Article content If you go by social media, thrifting is fun, easy and lucrative. But it’s not all lost Picasso paintings and discarded Queen Anne chairs. In fact, thrifting — when done right — can be kind of a grind.
“It’s something I joke about with my friends, because they’ll say, ‘I want to go thrifting with you,’ and then they go with me, and they’re like, ‘this is awful,’” said thrifting expert and writer Virginia Chalmee. “Everyone thinks that you just go in and there’s a bright light shining on this wonderful painting. But the reality is, you’re on your hands and knees, you’re lifting up cushions and you’re wiping dust off of things.
And for every really incredible find, I’ve probably gone to at least six different stores.” The Florida-based Chalmee will be at this year’s to talk about thrifting and styling. The author of the 2022 book Big Thrift Energy: The Art and Thrill of Finding Vintage Treasures-Plus Tips for Making Old Feel New, she’s also a writer for People magazine, where her beat includes political and human interest stories.
For Chamlee, thrifting began as a hobby. “Growing up, I thrifted with my grandmother. I have always considered myself a collector, and then probably about eight years ago, I started selling my finds, and this was really just a way to scratch an itch.
I would find something really cool, but maybe I didn’t have room for in my house. I wasn’t even viewing it as a money-making endeavour.” No.
