Thrift Store Haul: Part Deux

This weekend was far from fun: I worked both days (Saturday at the bookstore and then a reception at the museum) and came down with a cold. Accordingly, I will be blogging vicariously through the decidedly more fun activities of last weekend.

My first thrift store success story came from a trip to Urban Ore, a mecca of all things used, outdated, vintage, and bizarre. And while it often hopelessly panders to the tragic hipster (read: overcharges for vintage oddities and employs trendy folk) they have some great stuff, especially if you aren't opposed to doing some rummaging.

Evan, myself and our friend Louis stopped by Urban Ore last Thursday afternoon. The menfolk had their eyes set on the used vinyl and CDs section. Meanwhile, I headed straight for the kitchen wares department. I was pleasantly surprised to find that someone had recently organized everything, which made finding what I was looking for so much easier. I'm not opposed to having to dig through mounds of stuff and really look through everything, but I do love organization. Much as last time I was hoping to find some large mason jars (for storing dry goods) and found two.

And as always, I kept my eyes peeled for any Pyrex or Corning ware. As luck would have it, I found a lovely 13" round Corning casserole dish. Despite some rust colored stains along the crevices of the handles, it was in great condition and totally worth the $3.50 that I paid.

I was also looking for a glass that would be suitable in both style and design for my DIY cake stand project. I knew that I wanted something old, sturdy and preferably antique looking and/or colorful. After scouring the kitchen section three times and leaving disappointed, I spotted some vintage, rose colored cocktail glasses in Urban Ore's "Vintage Boutique" section. There were six glasses in total, and I thought about buying them all, but at $4 a pop, I settled on just one. I felt bad about destroying the set, but know that I couldn't afford all six and that I probably wouldn't ever have a use for them.

I also picked up a scrap of cloth for a buck and a small blue and white plate, which brought the grand total to $13. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

On Sunday we walked to the Laney Flea Market--an open air bizarre that I can only describe as truly bizarre. The general consensus about the Laney Flea Market is that there it is mostly full of junk and/or merchandise of questionable provenance or quality, but it also has its diamond in the ruff moments--if you're willing to pay the $1 to get in and work for it. As with every other thrift store and flea market, I shop at Laney with the express purpose of finding anything antique, Pyrex, vintage or unique. On my first trip there last fall I found an amazing bohemian, maroon scarf/shawl and a gold, leaf necklace that I absolutely adore.

power drill, anyone?

This time I found three items: a squarish oval Corning casserole dish, a hexagonal shaped bowl...and a medium sized, vintage Pyrex mixing bowl. I was so excited about the Pyrex bowl that I even haggled a little bit, which is something that I rarely do because it makes me feel uncomfortable. But the man was very nice and I'm sure very tired of lugging it around. (He also had two larger Pyrex bowls that were very similar to the one that I bought, but they were badly scratched.) Needless to say I am well on my way to amassing a hodgepodge collection of dishes...I like the sound of that.

Although the color palette is different, the motifs on the bowl matches that on the divided casserole dish that I bought a few months ago.