Oh hello, stranger

Damn, I was so excited about this new blog and then I went and abandoned it for an entire month. I'm sorry. In my defense, I've been kind of busy and the thrifting was at a minimum for a bit. Shawn's truck was broken into, I went out of town, and my mom came to Denver for a visit. So, for the last few weeks, posting pictures online hasn't been my top priority. I also feel a little guilty because I have yet to sign up for any business classes like I'd planned. I think I might postpone that goal until the fall semester, and focus on working more hours and saving more money over the summer. I'm still super eager to go back to school, I'm just worried about the cost and I missed the deadline for the FAFSA. I need to just get off my ass and go talk to an advisor.

Although school isn't going exactly as planned, I have been focusing on my overall goal of opening a thrift store. I've been sifting through Craigslist ads just to get an idea of what it might cost to rent a retail space in the Denver area. I'm not even pretending that I could afford to open a store downtown, but there are plenty of awesome locations nearby that are within my price range. I've been focusing on "olde town" areas that have cute store fronts on busy streets, in fairly trendy neighborhoods. I need a location that has plenty of foot traffic but it also needs to be in a neighborhood that houses people who buy stylish duds but aren't too uppity to shop resale. This is a bit tricky but I think I've narrowed it down to a few areas that would be pretty perfect. I have no intention of renting a retail space anytime soon, but its nice to know what I'll be getting into. And just looking at the ads gets me excited and motivates me to work extra hard toward this goal. I don't want to open a store and instantly fall into debt. I think that would just make this new business venture a million times more stressful (which is the exact opposite of why I'm doing this!). So, I've decided to set aside enough money to cover business expenses (including rent and inventory) for six months, plus six months of living expensive (car, mortgage, food, etc). Once I have this money in the bank, I'm giving myself the green light. Knowing this, and taunting myself with possible "perfect" retail locations, is awesome encouragement to work my butt off and make as much money as possible!

Ok, ok, enough with the boring business talk. Now for the thrift finds of the past month.

A few weeks back, I stopped by a local thrift shop. I'd post the name and address but its been so long that I can't remember (promise to be a better blogger in the future). I picked up a few odds and ends but this was my fav of the day. Just a simple, cute little jug that was the perfect size for the empty shelf on the dining room wall.

I'm sure I had some great purchases since this little gem but I just can't remember..so...moving right along :)

Last week, I flew out to Missouri to surprise my dad for his birthday. He's a retired soldier but he still works on an Army post doing government work. While I was visiting, mom and I stopped at the Waynesville Goodwill. If you live near Ft. Leonard Wood, I highly recommend this shop. Its fairly organized, jam packed with clothes, and doesn't smell like moth balls (a HUGE plus in my book). Also, its next to the base, so the majority of the goods are being donated by military and their families which means there's a variety of clothes from all over the world. I found a few tops...

Shawn says this one is very 'retro' with its little owl-like flowers and embroidered border. I say its just cute.

This one is just a Target shirt, but it was only a few dollars and the sheer material will make it a good summer shirt.

I like this one because the scoop neck is in the back.

I'm not positive but I believe the tops were around $2.50 a piece. I also picked up a practically brand new LRG tee for Shawn (tried to photograph it but it is currently MIA) for $4.00.

My fav from this Goodwill is this big purse for $3.00. I think this purse is telling me to pack it and take it to the beach this summer. I might need to listen to it.

We stopped by another thrift store that is closer to my parents house but I only purchased one top. I can't remember the name of the store, but its in a big warehouse with poor lighting and not much in the way of organization. Also, the cashier was extremely rude to me when I questioned the price of the top. Apparently this is a blouse and not a tee. According to her, tees don't have sleeves.  (All in all...made this shirt a whopping $1.75 instead of $0.75..haha) And all this time I've been calling them tanks. Silly me.

Instead of flying back to Denver, Mom and I drove. We stopped in Lawrence, Kansas (an adorable college town) and took a stroll through their local Goodwill. I was on a time crunch so I didn't get a chance to really dig through the shelves, but that store holds a ton of potential. I picked up this little Aero top with the tags still on for $3.00.

I also got a cream colored cardigan that is currently in the bottom of my hamper (hence the lack of pictures). I am definitely stopping at this store the next time I drive through Kansas. There were tons of name brand clothing, many brand new, and lots of home decor items. I found two HUGE cardboard posters in the back that looked like they came straight off the Abercrombie wall. (You know, black and white photo of some dudes giving 'sexy face'). They were in great condition and marked at $5.00. I personally wouldn't have a use for them, but I'm sure someone out there would love to wake up to those boys.

Alright, I've posted too many pictures in an attempt to compensate for my month long hiatus. I'll end this post here, before you get so bored you fall asleep. Come back tomorrow to see what I picked up at a string of Highlands yard sales last weekend. :)