New York - For those in the antique and vintage business, hitting thrift stores to stock up on inventory can often feel like a bit of a treasure hunt. The lure of the hidden find is always there in the back of one's mind, but in reality, how practical is it to expect a walk-in win at many of these second-hand venues, especially considering the public's current interest and craze for scouring out anything old, vintage, and retro themselves? Well, according to some dealers in-the-know, the chances of scoring are still pretty good - providing you're aware of what's selling in today's decorative arts marketplace.

While most dealers agree that location can play a major factor in helping to determine what constitutes a top-notch thrift store find, for others it's often more about the history of the neighborhood, rather than its exact location on a map. For Jessica Reynolds, who's been dealing in early Americana and primitives since her father first introduced her to the antiques trade as a teenager, the Great Lakes region of Pennsylvania and New York have always been verdant picking grounds for thrift stores that were ripe with goods and chattels from local area farms. "I can remember a time when the entire contents of an old farmhouse that was being sold-off or liquidated would end up in the back-half of the town's local Salvation Army building," says Reynolds. "You could literally have your pick of untouched pieces in their original state - worn paint and all." Most of what Reynolds encounters today is still the same, but just on a different scale. "I recently came across an original pine dry sink - from the 1870s or 80s - that was lumped in with a few old bed-springs which had been hauled into our local thrift store from a residence just outside of town." While Reynolds acknowledges that the chances of finding high-demand pieces like this are now more rare, they do still exist she says. "We live in a region inundated with farms and early Americana furniture" says Reynolds, "in some ways, it's exactly what you'd expect to find." Other items that Reynolds says are still relatively common in her area thrift stores include, old blanket boxes, washstands and even the occasional 'authentic' harvest table. "Most of my thrifting comes from the stores in the smaller towns," says Reynolds, "because that's where I can usually find the best examples of old country furniture." ​

For Susan Haskin, and a number of other online dealers, it's often more about the type of store you're attempting to scout, and the relative timing of your purchases, that will determine whether or not your thrifting venture proves successful or not. Haskin, who's been running an Etsy business devoted to mid-century kitchenware and decorative objects from the same era, says that her favorite thrifts are often those managed by smaller religious ministries. "Goodwill and the Sally Anne are usually picked-over in my area of Seattle," says Haskin, "but the smaller one's, often formed by local churches, can be a great source for smalls, especially old kitchen items." Haskin acknowledges that living in an area with so many mid-century homes and apartment buildings is probably beneficial to her business, but also thinks that differentiating the types of thrift stores out there can help dealers make wiser choices. "I especially like to hit the little thrifters in spring, when everyone is doing their clean-outs," says Haskin. "I'll purposefully steer away from the big [corporate] players, because I know they'll either be busy, or over-priced." Haskin says she's witnessed a huge discrepancy in what thrifts charge over the last ten years as some of the more well known charitable organizations have raised their in-store prices considerably. "I understand their reasoning," says Haskin, "but I'm also running a business, so I have to go where I can get the best deal on buying stock." Haskin revealed that on average, she's still been able to get about 50% of her yearly inventory from thrift stores alone. "I'm still able to buy things like Anchor Hocking's, Fire King dishes for pennies on the dollar," she says, "but now it's mostly sourced from the smaller hole-in-the-wall thrifts rather than the corporate juggernauts."

​As with anything, there are of course going to be exceptions to any rule - including the value/time proposition one needs to consider when buying from thrifts. However, according to most dealers, the pitfalls of plying through old baby clothes and boxes of unwanted junk, are generally far outweighed by the potential opportunity to score a bountiful selection of reasonably priced inventory that can yield a handsome pay-off in the future. Providing of course you have some prior knowledge on the subject at hand - and can tell your Picasso from your Pollack.

- A.I.A. Staff Writers

For Jeff Howard, who runs an estate sale business and mid-twentieth century themed vintage goods store in Southern California, the decision to pop-a-table and tent and return to meet-and-greet sales was one borne out of necessity rather than anything else. "I've bought and sold plenty of things online," says Howard, "but recently I decided to return to where I first started, after noticing a flatline in some of my online sales." Howard says he set-up a weekend booth at one of the state's largest flea markets where he used to vend prior to his current bricks-and-clicks business. "It's been great," he says, "the crowds are back, and I'm able to bring specific stock from my store like metal signs and automobilia that I know will sell in my booth." Howard believes he's able to get far more eyes-on his inventory at the flea market than in his store due to its location, and the fact that the people walking by are mostly committed buyers. "I have to pay for space," he says, "but even with that, my total weekend sales are up by about 200% over normal."

For others in the industry, it's the "committed" sentiment expressed by Howard that seems to resonate the most. Stan Darling, who's taken over the family run auctioneering and antique business in Texas, says he thinks people might have a bit of Internet fatigue after the pandemic and are simply hankering to get out. "Our in-person sales have been fantastic this year," says Darling. "We're exceeding our pre-pandemic levels by a long-shot, and the people attending the auction sales tend to be buyers, not looky-loos." Darling says that while they've had the digital live-bid option for a number of years at most of his sales, what he's really noticed recently is the uptick in people wanting to get the hands-on experience before they purchase. "I've also got other antique dealers from around the area who are coming to me with their inventory," says Darling, "just so they can add it to one of our sales." Hector Diaz, a local dealer from Galveston, who uses Darling's company, says he's almost getting retail-prices at auction for the furniture he's trucking in from his storage site, which he normally uses as a base for his online shipping and distribution. "Five years ago - no way," says Diaz, "but today I'm moving more case pieces and heavy Victorian stock at a better overall price than I've ever done before." 

Most dealers are quick to point out that while the hybrid online/offline version definitely still works, it's become increasingly clear that the public's interest in attending live sales events has spiked dramatically over the past year. "I just think the whole Covid thing re-set a lot of peoples priorities," says Shelly Hoffman, who manages a large antique and vintage mall on the outskirts of Kansas City. "It's crazy that we were locked down only a a year or two ago, and now we're literally having to set counter-limits on the number of people who can enter the mall." According to Hoffman, her booth dealers are also reporting some of their strongest numbers ever, with many admitting that their online sales have been overtaken by customers who arrive on foot. "People are literally getting into bidding wars right in front of vendors booths," explained Hoffman. "I've never seen this kind of frenzied buying before except maybe at online auctions." David Harvey, who's had a booth at the mall for more than ten years, says that in the past there were always spaces opening up with vendors coming and going, but that today the wait-list for a booth can be anywhere from twelve to twenty-four months. "I've had to hire someone to man my space just so I can go and pick inventory," says Harvey. "I'm not complaining, but it can be a bit stressful trying to keep up with the demand sometimes." ​