Only got $20 in your pocket?
Some members of The Clackamas Print posing with their thrift store pickups.
I’m in this big ass coat, from the thrift shop down the road
By The Clackamas Print staff
Nowadays, $20 won’t get you very far when it comes to retail shopping. For $20 or less, you can buy a t-shirt at full price or a sweater from the sale rack at any store in the mall. It’s almost become too expensive to treat yourself to a new, stylish outfit on a whim. When the Goodwill opened in Oak Grove on Jan. 19, The Clackamas Print staff decided to see how far we could stretch $20 at any local thrift store.
GOODWILL
For those of you that don’t know, Goodwill has a weekly 50 percent off sale based on the color of the tag on the item. When I went shopping, the color of the discounted tag was red. The first shirt I found was a taupe-colored tank with a red tag, so I only paid $2.50. I found another super trendy light pink shirt for $4.97. Then, I really scored when I found pants that looked like they came straight out of the Beetlejuice movie for only $7.99. Normally, I can find a cute pair of shoes in the right size, but for some reason I fell short of a full outfit. I decided to see if I could finish off my look with a necklace, and I scored again with a red-tagged necklace for only $4. I found all of this for a grand total of $19.46.
– Victoria Tinker
RED, WHITE AND BLUE
The Red, White and Blue thrift store in Gladstone, like many of its kind, has everyday household items, toys, tools and more. It’s often filled with customers because of their high quantity, low prices and great quality of items in their store. The clothing section is broken down into five sections: infants, boys, girls, men and women, taking up the majority of the store. After searching through the rows of polos, sweater vests, leather jackets and suits, I happened to spot the perfect item amongst the bunch. It is a grey overcoat lined with black fur in very good condition. The coat is complete with three black and white blended buttons to close it up and two pockets at hip level on both sides. The heavy winter coat, which would typically run about $300 used, only cost me $19.95, and I consider it one of my top thrift treasures. I plan on revisiting Red, White and Blue thrift store and recommend it to anyone who wants to try their luck at finding thrift gold.
– Doug Fry
MUSTARD SEED THRIFT AND OUTREACH
A Steppenwolf Live vinyl featuring di erent shows from the 70s was only $3 at the Mustard Seed Thrift and Outreach.
This quaint little shop in Oregon City offers quite the variety of trinkets and knickknacks, which are sure to please any treasure seeker or bargain shopper. In my short time at the Mustard Seed Outreach and Thrift Store, I was able to find a San Francisco 49ers chicken for $8, a Bugs Bunny mug for $2, Valentine’s Day themed dice for the upcoming holiday for 30 cents, a wooden tie for $3, a hat with a sewn-in scarf for $3 and a Steppenwolf Live vinyl from various shows during the 1970s for $3. Glenda and Jeff Thompson opened this family business more than six years ago to help their daughter Chelsea recover from her addiction to heroin and meth. Now, she’s four years clean and helps her parents run the shop. All of their proceeds go to charities that support this cause. They take the fun of buying junk-turned-treasure, and use it for a good cause in their community, helping its struggling homeless and addicts.
– Sam Weston
VALUE VILLAGE
Thrifting is one of my favorite pastimes. A great place to check out the deals is your neighborhood Value Village. My holy-grail black leather backpack was purchased at a Value Village over the summer for just over $5. However, this past trip to my local Value Village left me empty-handed; one of the few downsides to thrifting is that it’s a hit or miss shopping trip. I decided to tag along with Co-Editor in Chief of The Clackamas Print, Victoria Tinker, on her excursion to Goodwill. Here is where I hit the jackpot: a studded Nine West purse for $4.99, a dress for $6.99, a turtleneck for $3.99, and a badass Harley Davidson t-shirt for $5.99 to be exact. Pro-tip, be sure to rummage through all of the racks and all of the bins to find the greatest treasures. A great place to look for 1990s inspired slip dresses is in the pajama section. This haul only broke the bank by $21.96.
– Alexis Wagar
THE SALVATION ARMY
A knock-off shakeweight was found for only $1 at The Salvation Army.
I chose The Salvation Army because they live by their mission statement, “Doing the most good.” They aim to feed, to clothe, to comfort and to care. There are 7,546 Salvation Army centers across the United States. Of the many locations there are thrift stores, food distribution centers, disaster relief, rehabilitation centers, anti-human trafficking efforts and a large amount of children’s programs. I admire what they stand for, so I decided to pay a visit to their Milwaukie thrift store location. Upon entering, I was immediately greeted by an employee letting me know what their discount of the day was. After exploring for a few minutes, I found a few items worthy of spending my $20 on. I found a knock-off shake weight for $1, a men’s Columbia windbreaker for $10, a Bubba Gump margarita glass for $2, a “Jamaican me crazy” long-sleeved shirt for $4 and a children’s Columbia jacket for $3. Overall, I enjoyed my experience and my finds, and would recommend that people pay the store a visit.
– Marjorie Guttery
