tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post51957912461339473..comments2023-10-20T08:27:40.314-04:00Comments on male pattern boldness: New vs. OldPeter Lappinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-44200423596340168522012-06-02T18:30:14.853-04:002012-06-02T18:30:14.853-04:00I cook on a 1953 Chambers Gas Range. My Refrigera...I cook on a 1953 Chambers Gas Range. My Refrigerator is a 1948 Crosley Shelvadore. My Toaster is a 1950 Sunbeam. And my favorite sewing machine is my grandmother's 1938 SINGER 201. I clearly prefer the old. Not only because in my opinion old things are more beautiful and well made, but also because of the nostalgic feelings I get through using the same appliances in the same ways as my mother and grandmother.......Lonnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-72154122999956179602012-05-28T12:27:28.476-04:002012-05-28T12:27:28.476-04:00i've always been a 2nd hand shopper (even love...i've always been a 2nd hand shopper (even loved hand-me-downs as a kid). people used to think i was cheap (might be some truth there) to buy used, but now it seems to be the fashion-c'est la vie. anywho, don't know where you were in nj, but here in monmouth county there's an incredible number of fleas and thrifts (nearly every day of the week), as well as big boxes. lots of estate and barn sales on the weekends too. i love the randomness of the flea market shopping experience and enjoy looking at interesting objects even if i don't wanna buy them. my finds this past weekend included an old wrought iron doll's bed that i will make into an herb planter and a wooden hay cart for $5. ask if you ever want advice on fleas in central jersey.http://www.babettesnjfeast.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-41145581186856454342012-05-26T11:59:21.652-04:002012-05-26T11:59:21.652-04:00I think that's part of it, but I'm not sur...I think that's part of it, but I'm not sure that holds as much today as it did in the past. Even my mother, who grew up during the Great Depression, enjoys thrift stores today, for example. I think it depends on the person. Also, the stigma attached to used things is much less than it was in the past -- maybe due to the popularity of Craigslist and eBay.Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-13659853664948013642012-05-26T11:15:41.156-04:002012-05-26T11:15:41.156-04:00Something that I don't see mentioned:
People w...Something that I don't see mentioned:<br />People who love new and name brands generally grew up in poverty. Food stamps, project housing, welfare- when they grow up and get a job theyare obsessed with new, brand name, and bling. That's where all this materialism is coming from.<br /><br />Tell one of these types that you got something at the thrift store, you will be met with a look of horror and shame.<br /><br />I love both WalMart and the thrift store. You can do creative shopping anywhere. The question is, will you use your own style, or worry about impressing your peers?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-76208895978939555992012-05-09T09:49:49.441-04:002012-05-09T09:49:49.441-04:00So well said! I too prefer buying old over new wh...So well said! I too prefer buying old over new whenever possible. The only time I venture to Target is when I need socks or tank tops or something. And I do admit to sometimes getting carried away in Target :) But generally an estate sale or vintage store or cragislist will find me the perfect item. And I'm lucky to live in a city (Austin TX) where big box stores are generally congregated to the edges of town and there are plenty of mom and pop and secondhand stores to choose from.Betty Crafterhttp://www.bettycrafter.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-7196318123676579072012-05-09T09:47:31.574-04:002012-05-09T09:47:31.574-04:00I don't usually post (love your blog though!) ...I don't usually post (love your blog though!) but this one gave me a chuckle. I'm a 50/50 split on old vs. new. I totally agree that the retail chain stores carry the SAME thing in every state. No individuality at all!! I use these stores for my staple items (toilet paper, dog food, etc.). BUT! Sometimes I can go to their clearance section and find leftovers that I can re-purpose into new or unique items. Spray paint and hot glue are some of my favorite tools after my sewing machine!!<br /><br />I do enjoy second hand stores though. Books and kitchen gadgets are high on my list and I enjoy home goods too. I'm not personally into vintage clothes to wear, but I'm fascinated by their construction and details.Mrs Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03775681174752338068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-6958855140638485442012-05-09T00:32:18.135-04:002012-05-09T00:32:18.135-04:00I love both. I don't buy anything unless I ca...I love both. I don't buy anything unless I can use it and it has to serve the purpose I need it for.