You overlook the the very real fact that old stuff is often much higher quality than stuff manufactured new today. I only buy Pyrex from thrift stores and estate sales. My garlic press is 50 years old. Doc martins produced 20 years ago are much higher quality than the ones produced today.
planned obsolescence is a relatively new phenomenon. Old stuff is built to last
That's a really good point. Actually, I just made a comment yesterday that my grandfather's crappy potato peeler from the 1970s works better than the new one I just bought.
I might have a different outlook on the used Doc Martens now. The ripped Led Zeppelin shirts, on the other hand...
Absolutely, early 70s stereos like Pioneer, Sansui, Marantz, are better built than “audiophile” stereos from today. Listening to an old Pioneer I scored for 10 bucks from a thrift store right now.
Yes, with a few exceptions. Rega systems provide a balanced brit sound that is unbeatable. truly really. get an rp3 or above, and the amp and speakers that match. ORSE.
I got the cheap Rega from like 12 years ago, and I do have Tannoy studio monitors which are also Britbong but a Denon amp as I believe a low distortion amp that is supplying adequate power for transients doesn’t has a sound. If it does it’s distorting.
You need to go to a small town that has a real thrift store where you can get amazing bargains, I got a Triple Goose Down coat for less than 10 bucks, that is worth 300 bucks.
Thrist sghops (Not going to bother spell correcting thrift shops), I can and do wear holes in my jeans myself thank you very much! ;-)
Used book stores, a grandly different kettle of fish. I still have my 'Queen of Republics, or, A Standard History of the United States From the Discovery of the American Continent to the Present Time ... ' with the original owners 1897 signature on the first page, that I bought for a pittance in an NYC used book store near Copper's Union on my shelves.
That, by the way, is the one thing I miss about NYC; 4 or 5 used book stores on each and every block & as I, after getting off the subway on the west side, had to check out each and every one walking 'cross town made it a five hour walk every day. OK I exaggerate a wee bit but, but, but...
Wow, that's so cool! I love used books with notes/signatures in them. Adds so much character.
Unfortunately, a lot of the NYC used book stores have closed. There are a few nice ones left in Manhattan (and there's one in Brooklyn that we adore), but as a whole, we've seen better bookstores in other cities. It's a shame—they're just not profitable anymore.
Very interesting article Melissa on a subject I think little about. I'm just like you in a Used Bookstore, I buy too many books but do read them. One word of warning on people wearing somebody elses used clothes or jewelry: Its not good for you. It carries their imprint which can effect you negatively. I'm not superstitious, it is about energy.
Interesting! I'd never thought of that before, and it makes a lot of sense. I sort of feel that energy with the used books (which is one of the reasons I like them)—the object holds the experience of the person who read it before you, and you're adding to that. It's cool! Clothing, on the other hand... I can see how it could overwhelm you.
Thea, I suspected you are - that's great. To my knowledge it can't be cleared but potentially minimized. Clothes and Jewelry touches your body intimately, including ethereal body, for many hours at a time on and over numerous days. What you note about food is true but usually at a lessor extent. No way to 100% get around it but no sense willingly walk into a trap.
Sometimes it is positive energy. I have a thrifted coat that i love. Whenever I wear it, it makes me feel good. Unfortunately, it is not aging well—I’ve replaced the lining. Now I may have to take it apart and use it as a pattern. The thought of dismantling this coat breaks my heart.
My local small town used book store is my favorite spot in town, plus it is next to a local owned coffee shop.
I buy shirts, and coats at thrift stores, socks,underwear, and jeans new, but I watch for sales.
My favorite thrift store, yard sale, estate sale, items are tools. Sometimes I can feel the spirit of the person who used it.
After losing the pocket knife I had carried daily for 26 years to 45 states, and 2 foreign countries, I spent about a year looking for a similar one. I finally found the same knife in a local second hand store, where the owner is knows me. I commented when I picked it up that the previous owner was a good guy, and took good care of it. The lady who owns the store told me “yes he was” with tears in her eyes. He was someone she had known over 50 years, who had helped raise her. We talked over an hour about people we had known who had made a positive impact on our lives.
I buy things that are older for two reasons primarily.
1. They are cheaper. (at least around here)
2. They are often better made.
Take pots and pans for instance. You can't buy a new pot or pan that *isn't* non-stick. This of course, after they've come out and claimed that nearly everything non-stick is poisonous after the coating has been damaged. We all know that the non-stick coating is damaged by simply starring at it too hard.
So, what's the answer? Thrift stores! You can go there and buy high quality stainless steel pots and pans. The kind with copper bottoms that were VERY expensive 20+ years ago. And you can snap them up for around $5-10 a piece.
Don't want to pay $40 for a Yeti cup, no problem. You can snap those up for $3 a piece. They're made of stainless steel and impossible to make (permanently) dirty. Just clean it up, and you're good to go.
