically not something I keep, unless I find a really ornate or really old one, but they sell well at the booth.  It doesn't matter if they are empty or full.

I tried to get the top off in the store, but it was stuck.  The wood can swell over the years and make opening the kit difficult.  Rather than risk damaging the cross or spilling the contents, I decided to buy it and work on it later.  A little shake confirmed that there was stuff inside, which was enough for me to know at that moment.

A little later, I sat down and worked the top off and found a huge surprise!

SCORE!!!!!!

A REALLY HUGE SURPRISE!

Woo to the Hoo!!!!!

I guess that someone was using the cross to hold some of their most cherished religious keepsakes.  Maybe they had belonged to a beloved relative, and someone had wanted to keep them together.  I am thinking that whoever donated the kit had not opened it to see what was inside.  I'm pretty sure the thrift store staff didn't open it either, or they would have removed all this stuff to the jewelry case and priced it separately.

The little Holy Water bottle was probably part of the original kit.  I'll be taking it and the brown scapular to the booth.  I already have a ton of scapulars and a couple of Holy Water bottles that have labels on them.

Wazzat?

 These two intriguing little bits are my favorite pieces in the lot.

Oooooooo!

Pocket Saints!  The little containers protect the figures from damage, although you can see that the Sacred Heart of Jesus has experienced some wear over the years. 

I'm totally bowled over by these little figures!  I love that they have an almost primitive look to them.  They kind of remind me of santos figures, especially Jesus.  They have that same handcrafted look.  These babies are keepers for sure!

Two first communion pins and a St Benedict medal.  The pins are keepers.  I have a larger and older St Benedict medal, so it's going to the booth.  I'll make up a small set of medals and put them in a jar or little box to sell. 

Saint Benedict medals are used to foil curses that may have been placed upon you by the devil or other people, by the way.  If you experience some kind of mechanical issue that does not seem normal to you, attach a St Benedict medal to whatever is not working right and it is supposed to start cooperating.

This is the back of the older communion pin.  It would have been a cherished memento. 

Cute little cross pin.  I love the detailed flowers.  This one is kind of generic, so it's going to the booth.

Saint Dominic Savio pin.  Another keeper.  I love it when I find items related to saints not already represented in my collection.  The popularity of some saints waxes and wanes over the years, like Dominic here, who was more revered in the early part of the last century.  It's always fun to find "by gone" devotional items like this.

Dominic Savio is one of the youngest saints ever canonized.  He was 14 when he died.  Considered the patron saint of Catholic youth (especially boys), the club would have been a gathering of youth who attempted to follow his example.

The Saint Pius X medal is a keeper.  The other thing is called a four way medal.  It combines several religious medals into one to save space in your pocket and reduce jangling, I guess.  It's also a more bang for your buck thing.  It's going to the booth. 

I'm totally tickled that the Pius medal refers to him as "Pius The X" instead of just "Pius X" which is more standard.  I have never seen that before.  Little unique bits like that make something a definite keeper in my book.

On the back of the Pius medal is the motto of his pontificate.

Pius X was Pope in the early part of the 1900's.  He was a staunch conservative and determined above all to keep the church from moving with the times.  He even instituted a spy corps to check up on priests and theologians to prevent them from teaching new ideas.  He also wrote an oath that newly ordained priests had to sign and swear to follow declaring that they would reject any forms of new thought or belief.  Seminary professors and religion teachers had to sign the oath at the start of every school year.   

In other words, he would not have been the type to invite the current Pope over for tea.  (Although I do think that would have changed if he had only gotten his picture taken in a sombrero.)

He was canonized in the 1950's, becoming the first Pope to be named a saint in about 400 years.  He would be the last Pope canonized until John Paul II and John XXIII were named saints a couple of years ago. They also would not have been invited to tea with Pius.  That's got to be awkward when the Saints go marching in.

The largest group of Catholics fighting to preserve the Latin mass and more traditional ways is named after St Pius X.  They basically still recognize the current Catholic Church and Pope, but they don't like the way anything is done these days.

This was the first large scale keeper religious find I've made in a while, which made it extra fun for me.  Some to sell.  Some to keep.  Awesomeness all the way around!  After about a year of so-so sales, my religious section is finally getting some regular customer love.  It's nice to have some new stock to put in.  I have about a half dozen boxes of religious items on the far side of Mount Sorrow, but the last expedition I sent to find them never came back.