<br />I love vintage fabric for display, but not for sewing. Textiles do not last forever. Well, not the ones I use to buy. I prefer todays fabrics.<br /><br />When I look around at old stuff I am drawn to things that where I can feel an energy. I bought a really really old mixing bowl. It is huge. I use it all the time, it is heavy. However, it is chipping and chunks are coming off of it. It is like old pottery.<br />It really is not practical to use anymore, but I just have it on display. For all the reasons mentioned I love old stuff, but I don't really invest too much money into it unless I have a use for it, or on rare occasions I just like the look of it.<br /><br />JosetteAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-10062631645946326232012-05-08T06:42:48.131-04:002012-05-08T06:42:48.131-04:00I love mom & pop stores, thrift stores and boo...I love mom & pop stores, thrift stores and boot sales, and prefer to do my shopping with them. Unfortunately our best fabric store is located within a giant mall. After a visit to them I'm totally exhausted, and say never more. <br />But then reality strikes and I have to bite the apple and get back...Esse Hominemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00183110603951539383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-9240554279328082542012-05-08T05:33:19.011-04:002012-05-08T05:33:19.011-04:00The experience of shopping has changed drastically...The experience of shopping has changed drastically over the last 40 years. I love to shop old because it connects me to the past when our connections to objects were simpler, less extreme, less plentiful, and retailers and manufacturers were less manipulative. <br />Also, if you are older, items from the past connect you to memory, to give you a framework and sense of stability to the drastically changing world.Cynthianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-48186533488108330242012-05-08T03:41:19.769-04:002012-05-08T03:41:19.769-04:00I Lean towards old and second hand for most things...I Lean towards old and second hand for most things, or handmade, and enjoy the convenience of new, especially for house hold items<br />We have a huge ikea wall unit that is for us because we are renting and will easily transfer to another place. We needed a massive amount of storage space and this way we can also add to it or break it into smaller units later. We are decorating it with vintage door knobs and old photos though - so I guess that sums up how I like to combine the two to meet my needs. <br />It's upsetting how people just throw stuff out that other people could use/treasure (how many times have I heard about old patterns getting thrown out?).In The Heydayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06829316779390884087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-71631944967496810612012-05-08T02:15:54.095-04:002012-05-08T02:15:54.095-04:00This pretty much sums up affordable shopping in Au...This pretty much sums up affordable shopping in Australia. (Big cities and small alike). <br /><br />The quality of the thrift store items you can manage to find is atrocious, and usually more expensive than what you'd buy new. And proper 'old' things (read: older than the 80s) are called vintage and marked up 300%.Elizabeth Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01784003485622272389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-72289665958544890372012-05-07T20:40:05.020-04:002012-05-07T20:40:05.020-04:00Cathy NEEDS a wedding dress and also a "going...Cathy NEEDS a wedding dress and also a "going away" ensemble for when she leaves the reception for her honeymoon. But please don't suggest she look to 1984 for her inspiration. Also, probably best to wait until after the baby comes, when she regains her girlish figure. The "going away" outfit ought to be quite fitted - for flirting; after all, the honeymoon starts as soon as you leave the reception.<br /><br />(I prefer the old. I'm tired of every single box store selling the same craptastic plastic items.)Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03156993738995326230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-55573198330365446632012-05-07T20:38:54.654-04:002012-05-07T20:38:54.654-04:00I just got a 1930s vanity FREE from a freecycler a...I just got a 1930s vanity FREE from a freecycler and spent part of yesterday sifting out the good in a pile of dorm room resident cast offs. So I'm going to say old and used are A-OK with me. <br /><br />The last 5 things I bought (for myself) from Target, I ended up taking back when I realized I didn't need it or I could go to the thrift store and get something better, and previously much more expensive, that I would like better.Nettiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10005830016547676928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-38854161722151335662012-05-07T20:32:12.139-04:002012-05-07T20:32:12.139-04:00There are two kinds of people in this world. Those...There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who divide everything into two groups, and those who don't. *grin*SeamsterEast@aol.