4 Tips for
buying
clothing at flea markets and thrift stores
1 Search pockets and other hidden places for objects. 2 When you wash the clothes, add baking soda to absorb any odors. 3 Look closely for stains, tears, and care instructions for material. 4 Be careful with vintage clothing. It can easily be ruined. You may want to hand-wash. Beware of putting used clothing, especially vintage clothing, in the dryer. 5 Check the laundry instruction tag to be sure of correct water temperature.
snowbird from Ohio, who was shopping with her friend Pam from Indiana. “I always come when I’m down here, and I always take things back home with me.” However, this particular store is not only for shopping. A ministry of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, it is closed on Saturday, but bustling the rest of the week. “We have lots of business, and we have a good crew working here,” says Jane Gibart, a volunteer at the store. “On Tuesdays, we have free food—bread and sweets. We have the most food on Wednesday and Sunday, when we have pizza and wings and fresh produce.” Tracy Branch, of Umatilla, likes the large selection of items available at LCM Thrift Store. “You find stuff you don’t normally find—unique items,” she says. “I come once a week because you never know what you’re going to find, and if you don’t come, you might miss it.” Treasure Mart is at 308 W. Ardice Ave., just down from LCM Thrift Store, which brings up another point Jennifer made: thrift stores are not competitive like other retailers. “They
know people who like to shop in thrift stores are going to go to as many as they can. They don’t worry about it,” she says. “We have people who come in nearly every day,” says Ashley Barnhart, of Treasure Mart. “Our Yeti cups are very popular because he buys the patterns I’ve never seen before. We sell a lot of jewelry, too, along with furniture, especially to small businesses.” Michael Tedesco is assistant manager at Our Mother’s Attic in Wildwood, a ministry of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. He says the store also is busy every day. “Our proceeds provide for the food pantry and soup kitchen and for other outreach programs in the church, along with the Lazarus Clinic,” he says. The Lazarus Clinic is a program of Catholic Charities of Central Florida and the San Pedro de Jesus Maldonado Mission. In Lady Lake, Ye Olde Thrift Shoppe is operated by volunteers of The Villages Regional Hospital Auxiliary. “Our shop is always busy, and merchandise changes from one hour to the next,” assistant manager Curt Kroll says.
As shift leader, Joan Wicklas manages the volunteers who work at the store. “We have regulars who come in all the time. I had a fashion show using clothes from the shop at one of the recreations centers, and one of the ladies wore her own clothes in the fashion show, and donated them later,” Joan says. “People come in often because we sell items quickly. It usually comes in and goes out the same day.” Ye Olde Thrift Shoppe, at 106 W. Lady Lake Blvd., is a nonprofit organization, and proceeds go to provide equipment and items needed at The Villages Regional Hospital. Don’t forget the back side of the thrift stores: it’s a great place to donate good, usable items. You can get a tax form so you can claim your donation on your taxes, and you can help a charitable organization at the same time. It’s time to do spring cleaning or maybe you’re ready get new furniture, and a thrift shop is one of the best places to donate items. Of course, you can always have your own garage or yard sale and enjoy the fun of haggling with buyers on a sunny Florida day.
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