I write this as I sit in an office chair that I purchased for $12 from a local thrift shop. It has a 1/4 inch welded steel base. It would hold up a few elephants at least. Do I need that, of course not, I'm 6'2" and weigh 250 pounds. But then, it was $12, and a similarly capable office chair *new* would run me around $250-300. Also, it would come with some crappy fake leather that will wear out in a few years. I did splurge though and purchased ball-bearing neoprene office chair wheels on Amazon, that allow me to glide around effortlessly, oh, and a chair cover for $10. So It looks rather nice. The material underneath wasn't bad, but it was kind of scratchy.
My point is, new stuff is soulless, and sucks! Nothing new is interesting. Everything new can do everything, except what you need it to do most. Engineering consists of packing items with features that negate the primary purpose.
A fine piece of work, Melissa. Hoping to evoke the Bill Wyman of 1964, I bought a black leather waistcoat at a vintage shop on La Brea in Los Angeles, but later had to admit it was too small for me. My own Substack, A Legend in His Own Minefield, is a delectable smörgåsbord of political and other satire, self-reproach, tangy polemics, dystopian short fiction, original music, and self-aggrandizement. I’d be proud to have you as a subscriber.
I have an image in my memory that is illuminated whenever I think about the seemingly human need to dress differently than anyone else. For a few years of my existence, I was an urban hippie. The hippies are seen by historians as a weird fashion show with great music, but I would characterize them as much more. (but I digress)
The image I am talking about concerns a concert billed as a “sock-hop dance” that featured a Canadian rock band Chilliwack. There were no pre-show ticket sales. Everyone had to but a $5.00 ticket at the door. This caused a loooong lineup that made its way down the side of the venue. As I approached the site, I could not help but notice that the whole lineup of a few hundred people was a solid sheet of denim blue. Denim blue jeans, denim blue jackets, denim blue as a single swipe of a paintbrush. All this was from a societal sect driven to self-expression. Hmmm...
You overlook the the very real fact that old stuff is often much higher quality than stuff manufactured new today. I only buy Pyrex from thrift stores and estate sales. My garlic press is 50 years old. Doc martins produced 20 years ago are much higher quality than the ones produced today.
planned obsolescence is a relatively new phenomenon. Old stuff is built to last
That's a really good point. Actually, I just made a comment yesterday that my grandfather's crappy potato peeler from the 1970s works better than the new one I just bought.
I might have a different outlook on the used Doc Martens now. The ripped Led Zeppelin shirts, on the other hand...
Ha of course there is a fair bit of nonsense as well. They have to make their money somehow!
Absolutely, early 70s stereos like Pioneer, Sansui, Marantz, are better built than “audiophile” stereos from today. Listening to an old Pioneer I scored for 10 bucks from a thrift store right now.
Yes, with a few exceptions. Rega systems provide a balanced brit sound that is unbeatable. truly really. get an rp3 or above, and the amp and speakers that match. ORSE.
I got the cheap Rega from like 12 years ago, and I do have Tannoy studio monitors which are also Britbong but a Denon amp as I believe a low distortion amp that is supplying adequate power for transients doesn’t has a sound. If it does it’s distorting.
You need to go to a small town that has a real thrift store where you can get amazing bargains, I got a Triple Goose Down coat for less than 10 bucks, that is worth 300 bucks.
Thrist sghops (Not going to bother spell correcting thrift shops), I can and do wear holes in my jeans myself thank you very much! ;-)
Used book stores, a grandly different kettle of fish. I still have my 'Queen of Republics, or, A Standard History of the United States From the Discovery of the American Continent to the Present Time ... ' with the original owners 1897 signature on the first page, that I bought for a pittance in an NYC used book store near Copper's Union on my shelves.
That, by the way, is the one thing I miss about NYC; 4 or 5 used book stores on each and every block & as I, after getting off the subway on the west side, had to check out each and every one walking 'cross town made it a five hour walk every day. OK I exaggerate a wee bit but, but, but...
Wow, that's so cool! I love used books with notes/signatures in them. Adds so much character.
Unfortunately, a lot of the NYC used book stores have closed. There are a few nice ones left in Manhattan (and there's one in Brooklyn that we adore), but as a whole, we've seen better bookstores in other cities. It's a shame—they're just not profitable anymore.
Very interesting article Melissa on a subject I think little about. I'm just like you in a Used Bookstore, I buy too many books but do read them. One word of warning on people wearing somebody elses used clothes or jewelry: Its not good for you. It carries their imprint which can effect you negatively. I'm not superstitious, it is about energy.
Interesting! I'd never thought of that before, and it makes a lot of sense. I sort of feel that energy with the used books (which is one of the reasons I like them)—the object holds the experience of the person who read it before you, and you're adding to that. It's cool! Clothing, on the other hand... I can see how it could overwhelm you.
You can clean it, it’s fine after that. For non washable items put them in the sun and or in salt.
The previous person or peoples imprint is still there and often has negative effects as it does with jewelry, that is the issue.
I’m an energy practitioner so I understood what you meant but it can be cleared.
Think about all the people who touch the clothes that are new.
From cloth to retailer.
Energy imprints are in our foods from the farmer to the trucker to the grocer. There are energy imprints on everything.
Pray over them, bless them, they will have no effect on you after!