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-54048567079422537682012-05-07T20:05:15.022-04:002012-05-07T20:05:15.022-04:00I love me some Target - sometimes. Unfortunately, ...I love me some Target - sometimes. Unfortunately, live in an area of NEW, NEW, NEW! and hate it. The more I realize how consumeristic & wasteful we are [as a(n) individual, family, neighborhood, society] the more I dislike it. Kind of like, the less we eat out & more we cook, the less we enjoy eating out.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04320952710902707884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-23350948129786657932012-05-07T19:53:32.121-04:002012-05-07T19:53:32.121-04:00I forgot to answer Peter's final question abou...I forgot to answer Peter's final question about the purpose of the sicky-sweet smell at Bed, Bath and Be Damned -<br /><br />It's to cover the stench of cheaply-made imported merchandise that sucks jobs out of America and is an illusory bargain at best, because most of it is sold as credit-card purchases at 21 percent interest. That REALLY stinks.Sandynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-77535541985576491712012-05-07T19:23:52.319-04:002012-05-07T19:23:52.319-04:00....the flea market....
AS So Car....the flea market....<br /><br />AS So CarAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-51963565386053599762012-05-07T19:22:57.109-04:002012-05-07T19:22:57.109-04:00I agree with Peter's comments about old vs new...I agree with Peter's comments about old vs new. I'm coming north and one of my first stops will be thhe mentions a lot. <br /><br />AS So CarAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-20461184519144161112012-05-07T19:20:37.211-04:002012-05-07T19:20:37.211-04:00I have to say, I am green with envy when I see fle...I have to say, I am green with envy when I see flea market posts in blogland. Everyone is like "Look at this sweet 1930's hoosier I scored for four dollars!" Ugh. In my town, we have two very picked-over thrift stores that smell awful and are full of worn out crap. We tried to buy a used sofa years ago, but everything smelled like pee or dogs. If I found something really fab for a great price, I might be willing to put some work into it, but that is non-existent around here! Anything that is not completely useless is priced prohibitively - I'm not willing to pay $50 for a chipboard bookshelf from 1984, or $800 for someone's 10 year old sectional.<br /><br />Once, I went to find some old, cheap, cut-glass stuff for a party, thinking surely that is the kind of item that ends up in the thrift store, and I was so disappointed. the few pieces they had (that were actually glass and not plastic, hurk) were way over-priced. If I can get a new, un-chipped glass cake stand for 15 bucks, why would I pay $20 for somebody's old one? And yeeaaah, I can get that plastic stuff in a pack of 5 at the dollar store. <br /><br />Once you posted a pic of a sewing machine table, and behind it were a sea of other small wooden tables, waiting for a home. I about fell off my chair. There is nothing like that here. Yard sales consist of a lone stinky plaid sofa, some broken chipboard kids' dressers, and about 500 square feet of old childrens clothing (only worn by 3 or 4 children) laid out on ratty old blankets on the lawn. I. Love. Target.Maurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08842561589741133873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-14179163405760420242012-05-07T19:20:11.847-04:002012-05-07T19:20:11.847-04:00For thirifting newbies, I always set a time limit,...For thirifting newbies, I always set a time limit, 1 hour and under. And that's it. I adore thrifting, as does Hubster. I find there is a bigger bang for the buck, and the shopping is almost always a fun experience. I am talking about actual charity shops, on South Shore of Montreal. These are small, cozy stores, and well organized. I adore my fabrics, patterns, and notions we buy there. Prices are rock bottom. Hubster found the Colette Wolfe book for 5 cents. Some people criticize me (family, not artist son, Gabriel, who is proud). I love vintage, and real wooden furniture. Also, having a sense of design is a big help, and a sense of whimsey. I think of it as rescue too, and creating order, as Peter said of late. Also very green. Of late one thing I did was up-cycle a 70's skirt of violet wool jersey. Came out gorgeous. Cathie and Robert, in Quebec.