I haven’t done a lot of thrift store shopping over the years, I’ve just not had much time. During my recent bookshelf styling giveaway though, I had a tight budget and needed a lot of stuff to fill the bookshelves.

I ended up becoming familiar with a few local thrift stores and visited them often in a period of two months to gather some decor and books for the shelves. It was really fun!

I found myself taking pics of different items during that hunt, and today I’m sharing some of the things I thought were good buys and others that were a hard pass. :-)

Let’s start with what NOT to buy so we can end this post on a positive note.

Don’t #1 - Cheap curly metal decor

This is something you should be culling in your own home if you still happen to have some around. There was so much of this sold on the market back when the faux Tuscan era was going on 15-20 years ago, and it is abundantly available in thrift stores now. :-)

Don’t bring it home with you.

Cheap, dated, curly metal home decor items are on my list of what NOT to buy at a thrift store. carlaaston.com

Don’t #2 - Dated vases and home decor with “Tuscan” style

Another dated Tuscan look that telegraphs your home decor is past its prime are these dark colored and rather garish accessories. These are old, but not old enough to be charming. Pass these up when you are in the aisles of your local thrift store.

Tuscan looking home decor in dark colors are not on my shopping list when I go to a thrift store. carlaaston.com

Don’t #3 - Cheesy and faded wall decor

Wall decor with words is out. Every influencer on Instagram is even on top of that now. Remove the signs from your home and go for some real art to add color, pattern and personality to your walls.

This signage is outdated and not what you should be buying, even at a thrift store. carlaaston.com

Don’t #4 - Pillows, cushions or upholstery

This is a widely known fact, any kind of soft goods that can’t be washed is a risk bringing into your home.

Basically, you don’t know what has been on that cushion and may have deposited fleas, bedbugs, a weird scent, or even had an “accident” on it. If you can’t sanitize all the soft materials, then don’t buy it.

I’ve bought an upholstered chair before, but I had it totally stripped of all the soft materials and just reused the frame. I can’t ever get over the whole Seinfeld episode where Poppy peed on the sofa. :-)

Although some might be tempting, I don’t buy soft goods at thrift stores. I’m too worried about what has been absorbed into the fill. carlaaston.

Don’t #5 - Heavy, dark, wood furniture in tuscan style

While you can strip, paint, stain and modify details of wood furniture, stuff like this can’t be brought up in style to the 2020’s at all, no matter how creative or crafty you are.

Pass.

Sometimes even a good coat of paint won’t work to freshen up a piece of furniture. carlaaston.com

Now let’s move on to what to focus on when shopping at thrift stores for home decor. I’ve found these to be the best, most timeless items that can be used in today’s home without giving your home a “dated” look.

Do #1 - Books

One of the best buys and most prolific I found when sourcing items for my bookshelf styling was books. These were such a great deal too, all $2 apiece for a hardback and $1 apiece for a paperback.

Beautiful books found for bookshelf styling at a local thrift store. carlaaston.com

Books from thrift store shopping | carlaaston.com

Do #2 - Brass items

I think in my mother’s era, it was popular to have brass objects decorating your home. There must have been a lot on the market. Now, these are hot vintage items and if you can find some that aren’t stained and have even been polished, all the better.

I have to say, thrift stores are wising up to understanding what they have and are pricing these items accordingly. They aren’t all cheap, but could still be good deal and make for a nice layered look in your decorating. Great for dining table tops too.

Little bras tin I bought at a thrift store for $5. carlaaston.com

This brass horse figurine is heavy brass. I bought it for $18 at my local thrift store. carlaaston.com

This vintage brass teapot (maybe from Morocco?) would make a for a nice global treasure in a bookshelf. Not cheap, but a unique find, for sure. carlaaston.com

See how brass figurines were used in the bookshelves of a hotel I visited in Austin recently?

Bookshelf styling at the Colton House Hotel in Austin. carlaaston.com

Do #3 - vases

I’ve mentioned before in my post on How to Decorate with What You May Already Have, glass vases used in quantity can be a good thing to have on hand.