How About a Few Recent Finds?

I haven't shared anything I've picked up in a while, so here are some highlights from a couple of church sales, plus a Goodwill run or two.

The comic shop had a sale the other day.  The comic selection wasn't the hottest, although I did find quite a few things.  Mostly it was the fifty cent graphic novels and sets that made the bulk of my purchases.  I came out way under budget on this trip, which is probably good.  At the last sale, I went over budget, mainly on stuff for me.  There was very little of that this time.

One thing  I did get was DVD's.  I'm pretty well-stocked on movies right now, but they get people into the book booth, so I made some selective choices, namely multi disc packs of older movies:

Stuff still new in the unopened shrinkwrap:

And religious topics:

A most unexpected find was a small graphic novel by one of my favorite singer-songwriters.  You just never know what's out there.

If you don't know Hayes, here's a good example of his work.  The man do have a way with the words.



This one is my favorite.  (Admittedly, a hard pick to make.)







If I don't stop now, The focus of this post is going to change dramatically.  Do a YouTube search for Hayes Carll.  I promise it's worth the time you'll lose.

Now, where was I?  Oh, yes.  The comic shop sale.


Of course, some oddness just for me.  Santa vs Satan?  It's the battle of the anagrams!  I am so there.

I still pick up VHS from time to time as well, as long as I don't pay more than a quarter. Flea markets attract people who, for whatever reason, have not upgraded their media technology.  I have seen customers, particularly older men, with carts full of nothing but VHS tapes.

Since they do take up a lot of room, I don't go searching them out deliberately.  My rules are pretty much the same as for DVD's:  Disney, a few classic films, oddball stuff, and religious topics.

This is actually one that makes me wish I still had a VHS player.

Of course, I got something for myself.

Reusable Marvel super-heroes shopping bag for the win.  I can't wait for the next big flea to break it in!  Woo to the Hoo!

The only thing I really knew about this book was that it was published at $150, but was on sale for $5.  There's got to be some room to do something with that.  It's totally not my thing, but someone else may like it.  It's also signed and has a set of prints included.

Courtesy of the local Goodwill, I found more SUMO BUTT!  Which means I now have three of them.  Which means I am a Sumo Butt collector, I guess.  My mother would be so proud.

Aren't these just the sweetest Kokeshi dolls ever????  I have become quite infatuated with Kokeshi over the past couple of years.  If I had room (those Sumo Butts take up a LOT of space), I would probably be seriously collecting them.  Instead, I am quite content with owning them and admiring them in the booth until someone else comes along who will take them home.  Re-selling:  It's dealing with your hoarding issues by making them someone else's.

IT'S THE RETURN OF THE REALLY BIG BUGS!  (And I love it!)

Finally, this bassinet doesn't have the hood, but I got it for a song, so it doesn't matter.  I thought it would be a cute display piece for teddy bears.  Looks like I was right, although I might switch those out for Disney beanies, since I have a ton of them.

Oops.  One more.  I found this vintage Bakelite View Master at such a good price, I had to check to make sure I hadn't turned into Shara.

The reel that was with it?  Is it some lost, vintage classic? 

Uhm, no.

Monday Rambles

Let me just say right off the top that I am so ready for winter to be over.  So ready.  We haven't had a bad winter at all, mind you.  I'm just tired of the cold and the dreariness.  There are things I want to do outside!  Shoo, winter!

We had another four inches or so of snow yesterday.  Shoo, winter!  It's supposed to start warming up this week, so it won't last long.  I hope.  Shoo, winter!

This is kind of another quickie, mini-ramble.  There's just not much to say right now, for real.  I'm pretty sure that you all honestly don't want to read about me sitting around in my robe, drinking hot chocolate and petting the cat.  Shoo, winter!

Last week was all about getting the big junk from the set out pick to the booth.  This week will be about getting the small stuff over.  I made a super score on some wrestling action figures, so I'll also be getting those ready to go.  And probably bagging some comics.  In my robe.  While drinking hot chocolate.  And petting the cat.  Shoo, winter!

My, what a lot of wrestling action figures!

A competing vendor mall has opened up across the street from the Peddlers Mall.  I might head over there to check it out later in the week.  I've heard it's not very impressive, as it's less than half-rented out and most of the vendors over there have either left our mall or also have booths in our mall.  I have to confess that I do not understand paying to compete against yourself like that.  It's not like two malls that close to each other are going to draw significantly different crowds of shoppers.  In fact, reports have most shoppers leaving there empty-handed and coming over and spending money with us.

