Posted by On my way home from an appointment I decided to pop into a nearby Trader Joe’s for a few nibbles. Now less than a block away from TJs is my favorite boutique thrift store. I love going into the American Cancer Discovery store but it’s a challenge finding things to resell. Some of their prices are more than I would charge on Etsy! Still I go because they have wonderful items, sweet staff and I am ever hopeful. I have made a few good scores over the years, but more often than not I come out empty handed. (And as a little sidebar, that can be true for many of us in the biz. UK’s Tom and Terry of Thrifting with Tom and Terry on YouTube recently posted a video where they tried to visit 20 small charity shops in one day. I think they made it to 18 and their haul at the end was remarkably small.)
Well, the ACD store was packed with lots of great items and many were things I hadn’t seen before, like these quirky wood crusaders and saints/santos. I was intrigued but even the small ones were priced at $22 each and I discovered that they had recently sold online for $10 to $14. So these were a no.
This I had seen before. In fact I’ve had my eye on this $70 pewter creamer for a month and it was now half off (green tag). But even at $35 it still was too pricey to consider. There was a card tucked inside that indicated it was a museum reproduction so it has no great age. Sadly I still left it behind.
Then I spotted this vase–a vintage Kaiser, West Germany, bisque vase with a raised floral design that was still so fresh and charming. I was a smitten kitten! This sort of piece could fit in almost any decor. And at $20 I thought it had a bit of $$ left in it.
This mark dates this piece from 1970-1990.
Back at home I found one that had sold for $60 on Etsy and one that’s currently for sale on Ebay for $74.95. So this sweet vase will be a nice little bread-and-butter item.
But the unexpected find was this chunky, textural vase. It had a child-like look (my husband thought it looked like a summer camp project) and yet I was drawn to it and felt in my gut it was something good. You know that feeling. It just FELT good.
Typically the staff at this store Google Lens everything these days and price it accordingly. But I think that with this piece’s rough-and-ready exterior and interior they didn’t bother and that’s why it was priced at $5. I didn’t look it up in the store either because I was happy to keep it if it wasn’t anything special.
Back at home I did a bit of digging and discovered it was something good. It’s a Mamma-Rò Italian terracotta vase, circa 1970s, and worthy of a little happy dance. Mine is missing it gold sticker on the bottom like the one below, which is not too surprising. (Actually if the sticker had been there I’m sure the store would have priced this up!)
Here’s a current online listing.
So two very different vases but each with enough potential profit to make it worthwhile. So glad I decided to drop in ACD before TJs!
While boutique thrift stores will never account for much of my Etsy store stock, I find just enough to make them worth my while. Plus the quality of their merchandise makes them a treat to peruse even when I don’t buy anything!
Would love to hear about your latest good thrift store find.
Hunting for Vintage 