Not only does it allow you to grab cuttings from your garden on a whim but they make nice vessels for collections like shells, small pinecones, etc.

I found these vases on one of my trips. Not all super cheap, but compared what I would buy for the same things in retail stores, they were a deal. All of these five below, together, totaled $40. They’d look great all grouped together on a dining table with some cuttings from the garden in a chosen few.

Large glass footed vase seen at local thrift store for $14. carlaaston.com

These large glass vases totaled $26 at my local thrift store. carlaaston.com

I use this rectangular glass vase in my own home to show off shells collected on a beach in Fiji, from my travels years ago. carlaaston.com

Do #4 - Quality Ceramics

I grabbed this artist-made ceramic platter as soon as I examined it closely in my local thrift store. It was large, in perfect condition and only $20. Likely someone got tired of it.

I even worked it into a color scheme on a living room project I had at the time. It sort of pulled the whole scheme together. :-)

Artist signed ceramic platter from a thrift store with a flatlay of interior decor fabrics and finishes | carlaaston.com

I found another similar one recently at another shop but I didn’t love the pattern and there was a chip. I passed on this, but aaalllmost bought it. It was a signed piece by an artist too and only $8.

These vintage pottery pieces are in perfect condition. The prices here are competitive for what I’ve seen online for a similar vintage piece. In other words, obviously some of these shops know what they have.

Here are three items I found for myself when I was out thrifting. Two little mini pots that I now keep some airplants in and then a colorful plate. All are handmade, signed by the artist or crafter.

3 ceramics found out thrifting in local shops. All signed by the artist or crafter and in great condition. carlaaston.com

Do #5 - On trend, newish items in perfect condition

Occasionally I have found a few items that were probably donated because the owner either couldn’t return the item and they didn’t like it or just needed to cull their stuff and things were not that old or tired.

This pair of lamps were not originally expensive, but they were in perfect condition, worked fine and were a good deal here at $18 ea.

I would use these in a guest room with some new shades and finials, if I could use this color.

Blue lamps found at thrift store for $18 each. carlaaston.com

Originally purchased for $49 each, these still had the tag on them. These aren’t high end, but a good deal for a brand new item. carlaaston.com

This large round seagrass lamp was in great condition, the shade wasn’t dirty or dented at all. (I wouldn’t go for the curly iron stand it is on though. :-) Some stores test to see if electrical items work and then note that on the tag which is nice. Otherwise, you might want to test it in the store.

Large seagrass lamp in great condition at a thrift store. carlaaston.com

I found this really new wall decor at a thrift store for my bookshelf styling and it worked perfectly there.

It was in like-new condition and a simple style that didn’t date it. While it is not a collectible of value or anything vintage, it is a new trendy look that was a deal for $3.50.

Here’s how it looked in the bookshelf.

Surprising thrift store Finds

While these are all great categories to peruse, mostly it is just fun to hunt and see what might be there. This is a hobby for many people and it is becoming a business for many.

There are lots of flippers out there, people that peruse these shops and then resell on ebay or online somewhere. I see many people in the aisles with their cell phones out using special apps for checking pricing on items online.

These people are pros at this and I can now spot them pretty clearly. Believe me, they make regular trips and know when a store might be putting new stuff out, etc.

If you want to get good at this, it helps to frequent the shops you like. You might find nothing one time and a whole load the next. That’s just the fun of the hunt for some, I guess.

Check out these items below I found recently that I didn’t buy, but found really interesting.

Vintage Copco dutch oven - love the yellow color but this is super heavy! Would make for a great addition to a blue kitchen photoshoot. carlaaston.com

I’ve found a few picture frames before. This one isn’t gaudy or dated looking and is in good condition for only $2.

Picture frames can be a good buy if they are in good condition and aren’t ugly. carlaaston.com

These owls would make cool Halloween decor, wouldn’t they? A collection of owls on a mantel would be a fun, classy kind of holiday decorating. So much Halloween decor looks cheesy to me and really only done for the kids, but I like these.