[This post, along with a few others you'll see soon, comes from Stacey, to whom we are very grateful. Thank you, Stacey!]
Anyone who doubts the existence of the hunter-gatherer gene in the urban dweller should watch me troll the thrift shops on 17th Street. I regularly visit three such stores on the blocks between 7th and 5th Avenues. While I love to snag designer boots for ten bucks, the goods I’m after are for tabletop and kitchen.
I began this practice after moving into a studio apartment in Greenwich Village. Cooking in an overcrowded space naturally leads to glassware and dish casualties. Fed up with expensive replacements that were temporary, it was time to go the second-hand route.
I love this post!
I've always been loathe to come out about my thrift store cooking/serving ware finds --I guess irrationally I supposed people would find them gross--but some of the most special additions to my kitchen have been scavenged from my favorite thrift store in Cape Cod. Meat forks and serving spoons adorned with 50s black and aqua daisies, roasting pans, smart little parfait cups that say "conversations," and big serving dishes proclaiming "masschusetts" in curly cursive--not to mention my big yellow formica 50s kitchen table. The trick is to save money while rendering your kitchen a little more unique, rather than sacrificing quality where it counts. And, naturally, cleaning the bejesus out of everything when you get it home!
I often haunt this block during lunch hour! Another great posse of thrift shops is the area around 3rd Av and E 23rd -- another Housing Works location, the City Opera Thrift Shop, Salvation Army and Goodwill, and another -- whose name escapes me at the moment -- down 3rd on the West side of the street near 22nd. Got some great mexican glassware recently at the City Opera shop -- and they have a HUGE selection of cookbooks.
all of my "good" cooking stuff is from thrift stores. amazing wooden bowls, an entire set of le creuset pots 'n pans, copper pots, skewers, you name it. i find nothing gross about it! after all, what do people think they're eating out of or off of when they go to restaurants? pots, pans, plates, and utensils that others have used. soap and water are miraculous things. good kitchenwares will last forever, so there's no reason to not get the old, used stuff...it can be as good as new and much, much cheaper.
Heather, you got a whole set of Le Creuset at a thrift store, how? Congratulations.
I do a lot of thirft shop and stoop sale kitchen shopping as well.
Is the Housing Works on 17th street re-opened now? Last I checked they were closed for rennovations.
17th St Housing Works still closed as of last Friday.
The kitchen aisle is the first place I head to in thrift shops. For me, it's the only way to justify really specialized stuff or fancy-pants dishware (both of which I love).
According to their website, the 17th Street location has re-opened...
http://www.housingworksauctions.com/blog/
The good news is that the 17th St Housing Works is open again.
The bad news is that I think that they've raised prices a bit -- I can remember finding great little treasures in there for a few bucks. Over the weekend when I popped in, I saw a cute little wooden owl figurine. Before, I think they might have charged $2 or $3 for it. Imagine my surprise when I saw the $10 price tag!
Thrift shopping isn't what it used to be (sigh).
I stand humbly corrected on 17th St location -- definitely re-opened. Looking back, I didn't take any lunch-time walks last week -- way too hot!
I have always found Housing Works to be a bit pricier than other thrift stores, but the shopping is still fun and occasionally a bargan can be found. I once got a bunch of Federal "ameoba" glasses to add to my collection for next-to-nothing; and recently bought a Harris Strong tile work for really really cheap (ok, this is more AT than The Kitchen!) -- clearly whoever priced the item had no idea what they were dealing with. It's always worth a quick visit!
Also keep in mind that Housing Works pricing model is a bit more complicated than some other second hand shops. When they first start a season -- after a rennovation or after one of their new season events -- the prices are at their highest. Then, as the 'season' goes along, they mark down some of the better items that hadn't sold so far. The trick, of course, is balancing how much you want something with how likely it is to be sold out.
chris,
i may have been overly excited when i said "an entire set" of le creuset pots & pans... i don't even know how many are in an entire set. but i would say that i scored a dozen or so different pieces (and not all at the same time). most of the credit goes to my boyfriend, as he usually sees the stuff before i do. and he/we scour the thrift stores religiously (weekly at least).