Yesterday Mrs. Hillbilly and her mom and I went thrift store shopping. Apparently I underestimated just HOW MUCH her mother loves shopping at thrift stores because we were at the Goodwill for an 1 hour and 42 minutes. I don’t think I’ve spent more than 15 minutes in any thrift store at any one time before. I’m more of a get in, get out kind of shopper, not a let’s examine every.single.item. the store has for sale today kind of person. But it was fun, and we did find some sweet deals.
Like a pair of wooden shoes {which would have come in handy during my gnome phase} but sadly they were too small. I thought about buying them for my 86 year old neighbor lady who’s from Norway… but she already has a pair on her front porch.
While in the kitchen section Mrs. HB found a flask with some whiskey still in it and I dared her to drink it. But she wouldn’t {party pooper}. She also found a really cool Southern Living candle holder and a new Pampered Chef rice cooker.
But the highlight of the trip {for me at least} was this sweet, cream colored 1950’s upholstered chair {with a feather stuffed seat thank you very much!}. I nearly passed out when I saw the price.
$1.99. I was like SERIOUSLY, how can I not buy this chair for $1.99!? That’s less than a gallon of milk!
Mrs. HB – Oh.My.G….. You are not buying that. It’s probably full of bugs.
Mrs. HB’s Mom – Oh wow, now that is a nice chair.
Mavis – Are you freaking kidding me? I am totally buying this for $1.99!!!!!
And so I did.
I dragged it into the house all by myself and as soon as I put it down Lucy jumped up to test it out. Let’s just say she wouldn’t move for a good 2 hours and thinks I bought it for her. 
True, the legs are a little rough and need to be stained and the chair has a thrift store smell to it after being locked up with old books and used underwear for 5 weeks… but I think I just saved myself some serious money. I was looking for a chair to go with our grey couch and something that was neutral to go with the fireplace.
What do you think? Trash or treasure?
~Mavis
Frustrated with the prices at thrift stores lately? Well you’re not the only one… Check out the post Am I The Only One Who Thinks Thrift Store Prices Are Getting Ridiculous? The comments are eye opening.
Do you have an eye for trash or treasure? Send a picture of your awesome find and the story behind how you came upon it and if we post them, you’ll earn a $20 gift card to Amazon.com. The greatest store in the world. Go HERE for complete details.
See More Trash to Treasure Posts:
- Dansko Shoes, a Free Fire Pit and More
- Seeds and Recipes Passed on to a New Generation
- Old Chair
- $2 Bushel Basket and a FREE Dog House
- Red and White Enamelware + Vintage Berry Press
- Terra Cotta Flower Pots
- Mavis Scores Big At The Garage Sale
- Wooden Garden Sign
- Mavis Scores BIG at the Goodwill
- One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure – Pumpkins
- How to Find Free Containers For Your Garden
- Mavis Goes to the Goodwill and Finds the Best Dress Ever!
- Mavis Goes to The Goodwill and Finds 50 Boyfriends Worse Than Yours
susan says
Love the chair!!! And its mid century!!!!
Julie says
The chair is a total win! To make it last another 50+ years, consider re-upholstered; pricey, but totally worth it.
Brianna says
Did you sit in the chair for 1h27m after your 15 minutes of shopping? I would have gravitated towards it too if I was in a thrift store that long. I think it is an excellent find and I wish my Goodwill had prices like that or even decent items. Ours is overpriced, junky, and disorganized.
Donna says
Not only would I have been sitting, I’d have pulled out a book and got in some good reading time!
Teresa says
The chair is sweet! Good deal. I visited the Netherlands in the spring and they plant the wooden shoes with pansies, so you may want to think about it!
Mavis says
Aw man! Pansies! That makes me want to go back and get those right now.
Jen J says
I love the chair but am more fascinated by the shoes. Do you know their purpose? Farmers wear them because if a cow steps on their feet it won’t crush them. I never knew! We saw them being made in a little town in the Netherlands and I was hooked. I’m so curious how this pair ended up in a thrift store.
Mavis says
I totally did not know that. Thanks for sharing Jen!
Upstate NYer says
Fantastic deal ! My GW never has any nice furniture but good deals on other things.