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-57062534421582784262012-05-07T19:18:52.729-04:002012-05-07T19:18:52.729-04:00I prefer to buy old in everything except maybe fab...I prefer to buy old in everything except maybe fabrics. Perhaps when I get more experienced I brave unknown vintage materials, but until then I make do with new ones where I know what it is. I am careful though with labels such as 'antique' or 'vintage'. I have seen 'vintage' clothing that was made from one of the rereleased vintage butterick patterns (I have the same at home) in a fabric available in the local fabric chain store (I happen to buy some of it for a friend) with badly matched stripes, but they claimed it was 'circa 1950's vintage dress, custom tailored collectors item, price tag 150.00' and it had a 'sold' sign on it.Giggleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08687447086361922862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-59809305482669634182012-05-07T19:08:51.130-04:002012-05-07T19:08:51.130-04:00Pre-loved? Everything is fair game. I've made ...Pre-loved? Everything is fair game. I've made my own underpants from t-shirts. Easily 70% of my wardrobe came from a thrift store. It's a BIG wardrobe.<br /><br />These days, without my student allowance, I only buy new if it's really inexpensive/on-sale, or a surprisingly well-made and interesting article.Alexus1325https://www.blogger.com/profile/17929629041165443313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-304318189157343362012-05-07T18:46:03.336-04:002012-05-07T18:46:03.336-04:00You scared me when I read about your $20 loot but ...You scared me when I read about your $20 loot but I associated it with the picture *above* the text! ... I would like to ask you something about the treadle, if possible ... Do you mind writing me at fulvialucianoATyahooDOTCOM directly? Thanks, Peter.Fulviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03781269837265804791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-91690166866381643102012-05-07T18:13:42.488-04:002012-05-07T18:13:42.488-04:00I won't buy used underwear, but pretty much ev...I won't buy used underwear, but pretty much everything else? Sure. I started thrifting when I was young and broke, and have never got out of the habit. Once I learned to sew, thrift stores also became a source of raw materials to work with--both yardage as well as clothing to be re-made. <br /><br />Last week's big score was a complete set of pink paisley Ralph Lauren sheets (Queen size) for $12. They're in excellent condition and I felt really happy putting them on my bed yesterday. I also scored two more colorful ceramic pots for my cactus and succulent collection for ~$3 each. <br /><br />And books! I'm always finding great books, and I end up overrun with them if I'm not careful.<br /><br />I also enjoy refinishing furniture, and I've bought pieces at Goodwill that just needed some TLC. Even in their scuffed and battered condition, they were of better quality than new furniture in my price range, made of solid wood instead of particle board. A little bit of elbow grease, and maybe some creativity, and now I've got furniture nobody else has.<br /><br />And that last bit is a key, I think. I like having and wearing things nobody else has, that can't just be bought anywhere. In a thrift store, I'm more likely to find something really unusual, or something that can be altered to suit my idiosyncratic taste. The stuff is cheap, so if I make mistakes or an experiment fails I'm not out very much money; I feel free to take it apart in a way I don't even with the cheapest new things (which, frankly, aren't even worth the bother). <br /><br />I do shop at Target occasionally--maybe twice a year at most. I buy a few cheap, colorful t-shirts there every summer, underwear, hair clips and other accessories, and sometimes housewares (if what I want hasn't turned up at Goodwill). I don't mind it, but I wouldn't want to be stuck with that as my main option because the quality is pretty low and I often want styles or colors that aren't currently available in stores.<br /><br />I hate Bed Bath & Beyond, though. So much wretched, useless junk, and the prices aren't very good.Magical Realisthttp://twitter.com/magicalrealistnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-72943352252340884452012-05-07T17:38:25.519-04:002012-05-07T17:38:25.519-04:00I agree with you peter but for one point. Manufact...I agree with you peter but for one point. Manufacturing has largely moved to countries such as China due to the fact that items can be produced according to the specifications and quality levels dictated by the largely western corporations. That is, if crap is being produced in an asian country to be sold in a western one (largely generalising here) then its mostly because we as western consumers are used to the low price point, free shipping, coupons etc.<br /><br />I buy used or vintage mostly because I recognise that there is greater quality in used now than new. That and my father had wonderful taste in things so I have been trained to recognise it myself. <br /><br />I too have been burnt by a used overlocker experience.<br /><br />Melissa (Audreychrysalis)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com