Kovels Antique Trader Vol. 67 No. 10 – August 2023

Fruit Salad Jewelry … Thrift Shop Royalty… John Dillinger Collectibles … Archival Fashion … Lamps & Lighting … Catalin Radios … ’70s & ’80s Toys … Magic Memorabilia … Collector’s Gallery … Prices

Kovels Antique Trader Debut Issue – August 2023

Thrifty Threads…Archival Fashion…Lamps and Lighting…Catalin Radios…’70s and ’80s Toys…Magic Memorabilia…John Dillinger & Gangster Memorabilia…Fruit Salad Jewelry…Thrift Shop Tourism…Ceramics Marks…Collector’s Gallery      

Thrift Shop Tourism

In cars, on buses or while sailing the seas, Patti Clark, Florida’s Happy Thrifter, treats her guests like Resale Queens.

By Wayne Jordan

When Patti Clark stepped into an elevator aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, she was dressed “to the nines” in her thrift shop cocktail dress. A woman behind her leaned forward and whispered into her ear, “I love your outfit, but you have left the price tag on.” Clark replied, “I know. I’m heading to our Minnie Pearl Happy Hour and Fashion Show. Everyone wears their favorite thrift store cocktail wear, leaving the price tags attached as a nod to comedienne Minnie Pearl.” Clark’s reply created a buzz among the elevator crowd, and suddenly everyone wanted more information about the thrifting group and what they were up to.

“What they were up to” was another Happy Thrifter cruise from Tampa to Cozumel, Mexico. It was a gathering of new and old friends brought together by their love of thrifting and a desire to have a lighthearted good time. The business tagline of Clark, a.k.a. The Happy Thrifter, is “We Put the Fun in Resale Adventures.” Browsing the photos on her website and Facebook page, it’s apparent that this is true. I’ve never seen so many genuine smiles and sparkling eyes. Says Clark, “We are so thrilled to now offer three ways — buses, cars and cruises — to participate in Thrift Shop Tourism.”

Thrift Shop Tourism

Bill Shafer, the host of the Emmy-nominated PBS series “Growing Bolder,” coined the phrase “Thrift Shop Tourism,” and the concept has taken root in Southwest Florida. Interviewing Clark, Shafer says, “It’s really never happened before where someone has connected all of these independent little shops in Tampa, and St. Pete, and Clearwater, and beyond, and created an outing, a safe way for everybody to get together, and socialize, and just have fun. You’ve invented Thrift Shop Tourism.”

Indeed.

A headline in the Charlotte County edition of Florida Weekly reads, “The Happy Thrifter tours turn shopping into a popular attraction.” Happy Thrifter Tours has become a media darling in Southwest Florida. They have been featured on Fox 13 Tampa Bay, WFLA News, WTSP 10, and over three dozen other newspapers, magazines, podcasts, and television broadcasts.

Stage One: The Newspaper

When Clark moved to Florida 20 years ago to care for her parents, she was already an established eBay seller. Southwest Florida was thick with resale shops, and she capitalized on the glut to keep her eBay store stocked. She made friends wherever she went — Happy Thrifter isn’t just her business name; it’s her life’s philosophy. Other shoppers would often remark, “Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a brochure listing all these stores?” Clark jumped on the idea. Leveraging her knowledge of local thrift markets, Clark created a brochure titled “The Happy Thrifter.”

The brochure has since grown into a full-sized newspaper listing resale shops from Ocala to Naples — about 450 of them. It is published four times yearly in two editions, one for the Greater Tampa Bay area and another covering Apollo Beach to Naples. Each edition is typically over 70 pages and contains merchant information, stories and advertising. It’s distributed free to the public at Happy Thrifter merchants, airports and visitor centers. Each edition includes a four-page pull-out map for personal auto touring titled “Road to Resale Adventures.” Patrons can use the map to plot a rewarding thrifting/resale route.

Stage Two: Motorcoach Tours

Early on, Clark shopped with friends, but her car was only big enough for four people. She often quipped, “Someday, I’m going to rent a bus and take everybody.” Thus began the Mystery Bus Tours. What’s the Mystery? On the first trip, patrons asked where the bus was going, and Clark shared the itinerary. Unfortunately, not everyone agreed on the destinations. On subsequent trips, Clark replied, “Where we are going is a mystery. The itinerary will be announced on the bus.”

Mystery Bus Tours happen on Thursdays. The coach picks up passengers — dubbed “Resale Queens” — in several cities. The bus makes four to six merchant stops daily, depending on the destinations. Stops are chosen from seventeen cities from Ocala to Naples. At these “shop until you resale drop” events, patrons are gone all day, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Participants are asked to bring shopping bags and a suitcase, box, or lidded plastic tub for storing their purchases in the bus’ cargo area. The merchants provide snack trays, door prizes and discounts.

