Thrifter Finds A New With Tags American Eagle Coat Originally $79.95 Marked At $30, Then Grabs A Nice Piece Of Pottery For $3.99

She flew across the country to visit her brother, and of course she packed an empty suitcase and a thrifting plan. Florida thrifter Kara Lindsay spent a day in Washington State hitting an antique mall and a Goodwill, and the second stop stunned her.

“I honestly was just so surprised by what we found there,” she says. She had not expected the selection or the prices to beat what she is used to back home.

The Dusty Pug Antique Mall Has Hundreds Of Years Of Stuff

The first stop was an antique mall called The Dusty Pug, with her brother Caleb, her sister-in-law Cassandra and her niece Riley. It had hand-painted pieces, military items, old Pez toys and coins.

Prices ran from $10 for a nice brass piece to $130 for an old crock. Red transfer-ware canisters were $35 each, a butter dish was $32, and a vintage enamel pot was $30.

She liked the enamel pot but worried that its color would not blend with her kitchen. “I’m just not sure that it’s going to have a spot in our kitchen,” she says.

The Prices Were “Not Much More Than Goodwill”

After a few laps, the group agreed that the vendor mall was fair. “The pricing was actually pretty good in there,” she says, and it was not much more than Goodwill.

That surprised her, because the cost of living is higher there. She expected higher prices on vintage goods.

She finally bought a handful of small items. A tiny functional lantern with a wick, a milk glass plate with little birds, and a cross-stitch pattern teacup set she believes is from the 1940s or 1950s all went in the bag.

She also grabbed a small painted donkey for $5 for a niece who loves My Little Pony.

Why She Passed On Furniture

At the Goodwill she normally starts with furniture, but she told viewers there would be none this trip. Getting it home was out of the question.

She did spot a six-chair set on a pink tag at 50% off, priced at $79.99. “What a great price,” she said, and then walked on.

$5 For A Lattice Frame That Would Cost $30 At Home

The first find in the Washington Goodwill was a wooden lattice frame with a floral print. It was $5. “At our Goodwill, this would definitely be more than $5. They’d probably be trying to get $30 for this.”

Then came pottery. “Nice piece of pottery for $3.99. It’s really not bad at all,” she says, noting it had a good weight.

The cart filled up. A blue and white tea set came home for $4.99, and a canister in the Tea Rose pattern was $3.99. It is her fourth piece in that collection.

A Coat Still Tagged At $79.95 For Only $30

The big find was in the clothing. “It is new with tags. It’s American Eagle. Originally $79.95. They have it priced at $30. I do like that.”

She tried it and liked the layering. One drawback is that the coat is dry clean only, which she was not thrilled about.

She bought it anyway. At home she said, “I did pay $30 for this, which if we weren’t on like a little bit of like a vacation type of trip, I definitely wouldn’t have spent that much. The tag did say it was originally $80.”

Dresses, Curtains And A Smell Test

She and her niece looked at dresses, including a Target-brand one at $14.99, a Zara dress and a J.Crew linen-look dress that turned out to have no pockets. At her Goodwill, she said, long dresses are all $11.99.

Curtains were $7.99 a panel, so a pair came to $14. A throw blanket was $5.99, and her family did the “vintage smell test” before agreeing it was fine after a hot soak and wash.

She also found a plaid piece that she wore on the flight home because it was cold. “A lot of plaid pieces for me just feel kind of harsh,” she says. This one was softer.

A Teacup From 1926, A Gift From Her Niece

Her favorite surprise was a gift. Riley found a teacup at an estate sale and gave it to her aunt. The date on the bottom is August 1926, so it is 100 years old.

The cup and saucer say Elizabethan fine bone china made in England. “Riley clearly already has amazing taste,” Kara says.

How To Thrift On A Trip

Kara’s trip is a good model for thrifting away from home. She skipped furniture, kept the finds small and lightweight, and compared prices to her local stores.

Skip bulky items you cannot pack or ship easily.
Check tags for original prices, such as the $79.95 on the American Eagle coat.
Look for pink tag sales, which can take 50% off.
Wash vintage textiles hot before you judge the smell.
Check the bottom of pottery for maker marks.

She ended by asking viewers whether their own thrift stores beat these prices. For a coat with tags, a lattice frame and a pretty tea set, it was a very good day.

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