Thea, I suspected you are - that's great. To my knowledge it can't be cleared but potentially minimized. Clothes and Jewelry touches your body intimately, including ethereal body, for many hours at a time on and over numerous days. What you note about food is true but usually at a lessor extent. No way to 100% get around it but no sense willingly walk into a trap.
Sometimes it is positive energy. I have a thrifted coat that i love. Whenever I wear it, it makes me feel good. Unfortunately, it is not aging well—I’ve replaced the lining. Now I may have to take it apart and use it as a pattern. The thought of dismantling this coat breaks my heart.
Hopefully so and I'm sure it could sometimes, though rarely happen.
My local small town used book store is my favorite spot in town, plus it is next to a local owned coffee shop.
I buy shirts, and coats at thrift stores, socks,underwear, and jeans new, but I watch for sales.
My favorite thrift store, yard sale, estate sale, items are tools. Sometimes I can feel the spirit of the person who used it.
After losing the pocket knife I had carried daily for 26 years to 45 states, and 2 foreign countries, I spent about a year looking for a similar one. I finally found the same knife in a local second hand store, where the owner is knows me. I commented when I picked it up that the previous owner was a good guy, and took good care of it. The lady who owns the store told me “yes he was” with tears in her eyes. He was someone she had known over 50 years, who had helped raise her. We talked over an hour about people we had known who had made a positive impact on our lives.
That Is why I shop used.
I buy things that are older for two reasons primarily.
1. They are cheaper. (at least around here)
2. They are often better made.
Take pots and pans for instance. You can't buy a new pot or pan that *isn't* non-stick. This of course, after they've come out and claimed that nearly everything non-stick is poisonous after the coating has been damaged. We all know that the non-stick coating is damaged by simply starring at it too hard.
So, what's the answer? Thrift stores! You can go there and buy high quality stainless steel pots and pans. The kind with copper bottoms that were VERY expensive 20+ years ago. And you can snap them up for around $5-10 a piece.
Don't want to pay $40 for a Yeti cup, no problem. You can snap those up for $3 a piece. They're made of stainless steel and impossible to make (permanently) dirty. Just clean it up, and you're good to go.
I write this as I sit in an office chair that I purchased for $12 from a local thrift shop. It has a 1/4 inch welded steel base. It would hold up a few elephants at least. Do I need that, of course not, I'm 6'2" and weigh 250 pounds. But then, it was $12, and a similarly capable office chair *new* would run me around $250-300. Also, it would come with some crappy fake leather that will wear out in a few years. I did splurge though and purchased ball-bearing neoprene office chair wheels on Amazon, that allow me to glide around effortlessly, oh, and a chair cover for $10. So It looks rather nice. The material underneath wasn't bad, but it was kind of scratchy.
My point is, new stuff is soulless, and sucks! Nothing new is interesting. Everything new can do everything, except what you need it to do most. Engineering consists of packing items with features that negate the primary purpose.
Old becomes new, when new is stupid.
the last line is the key
I’m a thrifter, I love old stuff and yes unique items.
I rarely buy clothes at thrift shops anymore.
I feel as if I’m worthy of new clothes but on occasion I might find a cool jacket or scarf.
Every picture on my walls is from a thrift shop.
I’m in Florida and often when people die, there kids just get rid of everything, they have no clue.
We can thank the removal of art classes from school for that! Lol
But I was in Texas in 2022, a college town and went to some thrift stores. I was blown away at the prices.
Expensive, so your theory is right.
I even considered for a brief moment of renting a truck, packing it with thrift finds from Fl and reselling in Texas.
Not sure how profitable it would be due to travel expenses but I bet $$ could be made..
Old sweaters and shirts were selling for 25 bucks, which I could get for 4.
That’s a nice margin!
But for whatever reason we thrift- it’s always a plus for the planet!
Not just hipsters, I am as right wing as you can get. :-)
You're a RwHipster. 😛
A fine piece of work, Melissa. Hoping to evoke the Bill Wyman of 1964, I bought a black leather waistcoat at a vintage shop on La Brea in Los Angeles, but later had to admit it was too small for me. My own Substack, A Legend in His Own Minefield, is a delectable smörgåsbord of political and other satire, self-reproach, tangy polemics, dystopian short fiction, original music, and self-aggrandizement. I’d be proud to have you as a subscriber.
Haha, I think most of us have been there in some form or another. Thanks for sharing, John!
Some of us HAVE to shop at thrift stores.😆
Don’t forget to shop estate sales!!!
I have an image in my memory that is illuminated whenever I think about the seemingly human need to dress differently than anyone else. For a few years of my existence, I was an urban hippie. The hippies are seen by historians as a weird fashion show with great music, but I would characterize them as much more. (but I digress)
The image I am talking about concerns a concert billed as a “sock-hop dance” that featured a Canadian rock band Chilliwack. There were no pre-show ticket sales. Everyone had to but a $5.00 ticket at the door. This caused a loooong lineup that made its way down the side of the venue. As I approached the site, I could not help but notice that the whole lineup of a few hundred people was a solid sheet of denim blue. Denim blue jeans, denim blue jackets, denim blue as a single swipe of a paintbrush. All this was from a societal sect driven to self-expression. Hmmm...
What you wrote is some serious wank. 10/10