A luxury motorcoach full of like-minded people is just the beginning. Since Florida traffic sometimes moves slowly, there are movies, popcorn, and — for those who imbibe — wine (strictly BYOB) to fill the slow spots. The deal includes a catered lunch, gift certificates, door prizes, raffles and merchant swag bags. Best of all, merchants offer hefty discounts to participants — around 70%. At checkout, patrons show their Happy Thrifter wristbands to get the discount. The steep discounts on merchandise make the $84 bus ticket worth the investment.

Stage Three: Thrifting Trip Cruises

The third part of the Happy Thrifter Adventures is the “OH SHIP, Florida Girls Thrifting Trip” event. These four-night cruises depart from the Port of Tampa to the Western Caribbean or from Miami to Key West and the Bahamas.

Onboard activities are planned with the group in mind:

• Welcome meet and greet and group photo session
• Guest speakers sharing tips on reselling and thrifting
• Minnie Pearl Happy Hour and Fashion Show
• “Make Ship” free thrift store
• White Elephant gift exchange
• Game nights, including the popular
  Slot Pull Group Game
• Dazzle Duck Hide and Seek

The usual cruising amenities apply:

• Onboard meals all-day
• Swimming, dancing, and performances
• Port shopping

 

Local Tourism Success

Happy Thrifter events are in demand in Southwest Florida; the buses and cruises book quickly, and the newspaper has become an invaluable resource for thrifters. But thrifters aren’t the only ones that benefit — merchants and the organizations they represent have found a steady source of revenue in these events. In 2021, at the height of the pandemic, the Happy Thrifter buses kept running (applying the usual safety precautions). When Clark reviewed the tour results for the pandemic year, she learned that the 23 tours still generated $218,000 in revenue for her Happy Thrifter merchants.

Keeping the tours running smoothly is no small task; there are a lot of details to attend to. Clark’s degree in marketing and her years of experience as an event planner enable her to keep her team of 23 on track. Her team includes office and editorial staff, tour sales and support, tour guides, marketing and distribution.

Tourism is booming, as is the secondhand market. Worldwide, revenue from used merchandise is expected to reach $77 billion by 2025, up from $36 billion in 2021. Shopping — thrift or retail — is integral to travel and vacations. Tourism boards nationwide should “hitch their wagons” to this surging trend.

To reach Patti Clark, order a copy of The Happy Thrifter newspaper, book a bus tour or cruise, or join the mailing list visit www.thehappythriftershopper.com. You’ll find their Facebook group at www.facebook.com/thehappythriftershopper.

 

Patti Clark poses with a cruise ship to Cozumel. Her Happy Thrifter motto: “Let Go and Have Fun.”

A Mystery Bus Tour welcoming committee in Punta Gorda, Fla.

A well-read group of Happy Thrifters.

 

Images courtesy of Patti Clark

Fall is a Great Time to Go Thrifting

We don’t really need an excuse to go thrift store shopping, but recently we celebrated “National Thrift Shop Day.” Finally shopping at stores such as Goodwill and online secondhand bargain hunting is celebrated with an official day! Did you know that on average, Americans throw away 70 pounds of clothing a year? And who knows how many perfectly good kitchen and ovenware items (we’re thinking Pyrex …) are regulated to thrift store shelves. We are helping the environment by thrifting.

If you missed Thrift Shop Day, don’t forget that fall is a great time to visit flea markets. Another reason to go thrifting. But don’t go unarmed. Have the link to Kovels.com handy on your phone, or bring the newest edition of Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide to make sure you are getting a great price.

We’ve shared our tips for bargain shopping before, but they are worth repeating:

If you are looking for furniture, measure before you go. Include measurements of doorways and the turns of stairways. Be careful though. Used furniture, because it is so popular now as people paint it and re-sell it, is rising in cost. It might not be a good buy anymore.

Look for chips or flaws that may be hidden under price stickers.

Old video games and vintage gaming systems are hot collectibles, worth rummaging past the old TVs and fax machines.

Anime books are hot sellers on the resale market. Buy a bunch of them cheap at used bookstores. Read them, keep them, or resell them for a profit.

Don’t buy a smelly or stained rugs or clothing. It may be difficult if not impossible to get the smell or stains out.

Take batteries with you to see if toys work.

