I am finally beginning to locate some great antique and thrift stores in Charlotte. There’s a balance between crappy but cheap and nice but expensive that is difficult to find.
A love for ‘junkin’ is definitely something I picked up from my mom. Two or three times a month for my entire childhood, my mother and I would hit up Sunday garage sales, flea markets, and consignment shops. I learned patience (pick through the piles for the treasures), the art of haggling, and to never buy something that I wasn’t quite sure of.
And – what do you know – I married a man who loves antiquing, too. I have to keep my eye on him or he gets lost in the maze!
If you’re in Charlotte, you MUST check out The Sleepy Poet. It’s an antique/consignment mall with multiple vendors and very, very little true junk. Lots and lots of gems! And it’s reasonably priced.
Oh baby, you better like consignment shops…
Speaking of the baby, our second thrift store stop was to Value Village, a Goodwill-type store. I plan to buy very, very few baby/toddler clothes at full retail price. Thrift stores are SO much cheaper, and most of their baby clothes look practically brand new! Some of the stuff still has the original tags on it. All you’ve got to do is re-wash everything.
Look at half of our haul…
Cute, huh? The fishy one is my favorite.
We spent $13.94 for 11 onesies and a pair of baby overalls. I’ve seen a single onesie priced at $20 at designer shops around Charlotte. But I must admit that the Husband and I did have a moment that we just stared at my bump and said, “Are you a boy or a girl?” There are so many clearly ‘girl’ or ‘boy’ clothes and not as many gender-neutral ones.
The second half of our evening was spent finally watching Twilight and sharing a giant tub of popcorn. I’ve been avoiding the movie because of the terrifying pregnancy plot, but it was good. I love the books (yes, yes – I know… Twilight has a horrible, anti-feminist message; it’s still a fun guilty reading pleasure) and think most of the movies are pretty bad, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one.
Are you a thrifter, too?
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{ 95 comments… read them below or add one }
I love thrifting! When I was a kid, it was ME dragging my mom to garage sales before figure skating practice on Saturdays. I usually saved the thrift store trips for my alternative friends. hehe. If you ever want to go, let me know! And the Sleepy Poet rocks. You reminded me I need to go again…it’s been awhile since we’ve shopped there. Happy New Year, Caitlin!
We must go together soon!
Since leaving my job to start my own business, I’m definitely super thrifty now! I just wish I would have started being thriftier sooner!
P.S. Love the bump!
humm, I have never gone to a thrift store. i don’t really buy many clothes to begin with lol.
I too inherited thrifting from my Mom. I love Value Village too!
Yes, absolutely a thrifer! Honestly, I rarely pay retail for items…partly because I have 4 going on 6 kids but also, because I know I can get better deals.
I am *not* a twilighter….I use to be a raging feminist and totally turned the corner and embrace all things feminine! (Haven’t worn pants in 5 yrs…only dresses and skirts for this mama!) Actually, I don’t even watch Harry Potter, just don’t care for the genre.
1. Look at your baby bump!!! You are so adorable!!1
2. I was pleasantly surprised by Breaking Dawn as well.
3. Thrifting. I adore it. I do it often.
How is it anti-feminist?
Well, some people argue that because Bella and Edward’s relationship is a little… ehhh… stalkerish… if it was in real life (I would die for you, I will watch you sleep, I will kill myself if you leave), and Bella is completely dependent on him/Jacob(I am nothing without you/men hold me together) and doesn’t even think of going to college or getting a job.
I still think the books are fun
I just wouldn’t want a little girl to think relationships SHOULD be like that.
You have a baby bump in that picture! So adorable.
Happy New Year!
It’s finally real!
happy new year to you too!
My family and I are big thrifters. In fact, we just hit up the local flea market/antique mall this week. Awesome!
That’s amazing!! Living in LA, I have bought many expensive baby outfits for friends at our crazy upscale baby shops. That is an amazing deal you got for super cute clothes!!
I LOVE going to goo thrift stores. I bought some great stuff over T-day week at an awesome store. Score!!
Is it just my computer or is all the writing tiny and the layout is all smushed together. Is anyone elses like that too?
Great post Caitlin! You look so cute!!
Its not just you
trying to sort it out.
I love the little onesie with all the letters! Boy or girl, that baby will be well-dressed
I’m still undecided about the newest Twilight movie–I don’t think I can judge it until I see the second one!
im not a thrifter, I tend to get overwhelmed in places like that when there is so much to look at. This is why I rarely shop at TJ Maxx! some of the furniture looks cute though!
I loveeeeeeeee thrifting and always come by some great stuff. Recently, I got a Jcrew sweater for $4!
I love thrift shops!! I really have to be in the mood, but when I am I can usually find some good stuff or at least something hilarious to text to my boyfriend
I might not shop thrift stores for clothes because I’m a plus size lady but I love to shop sales. Very rarely do I pay full price for clothes and furniture. Craigslist has been amazing to me for my desk, chair, couch and even some odds and ends here and there. Although for baby clothes i might have to check out some consignment shops now.
Thrift stores can be big hit or misses I find. This one looks like huge hit though. There is not much more I enjoy than spending a day thrifting and finding a true gem!
I love thrift stores! There are a ton around here. I love antique stores as well but usually everything is way too expensive. If I had kids, I would definitely shop at thrift stores for their clothes- why would anyone spend so much money on an outfit their baby will outgrow in a month?
I agree.. I’m not a big fan of the movies or the.. basics of the story but I LOVE the books.. especially the last one!
Thrift stores are awesome, and so is that cute little baby bump!!!!
For some reason the font in your last two posts is showing up really, really tiny for me … strangeness.
