queen of the junk-le
proudly presenting my newest find, a bosley b2 35mm camera circa 1945-1952:
I love to go "junking" as my mom calls it. That is, i love thrift stores. Even as a child, a trip to the "junk shop" meant wonders beyond my wildest dreams were just a short car ride away. over the years, various books, records, sweaters, t-shirts, pieces of jewelry, mugs and drinking glasses, artwork, sunglasses, hats, purses, trinkets, and more recently, cameras have made their way into my possession. I haven't yet given up on finding a perfect pair of cowboy boots, and I will forever kick myself for not buying the vintage accordion i saw there last year, but other than that, most junk shops have been very good to me. My one I turn to most is Savers in Milpitas, Ca . Formerly Thrift Village, I can still recall the sign that hung above the store with it's large, dark blue scalloped letters that beckoned people to this village of thrift. In the 80s, i think it beckoned my mother because she had 4 daughters all under the age of 10 to clothe and entertain. I in no way felt slighted by going to a second hand store, because when you are 5, it's quantity over quality, and I could get 5 barbies at Thrift Village as opposed to the measly 1 I could snag at Toys-R-Us. Who cares if they were naked and missing most of their hair? It made them unique. I always knew which ones were mine. As a teenager, Savers became my style secret. The grunge, and later, vintage nerdy look of the 1990s, could be achieved quite easily by a quick trip to savers. I must admit, my sister maureen was the one who was really good at putting together stellar ensembles, but I did what any good little sister would: I copied her. Soon my closet was filled with pullover V-neck cardigans, Dickies pants, corduroys, soft cotton vintage t-shirts, polyester dresses, various jackets, funky jewelry, and purses galore. When I was 14, my sister was the coolest, and I felt cool emulating her style. Now that I'm a little older, the clothes aren't as apealing to me. Now when I go there, i ususally hit up the books, movies, music, artwork, barware, and special locked cases. It's hard for me to walk away from cameras, which is why I picked up the Bosley. I often joke with my friend emily that I could open up my own vintage store with all the junk I have collected over the years. I even have a name picked out in case I decide to persue the idea. I guess if I have a name picked out, it's not really a joke as much as a secret desire. My only fear is that I would set up shop, but then turn into Enid from Ghost World, marking my items $1000, or ridculing and insluting people when they came up the register, so that they wouldn't buy what they picked up. in the end, I would just have to let all that go, because when I found the stuff, it was someone else's junk. It became my treasure. I would rather it stay someone's treasure than become my "old junk" if someone other than me has to end up getting rid of it.
on an unrelated, but nevertheless consummer driven note, I finally got an ipod, so my weekend will be spent playing with my new toy :)
I love to go "junking" as my mom calls it. That is, i love thrift stores. Even as a child, a trip to the "junk shop" meant wonders beyond my wildest dreams were just a short car ride away. over the years, various books, records, sweaters, t-shirts, pieces of jewelry, mugs and drinking glasses, artwork, sunglasses, hats, purses, trinkets, and more recently, cameras have made their way into my possession. I haven't yet given up on finding a perfect pair of cowboy boots, and I will forever kick myself for not buying the vintage accordion i saw there last year, but other than that, most junk shops have been very good to me. My one I turn to most is Savers in Milpitas, Ca . Formerly Thrift Village, I can still recall the sign that hung above the store with it's large, dark blue scalloped letters that beckoned people to this village of thrift. In the 80s, i think it beckoned my mother because she had 4 daughters all under the age of 10 to clothe and entertain. I in no way felt slighted by going to a second hand store, because when you are 5, it's quantity over quality, and I could get 5 barbies at Thrift Village as opposed to the measly 1 I could snag at Toys-R-Us. Who cares if they were naked and missing most of their hair? It made them unique. I always knew which ones were mine. As a teenager, Savers became my style secret. The grunge, and later, vintage nerdy look of the 1990s, could be achieved quite easily by a quick trip to savers. I must admit, my sister maureen was the one who was really good at putting together stellar ensembles, but I did what any good little sister would: I copied her. Soon my closet was filled with pullover V-neck cardigans, Dickies pants, corduroys, soft cotton vintage t-shirts, polyester dresses, various jackets, funky jewelry, and purses galore. When I was 14, my sister was the coolest, and I felt cool emulating her style. Now that I'm a little older, the clothes aren't as apealing to me. Now when I go there, i ususally hit up the books, movies, music, artwork, barware, and special locked cases. It's hard for me to walk away from cameras, which is why I picked up the Bosley. I often joke with my friend emily that I could open up my own vintage store with all the junk I have collected over the years. I even have a name picked out in case I decide to persue the idea. I guess if I have a name picked out, it's not really a joke as much as a secret desire. My only fear is that I would set up shop, but then turn into Enid from Ghost World, marking my items $1000, or ridculing and insluting people when they came up the register, so that they wouldn't buy what they picked up. in the end, I would just have to let all that go, because when I found the stuff, it was someone else's junk. It became my treasure. I would rather it stay someone's treasure than become my "old junk" if someone other than me has to end up getting rid of it.
on an unrelated, but nevertheless consummer driven note, I finally got an ipod, so my weekend will be spent playing with my new toy :)
Comments