Thrifty Treasures

    I am a long time second/third/even fourth han enthusiast. The more liitle old grannys who have worn, used, and discarded an item the more I covet it.
   I was introduced to the best consignment shop this week. Love's Treasures (Love Inc.) of Jenison, MI is run for charity as all the best thrift stores are. And while the "shoppe" in the front is nicely arranged and well stocked, it is the out back warehouse that has me raving.
   Due to changing situations in my own life I have been thinking more and more about the difficulty (read as price) of furnishing a home, be it mansion or studio apartment. Furnishing is something I've never had to do as all my apartments in college came already completely funished-bed and all. I can't even imagine the cost if I had to start from scratch at say Sears. It would take me three years to save for a bedroom set.
   Not so if you go the consignment route. sofas $50, matched wing chairs $40 each. Antique bed frames for only $30! I even found an old wood dresser/vanity combination complete with huge mirror on top for only $50.
   In the end I walked out with nothing more then a beautiful white mosquito net (normally $50+) and item I have been shopping for for years. But I know that once the time comes for me to begin filling my own nest, I will steer clear or pricy department stores and seek for treasures at second-hand shops.