Think second-hand items are nothing more than tattered junk? Think again!

I’ve been in the midst of finally getting my craft studio setup properly (this has been a lot of years coming…). And the one rule I have for my place is that I don’t like to buy anything new that I don’t have to. There’s so much pre-used stuff available, that I see no reason to let it all go to a landfill, and waste energy creating something new, when I can just reuse what’s already available (plus, if you buy second hand it’s a whole lot cheaper).

Second Hand Doesn’t Mean Second-rate

Now a lot of people’s first thought about second hand is that it’s basically junk, barely holding itself together, but as a lifelong second-hand shopper (seriously, I’ve never paid over $5 for a pair of jeans because I always buy second hand), I can vouch for the fact that most second hand stuff is pretty damn nice. So I thought I’d share a few of my recent second-hand acquisitions, and let them speak for themselves.

I’d been needing a cupboard to organize my crafting area (because for the last several years I’ve just had a bunch of makeshift shelves that I put together in a feverish hurry many moons ago, comprised of a few pieces of plywood sitting on top of bricks). So I’d been checking the local thrift shops looking for a very specific cupboard. I wanted one with pullout shelves to hold all my crafting and sewing supplies. I knew I could make one if I had, but after burning out my adrenals last summer, energy and time are still a bit short. So purchasing one seemed a better option.

Eventually I made it up to Victor to Sequels and had a look around. I knew it was higher-end second hand furniture, so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to afford anything in there, but it was worth the look anyway. I couldn’t find what I was looking for in the main store, so they sent me over to the warehouse. As I was looking around, an adorable, 7 foot tall armoire caught my attention, not because I thought it was what I was looking for, but because I dug the bohemian-like paint job. So I went over to look at it just for fun, with no intention of actually taking it, I just wanted to admire its beauty.

Second Hand Can Be Unique

Pull out shelving!

The saleswoman opened up the doors, and I couldn’t believe it, pull out shelves! It was exactly what I wanted, and I even loved the paint job! As luck would have it, that paint job that I was so over the moon for had actually taken most of the value out of the cupboard, leaving it in a price range affordable for me. Plus since it was a custom paint job, it’s a totally unique piece of furniture. AWESOME!

I took one day to think about, and then called the store the very next day, and told them I’d take it. So it’s now sitting happily in my craft room, holding all of my ribbons and trim, wax, soap bases, cardstock, candles molds, paints, scissors, snaps, velcro, seashells, stray fabrics, etc. Basically everything I use to make crafts or costumes.

Second Hand Is More Affordable

In another happy thrift store find, I found a perfect little folding-leaf table. After my grandmother passed away, I was told I could have a little folding-leaf that she had kept in her washroom alcove for my craft studio. But until I had the studio insulated and ready to go, my aunt was going to use it in her garden shed as it was perfect height.

Well, I didn’t want to take my aunt’s garden shed table without replacing it, so I’d been watching for an appropriately sized table in the thrift shops for a couple years as I worked on readying my studio, and hadn’t seen anything. But as luck would have it, now that I’m actually in the process of setting up my craft studio properly, I walked into the Salvation Army, and low and behold, there was a folding-leaf table the exact same size as my grandmother’s!

Gramma’s table safely home with me

It was perfect timing! (in fact my horoscope that week said that everything would be in perfect synchronicity, so I guess it was right). The table in the Salvation Army was $10, so I grabbed it immediately and traded it to my aunt for Gramma’s table. It was in great shape too (even better shape than Gramma’s table actually, but Gramma’s has sentimental value to me).

Second Hand Furniture Can Be Redone

Another fun part of second hand furniture, is specifically looking for pieces to “ruin.” If you’re on the crafty side, second hand shops are a great place to find furniture to upcycle. You can find pieces to enhance with a little paint to fit your taste or decor without worrying about messing up an expensive new piece of furniture. And if you want to get serious about it, check out Kathryn Elliott’s Painting Flea Market Furniture book. I just finished reading it, and and it has a bunch of cool techniques to make plainer, second-hand pieces look fabulous! I’m planning to use a few of them myself in the near future. And bonus points, with most of the projects in the book there’s no real artistic talent required, just easy tricks.

Second Hand Wear Can Be Quite Charming

Searching for lights for my studio, I hit the second hand shops again, and came across a delightful little lamp with pull out drawers for $12 in Lily’s Consignment in Canandaigua (yeah, that was my splurge, 12 whole dollars). I fell in love with it immediately. Not only is it super practical will all those little drawers to hold crafting supplies, but the slight wear and tear around the edges of the drawers gives it such a quaint, rustic feeling. I couldn’t be happier. It’s perfect for lighting up one of the filming areas, and it looks just adorable sitting on Gramma’s table.

So moral of the story, second hand items are not discarded junk. Some of them are extremely nice. And of course, there are several benefits to buying second hand. It’s much more ecofriendly, because you’re buying used instead of something new, so you’re saving resources. Plus you give the used items a second life, keeping them out of the landfills. And of course, there’s a GREAT financial bonus! I Googled the big cupboard for curiosity and found out that it would have been about $1,000 new (way out of my price range), but I got it for a few hundred buying it second-hand. And that “second-hand” cupboard is probably the nicest piece of furniture I own. It’s a very solid piece of wood, and it’ll definitely last me the rest of my life. So I can say with confidence that second-hand stuff is definitely NOT junk.

So do you buy second hand? If so leave me a comment below and let me know what some of your favorite second-hand finds have been.

By Amber Reifsteck, The Woodland Elf

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