 

 

 

We Will Call It … The Mystery of the 19th Century Marriage Certificate

Workers at the Hope Chest Thrift Store in Bolivia, N.C., made a fun discovery several weeks ago, and managed to solve a nearly unsolvable puzzle. Hope Harbor Executive Director Karmen Smith was looking at an old picture that had been donated of a little girl with a black dog and discovered that beneath the painting was a hidden piece of paper. It was a Marriage Certificate of a New Jersey couple. The names were very faded, but the first name was possibly William. The second name seemed too faded but might have been Katey. The date was April 11, 1875. Finding the family seemed impossible — until it wasn’t! 

 Thanks to social media, some genealogical research and Facebook sharing, the certificate is now in the hands of the couple’s great-granddaughter. Connie Knox, a local Genealogist spent a weekend of research looking through Ancestry.com posts. Hundreds of miles away, Irene Cornish of New York Mills, New York, decided to log into Ancestry.com on a whim. As it turned out, Knox was able to determine that Cornish was the great-granddaughter of the New Jersey couple. She told the outlet she only knows her great-grandmother, Katherine “Katey” Havey moved to America around the end of the Irish Potato Famine and went on to work as a servant in a Bordentown, New Jersey hotel until earning her citizenship, while her great-grandfather—William DeWorth—built and rented carnival rides, acts, and equipment for a living. 

 The marriage certificate is now in the hands of a family member … as improbable as that may have seemed in the beginning. 

 

 

Kovels Top 10 Thrift Shopping Tips

How to Avoid Wasting Money and Get the Most Out of a Thrift Store Visit.

Collectors know the thrill of the hunt at thrift stores, also called charity shops, hospice shops, second-hand stores, and consignment or resale shops. Vintage clothing, jewelry (watches, earrings, necklaces and pins), baskets, plates, china, furniture and even artwork all can be found. Shopping smart can reap rewards. Here are our top 10 tips on how to avoid wasting money and how to get the most out of your thrift store visit.

• Take batteries with you to see if toys work.
• Watch out for price stickers that might be hiding flaws or chips.
• Don’t buy a smelly rug. Sometimes, the smell can’t be washed out.
• Watch out for worms in wooden pieces. The tell-tale sign is tiny pin holes in very old, slightly damp wood. I have a friend with a table that actually had very small, almost transparent worms hatching in her dining room.
• Chipped cut glass is hard to spot. Run your hand over the rim. You should be able to feel any chips or cracks that follow the indents of the pattern. There is no way to repair pieces.
• Find a pretty paperweight? Watch out for cracks. Millefiori weights sell high but are often forged. Find a good one? Don’t put it on a sunny table. They can start a fire.
• Check clothing for stains. As with stinky rugs, the stains may not wash out.
• Looking for furniture bargains? Measure before you go shopping. A narrow staircase, low ceiling or sharp turn may turn an indoor table into an outdoor one.
• Watch out for fake store signs, especially tin ones. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is.
• Feel free to pick up items but remember if you break it, you buy it. If you have children with you, be sure they know the rules: hands behind back, ask for help for a closer look; wait outside the booth if you are bored.

 

Bonus tip! If you admire items, you will often get extra nice attention from the dealer, especially if you can show you like antiques and collectibles. If it happens to be a gift for your grandmother be sure to say so!

Here are some recent thrift store finds:

 

 

 

 

Thrift Store Shopping Made Chic

With spring comes both the cleaning bug and the urge to redecorate. If you are on a budget, shopping at thrift stores is both a good idea and kind of fun! In addition to finding bargains (if you look beyond the junk), these visits are like a step back in time, usually to about the 1970s and 1980s. 
 
Here are some suggestions to satisfy your spring fever: 
 
Ceramic and glass platters. When people clear house, they often discover an excess of kitchen and household accessories. We recently decided to spruce up our kitchen for each season and holiday by getting a plate stand and finding a nice platter (one with a witch for October, and a snowman for December) to display in the corner of the countertop. All cost under $8 each. 

Old patchwork quilts. Are your pets digging and scratching at your good furniture? Find a colorful old quilt (usually $10-$15, depending on the size), wash it and tuck it over the cushions and back of the couch or loveseat. Not only does it protect the furniture but brightens a room instantly! 

Vases. Bring spring inside. Glass vases are available in all colors, shapes and sizes and usually cost less than $2. Splurge and create a mantel display of fresh flowers! (If you are lucky, you may come across a quality vase!) 

Tablecloths. Think out-of-the-box and buy colorful tablecloths for your outdoor table. They cost $5-$10 and are way more classy than flimsy plastic ones. In fact, ditch paper plates and buy sets of dishes for outdoor use. Whole sets are available for about $20 for any size outdoor function. 

Lamps. Does your living room seem gloomy but you are not willing to splurge on expensive new lamps? Check out thrift store lamps. I’ve found heavy brass lamps that just need a good cleaning and new shade for $25. Someday, I hope to find a  Stiffel!