A few weeks ago, we here in Jenworld invited a bunch of friends over for an Italian-themed dinner. There were around 30 people here and I went through a lot of paper plates and plastic forks and whatnot.
Surveying the mess and bags of trash afterward, Pete and I realized just how incredibly wasteful we had been. We hit upon the fab plan to hit a bunch of thrift shops and stock up on plates, utensils, etc. Since we already have 10 or 12 place settings of plain white dishes from Williams Sonoma, I decided that I’d only buy white or clear glass dishes, so as to keep everything in the same-ish color family. I also decided to buy around 40 dinner plates, 40 dessert plates, and an equal number of full sets of utensils.
Where am I going to store all this? Let me remind you of an important fact about my kitchen:
All of that cabinet space is for dishes. In fact, most of the top row is empty. We designed our house around our kitchen, which is large enough that we can cook for a crowd. And since we moved in last year, we have taken advantage of this and have hosted more gatherings than ever.
So yeah, we have plenty of storage space for 50 place settings of dishes.
By the way, here’s a small part of the Jenworld pantry:
Yes, the photo was taken by the dawn’s early light.
Let’s zoom in a bit, shall we?
I did some cleaning and organizing recently. Let’s just say that I out-Martha’d even Martha Stewart herself.
Actually, no, wait, I didn’t. Now that I think about it, the Martha would probably use rare antique French mason jars and then would have her in-house calligrapher label each jar. Using a stash of Cleopatra’s papyrus and Marie Antoinette’s ink.
Anyway, getting back to my thrift shop project…
I’ve never really been much of a thrift shopper, so this foray into the world of second-hand goods has been a real eye opener for me.
To start with, there are definitely hierarchies of thrift shops. There are the cute boutique-y kind run by church ladies that are frequented by people who are just idly shopping and who like to brag about the deals they get. (You know, like me.) Then there are the ones like Goodwill and Salvation Army where the customers desperately need the lowest prices possible. Those are some vast ends of the spectrum.
I quickly figured out that most thrift shops will charge 25 to 50 cents per plate, so one shop was quickly eliminated when I realized that they were charging $1-2 each. Honestly, if I had shopped there first, I wouldn’t have batted a well-mascara’d eyelash over it, but since I’d already scored about 15 plates for $4 elsewhere, suddenly I became a super bargain hunter.
I also learned which shops were cleaner and which were utterly filthy. Oddly enough, the dirtiest place here in town was also the best organized. I guess I know now where they’ve allocated their staff hours.
I’ve been finding dessert plates with no problem, but dinner plates are proving to be more difficult. And, strangely enough, while most places have large buckets full of dinner knives, almost no one has forks and spoons. What’s that all about?
While I’m in the thrift shops, I tend to let my eyeballs wander a bit and I’ve seen a lot of unusual and unexpected things.
Lots of old Christmas decorations.
A kajillion baskets.
Apparently every wine festival wine glass ever made.
Used shoes. REALLY well-worn used shoes.
And, in one place, an old gray wig.
It looked a lot like this:
… only more like road kill.
Who buys a wig from a thrift shop?
That’s a serious question. Speculate all you want in the comments.
Who buys a wig from a thrift shop? My 21 year old sister who thinks its hilarious or her 22 year friend who slept on the roof of a house to be near the stars.
I’m a little envious of your kitchen and pantry.
Maybe college kids who need to attend a theme party? Though I’m not sure what the theme of that party would be….
Used wigs give me the heebies.
And I’m weeping, WEEPING, over your abundance of cabinets.
Who buys a wig from a thrift shop?
Bank robbers.
I still love your cabinets…
I love and loathe thrift shops. As for the dirty ones…at least plates and cutlery are easily washed. My in-laws are the masters of thrift shops. They always point us to the right ones. Although we did bomb on finding a decent small dresser for under $200.
College kids looking for cheap hobo costumes. They buy wigs at thrift stores. And then run them through the wash. Nope, definitely not experience talking.
One word comes to mind… lice. And I can’t get past that word.
I *might* buy a wig from a thrift shop if it was part of a costume. Probably not if it was intended to be a real wig, like something someone wore often. Regardless, I’d put it through the dishwasher before wearing. (I know you can do this because the Cubs radio announcer cleans his toupee in the dishwasher.)
I’m going to guess if you went into a thrift store in Chicago, most of those wine glasses would have previously been mine.
I just had that thought: Halloween costume!
I adore your cupboards. I also had mine built all the way to the ceiling. Why would anyone leave that top part open and have to DUST it? I’d rather have the storage!
Around here Goodwill is wicked expensive and the city/local thrift shops have better stuff AND better bargains. No kidding. Goodwill has trash. That said , they all smell a little odd.
I was going to whine about your awesome cupboards and your need for so many dinner plates, but now all I can think of is wigs and toupees in my dishwasher. Ick x 10.
So *that’s* where my wig got to. Must have put it in the ‘Stuff to go to Salvation Army’ box instead of the
‘unflattering grey wigs to wear to work’ box.
I am absolutely PEA GREEN over your kitchen. And your girls’ hideaway. Does this mean we’re going to get more pictures of Jenworld?
What a fabulous idea to stock up on plates and cutlery.
@bdaiss – every time I see your name, my brain says “bad ass.”
@Greenie – the reason to leave room on top of the cabinets is so one will have space to display one’s collection of teapots that don’t look like teapots. The collection that has been in storage for the last 6 years because one’s current home doesn’t even have the decency to have cabinets to the ceiling – it has soffits, which are the real waste of space. Theoretically, one might miss those teapots…a lot.
Last year I threw caution to the wind and bought a straw hat at Goodwill for $1, thinking that I’d rather lose it in the wilds of the Everglades than a hat I already owned and liked. I didn’t lose it and still occasionally wonder if it’s silently infecting everything in my closet.
I love the idea of having a stock of mismatched plates for dinner parties!
Yes, we have a bit of both near where I live too – second hand shops with really great stuff and ones that are a complete mess with things I couldn’t imagine anyone buying. When you have the time, it really is fun to stop in one to see if you can find a bargain
Maybe a person who has lost their wig? We were at Cedar Point this summer, getting ready to ride the ferry boat, and I noticed a wig siting on a wooden barrel by the entrance. I just had to take a picture of it.
The fun part about white dinnerware is that you can go crazy with colorful and/or holiday linens. you could even get some fabric (new or recycled) and sew your own.
The deal with forks and spoons….you take them in your lunch and they never make it home. Nobody takes knives in their lunchbox.
This comment was brought to you by your friendly former Pottery Barn employee.
Goodwill is the Macy’s of used stores around here. You can hit a Sally Army shop and sometimes score, but the individual shops are always the best. I can just picture those dishes all clean and stacked on the buffet table for the next big ‘do’ at your house. What time should I arrive?
My spoons go off with the single socks, never to be seen again. The forks get bent because someone tries to use them as tools…
Donald Trump.