I hope you steam cleaned that chair once you got it home. It will do wonders for any remaining scents left on it.
Lana says
Ever watch the Big Bang Theory episode where they find a chair on the curb? I totally love it and am green with envy.
Lesley says
TREASURE! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And you, Mavis, are a treasure as well! Have loved your blog for years. It’s one of the few that leaves me feeling better after reading it.
janet in woodway says
Great score!! Idea for the legs/feet. Go to home depot and buy paint one shade darker than the upholstery. This was advice from an upholstery shop who said that was what the high end designers are doing.
Mavis you make me laugh!!
Mavis says
Hmmm, good to know. Thanks!
Melissa M says
I have a pair of chairs very similar to that one. They were in my mother-in-law’s home when she was growing up. When I married her son, they came to our house. We’ve been married 22 years & those chairs are still in our living room (I did have them recovered about 5 years ago). They’re great. Not too big or deep. Just right. They don’t make chairs like that anymore. What an awesome find!
Mavis says
That just goes to show that classic furniture always stay in style.
bobbi dougherty says
Love the chairs, but I would def de-bug/smell it, lol…
Mavis says
It is already airing out nicely. Any tips on the de-bugging process?
Cindi says
Fantastic score on the chair! I think it looks great. It’s amazing that light-colored upholstery isn’t stained. I have a very similar chair that I bought from the Salvation Army 15 years ago — for $15. It is the most comfortable chair in the house and two different dogs have claimed it as their own.
Mavis says
Good point about it not being stained! I really want to believe it is a castaway from some sweet little old lady’s estate. For it’s age, I think it looks like it was loved–at least that’s what I am going to tell myself. Truth or not.
Tracie H says
Awesomesauce!!!! Best score ever. Love it. Thanks for sharing!
Helen in Meridian says
Shopping for whiskey at the Goodwill had me ROFL. I still feel guilty for not having found you a gnomie pair of wooden shoes in the right size. Great score on the chair. Two years ago I needed extra chairs for the 22 for Thanksgiving dinner. I found a Drexel Heritage set of 6 chairs and table for $40 at our Veteran’s Thrift store. I bought the chairs and said to give the table to someone else. It wouldn’t fit in the Jeep. Love spending my brief time daily with Mavis. DH looked over and saw the Shopping for Whiskey at Goodwill and the wooden shoes, and says HI to you.
Mavis Butterfield says
Tell him I said hello Helen. 🙂
Earlene says
My Goodwill smells so bad! Why??? So does Savers. I can hardly stand going in to either!
Mavis says
I’ve definitely been in my fair share of those types of thrift stores. I think it really depends on the community they are serving. This particular one gets the castaways from some pretty nice surrounding areas.
Jamie says
For 1.99 you could just give the chair to your dog as her official bed – much cheaper than a fancy pet bed!
Mavis says
Great point, Jamie. I hadn’t thought of it like that.
Kate says
I highly recommend using a blacklight. Make sure there aren’t any unknown body fluids….
Mavis says
EW! I think I’ll stick to ignorance being bliss over potentially lighting up a sketchy past on the chair.
Jenn in Indiana says
I would think it wouldn’t be too costly to just have one chair professionally cleaned, or do it yourself, if you have a carpet cleaner with a furniture attachment. But yeah, thinking of what people might have been “doing” in that chair through the years!
Jody says
Mavis, I love your new thrift score! The chair is fabulous! I bought a vintage chair in awesome condition this summer at a garage sale as she was closing up at the end of the day. She said it had been her in her grandmother’s house. The chair is my favorite piece of furniture!
Nancy from Mass says
That chair is a total steal! I never see prices like that at my GW , SA, Savers or St Vincents. I would steam clean it and maybe spray some febreze as well.
I can’t believe they left whiskey in the flask. Maybe a wife tossing out her hubbys’ stash?! 🙂
Mavis says
I’ve come up with a million different stories in my mind about that whiskey flask…so many possibilities, so little time.
Chyrl says
Total treasure. Lucy looks like she’s in love with it! I loved this post, laughed out loud at Mrs. HB’s comment. I don’t think you can go wrong for that price. It would be $199.00 at our Goodwill!