Shop at Goodwill®: You Never Know What You Might Find

Remember that episode of “Friends” when Phoebe shares her distaste for Pottery Barn because everyone who shops there ends up with the same stuff? Today’s post is dedicated to all of you Phoebes out there who prefer to have the unique, eye-catching pieces that can only be found at places like Goodwill. Whether you seek oddities that cause a raised brow, collector’s items, or clothing custom-made for celebrities, you never know what you might find at Goodwill!

Photo1
Image via facebook.com/goodwillsuncoast

When I saw the above photo in an album entitled “Things that make you go hmm…” shared on Facebook by Goodwill Suncoast (St. Petersburg, FL) my first reaction was to exclaim “WHAT?!” somewhat fearfully at my computer screen. Questions then started pouring into my head: What is this creature? Who would have owned it in the first place? Will it ever find a loving home again? But then I thought of my husband and his affinity for eerie curios and knew that even something this hideous would be a highly treasured conversation piece for some lucky thrifter. (Side note: we don’t live anywhere near Florida so I, thankfully, don’t have to worry about my husband trying to convince me to bring this beast home. If we did live nearby, you can bet he’d be wrestling it into my shopping cart right now.)

Photo2
Image via ashtabulagoodwill.org

Moving on…When it comes to limited edition collectibles, you have to act fast or you’re usually out of luck. A special Barbie doll, for example, will be released for a short amount of time while a certain show or celebrity is relevant, but will be snatched up quickly by super fans. It would be easy to say that since the early bird gets the worm, everyone else is out of luck, but that just isn’t the case when you love to thrift and Goodwill of Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania (Ashtabula) proves this with this assortment that was donated to one of their stores! You never know when a collector may decide to part with their entire collection for the benefit of a worthy cause or when someone will accidentally donate a rare treasure simply because they aren’t aware of its value.

Photo3
Image via putthison.com

Maybe the coolest thing about shopping at Goodwill, besides joining Goodwill to help empower youth with the confidence and courage to make positive choices in your community, is having the chance to stumble upon something that was custom-made for a celebrity. It may seem like a long shot, but Jesse from the blog Put This On managed to locate an article of clothing that was tailored specifically for pro basketball player Kevin Love. How cool is that? You could literally walk a mile in your hero’s shoes.

Have you ever been surprised to see a certain something tucked away in a thrift store clothing rack or screaming at you from a shelf? We would love to hear your story! Tell us in the comments about your most unusual Goodwill find…