Honestly, I'm not worried about competition.  Nobody anywhere does this thing the way I do it, if I can say so myself.  I've never been that impressed with the other malls that the owners of this new one operate.  The staff are unfriendly and none of their stores is ever fully rented it seems.  On the other hand, I have found really good bargains in some of them, so it's worth checking out to see if maybe a new close source for stuff has opened up.  We'll see.

Speaking of booths and such, February is rolling long well.  I had a bit of a glitch last week for a couple of days, but the tax money is now getting to people and they are coming in and filling their carts.  Seriously.  I see more people walking by my space with huge mounds of stuff in their buggies and think:  "Tax refunds."

What's really wild is that there are a bunch of them that have never been in a Peddlers Mall (or a flea market, for that matter) before.  You can tell by listening to the conversations.  They're the ones that are either amazed at how much stuff there is here or they're appalled that so much of it is secondhand.  I really don't know exactly what that last group was expecting when they came in.

As someone who does not sell anything remotely resembling a necessity, I am very grateful for the tax refund folks, since for some of them, this is the only extra money they get all year.  The sales boost is always appreciated.

The real issue sales-wise right now is the weather.  All of my off days have also been snow days.  Shoo, winter!

Tomorrow, it's back to the cancer center.  This is treatment number 16, so I'll be scheduling another scan as well.  Those come every four treatments.  Wednesday will be a day of rest. I keep forgetting to do that, but it makes such a difference when I do it.

If I'm feeling up to it on Thursday, I need to take some stuff from the Hillock to the booth.  I still have a hunk of my religious books in storage, because I didn't have room for them.  I figured out how to rearrange some things at the booth and make more room, so I need to get them.  I have some empty shelves sitting and waiting for them.

Also, I need to take the Valentine's stuff out and replace it with St Pat's and Easter stuff.  I really don't ever sell much for any of those holidays, so I never have much to put out.  I barely sold anything for Valentine's Day this year.  I think I only have about a half-dozen St Patrick's items, but they should go out.

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day full of hearts and flowers and chocolate and whatnot.  We stayed in, and I made dinner for us--the kind of big cooking with side dishes and fresh veggies and chopping and peeling and dessert that we hardly ever do any more.  It was fun.

This is a post "dig in" pic.

Then I realized that kind of cooking makes dishes to be washed.  Lots of them.  And I understood why we don't do that kind of thing very often.  Oh well. 

If you need a little Monday giggle, try this collection of Popes in sombreros.  Fashion-forward Pontiffs for the Win!

All together now:

SHOO, WINTER!

Gather 'round!

 Come join the circle!  I have a tale to tell.  A tale of a wonderful, far away place.  A place called "Arkansas."

This is a land of plentiful thrift shops.  I found four on one street!  Some have familiar names--Goodwill and Salvation Army--but others have different names, like MARVA.  One legendary store is referred to as the SCT (Super Cheap Thrift) by one beloved local.  Alas, I did not get to behold those glories (of the SCT and the beloved local) at this time.  Perhaps on a future trip.

Plentiful treasures are found within these shops! 

Items are priced in cents, instead of the usual dollars.  When there is something priced in dollars, more often than not, it's only one dollar and not several.  What prices!  What treasures!  Things practically fall into your cart and you walk out with bags full of stuff, all for less than five bucks!

There are even stores where things aren't priced, so you don't know what you're in for until you get to the register.  Now, this is not an ideal situation, as you are set up for a nasty surprise,

but in Arkansas, the surprises are always pleasant.  You know you're in good hands when your pile of stuff gets you a "How about three bucks?" from the friendly cashier.

Oh, yeah.  The cashiers are always friendly.

Even the antique malls are havens of affordable delight, which is not something I can always say.  Have you ever seen a booth in an antique mall with a sign that says:  "BARGAIN BOOTH!  Everything a dollar or less?"  I have.

It's in Arkansas.

Arkansas.  Truly a junker's paradise.  You have to experience it for yourself.

If you do go, don't forget to check out my man, Fred.  I always have to go to Fred's when I visit.  Look at all the Christmas clearance I found!

Christmas clearance at Thanksgiving?  That's the wonder of Arkansas! 

Can't wait for my next trip to this wonderland of junk!