Last week I made my way to the Salvation Army and did a little browsing. I was surprised to see it was packed in the middle of the day. Seriously, I’ve never seen the line that long on a weekday. But I guess everyone wanted to take advantage of the 50 percent off family sale they have every Wednesday.

After not finding anything great {but I can’t say I really looked that hard}, I made my way to the third floor. One thing I really love about this location is the furniture selection. The entire upstairs is devoted to furniture and home decor {and there’s even a nice book selection}.

Check out what I found during my trip and a few tips on how to thrift shop for furniture.

I can always count on this Salvation Army having a ton of couches and chairs. I actually bought the chaise lounge and leopard chairs in my apartment from here. During this trip, I absolutely fell in love with this gold and cream couch. It was $175 and in perfect shape.

The store slashes the price if an item goes unsold after 10 days. So it’s always a gamble when deciding to buy now or hold off and wait for it to be marked down and hope and pray no one buys it. I always suggest if you can’t live without the piece of furniture, if you’ll go home regretting not purchasing it, get it. There’s nothing worse than heading back to the shop and your dream piece is now home with someone else. If you like something, but don’t love it, it’s totally ok to walk away.

Speaking of disappointment…do you see the adorable vanity above? Well, it was $75…but was already sold. Some thrift stores will allow you to leave notes for the seller and offer to buy the item off of them, so check with your store to see if they allow this.

One thing I really love about thrifting for furniture is the vintage electronics you stumble across. I saw the box above and had no idea what it was, it just had a $10 sticker on it. I opened it up to reveal an old school typewriter. You’d pay way more than $10 for a vintage find like this if it was in an antique shop.

Some people like myself buy vintage electronics for decoration and never plan on using them, but if you do want a functional piece, plug it up before buying it. Those “as is” stickers mean just that. No returns!

Another interesting item I found was this lamp. It’s kinda verging on being over the top, but that’s what I love about it. Amazing details like this are the reason I actually prefer digging for thrift store scores.

Thrift Tip:
Don’t be afraid to make a few repairs or repurpose your thrifted furniture and finds. Thrift stores are great places to find vintage suitcases, which can be stacked and used as a bedside table. And if a chair or couch has a few stains, sure you can reupholster it or just throw a cover over it. And for wood items like tables, dining chairs or book cases, a bit of sanding and a coat of paint can work wonders. Be sure to check out my segment for Home Savvy on how to update thrift store furniture.

Focus on construction of an item {is it sturdy?} and its functionality. Minor rips and stains can be repaired or covered. But always factor in potential repairs. A $50 couch may sound like a deal, but not when you spend hundreds to have it professionally reupholstered.

photo 1: source