Love the Twilight books too, and I get annoyed by all the people who hate on them for setting a bad example for young girls. It is fiction … not meant to be an example for young girls. Perhaps the author intended it to be a bad example even!? People worry too much
Those onesies are so cute! I love the grey striped one on the left with the tiny animals on the front
I LOVE buying baby clothes, even though I don’t have one, so whenever someone I know does…watch out – clothes overload!
I am definitely not a thrifter or a sales rack kind of girl. I just don’t have the shopping hutzpa for it. Nor am I a “spend a ton on full price items” girl either. This leaves me with posting lots of cute clothes on pinterest that I never buy. Most of my clothes come from holiday gift cards. I’m just a really, really impatient shopper. I guess this keeps me on budget, just in a different way.
Has your blog layout changed, or is it just my computer messing it up tonight? Everything looks very small and difficult to read.
There is some sort of technical issue – are you viewing it on your phone?
I looove thrift stores! I used to be sooo embarrassed that my mom bought my clothes at value village, but now I love going there
Funny how things change!
That looks like a GREAT thrift shop! I would gladly buy the white dresser that’s in your photo of the room of dressers
Ooh I love vintage shops only problem is my lack of patience! :/ I rummage for 30 mins or so and then get bored. If you can stick it out it can be so worth it though! Great job on the baby stuff! I completely agree that it’s silly to spend so much on clothes that will be outgrown in such a short space of time! I have never understood people buying babies designer threads!? If you want to spend money on items like that fine but at least get things that will stand the test of time!
I love thrifting but unfortunately I find our selection is limited in VT. I haven’t started looking for baby clothes but have been looking for maternity and found a ton of sale items in the maternity section at Baby Gap – 9 items for $89. I plan on heading back there to look at the sale baby clothes too because sometimes you can find items for $1-3 each.
We love the consignment shop for our little man, I found one near me that has sales of $.50 and this weekend is fill a bag for $10! I even got a pair of Children’s Place overalls for $.50. My best friend likes to go to yard sales and buy name brand clothes for cheap for my son and her daughter. She has actually started reselling some name brands on Ebay (I wish I had that kind of time). And you are correct there is very little neutral stuff, before we know TJ was a boy I couldn’t really buy much at consignment.
Amazzzzzzzzzzzing.
I def want to thrift it up when I have a schnook. Babies grow so fast, which means their clothes never get old
Look at that adorable bump
I’m not often a thrifter. Granted, we don’t buy a ton of new stuff either. Most of the clothes we need for our kids are gifted from the grandparents!
There are some AWESOME thrift shops about a mile away from my house, and I’ve gotten some of my favorite furnishings from them! My kitchen table is my favorite : )
I love thrifting! Going to garage sales is my favourite thing to do on Saturday mornings in the summers.
Two summers ago I found a brand new panini press for $3 and I use it all the time now!
I know Bella gets on a lot people’s nerves because she is so “weak” but then I think back to high school and how devestated I was when my boyfriend broke up with me or how devestated I would be today if my husband and I were no longer together and I cut her some slack. I like the series.
That’s true – I was definitely a loser when my high school boyfriend dumped me.
Thrift shopping is fun because when you find something, it is feels like a victory!
It happened to me on my mobile device AND on my home computer
I am TOTALLY a thrifter!! I recently said to my husband “I’ve never had so many nice clothes and they all came from second hand stores!”
Last year I found a brand new pair of yak-traxs (used for traction when running in snow) for $1 at Salvation Army! My previous pair I had paid $30 for at a running store!
Holy crap my eyes hurt. I love to thrift but really didn’t read the post yet — too small. I’ll be back to read and hopefully the type size will grow
Hey Caitlin – not sure if this is happening fdor other people but your blog is coming up way messed up on my phone and computer. Things overlapping, crazy tiny font..
Thrifting is so trendy right now.
Okay, I have no idea if it is but I just wanted to say that!
I have gotten into consignment shopping recently. I thought a fun (and really hard) goal would be to buy all of my clothes second hand..except maybe workout clothes and undies, etc? Don’t think I could ever do this 100% but I might try!
My sister had a baby last April and my mom STOCKS up at childrens used stores..they are a gold mine for baby stuff!
My brothers always drag me to thrift stores, but I usually only get things like cute plates or bottles. I do like going antique shopping with my mom though; old stuff is so much nicer looking than all the modern crap we’re coming up with these days!
One of our favs is Once Upon A Child, a baby-gear consignment shop. These are great for clothes and for the other things too…bouncy seats, toys etc.
I’ve been thrifting this year because I’m losing weight and am still in between sizes. No point in spending a lot on clothes I’ll only wear short term.
LOL Of all the things in that Twilight movie THAT’S what they warn about? Too funny, I’ve never heard that about that movie. I do love thrifting but I’m not very good at it because I never find anything
I LOVE thrift shopping! It is so much fun. Every piece of furniture we have besides our bed, two shelves, and one book case were found at a salvation army for super cheap. When we move into a house, I think we will invest in nicer things, but probably from antique stores rather than furniture stores.
Definitely save money on baby clothes! I speak from experience- he/she will outgrow the clothes so quickly and they have multiple outfit changes in a day when they are that little. Diaper explosions, spit-up etc. happens all the time. I have never understood buying designer outfits for an infant. My son is 5 and I always tell people I won’t spend a lot of money on clothes until it matters to him. I hope that isn’t for a long time!
I just watched the first movie because I just finished the first book! Yay! Def. a guilty pleasure but I’m lovin’ the series so far.
I love thrifting but I have to be in the mood to go through everything! This past weekend I thrifted a purple tweed blazer and a brand new running shirt (with the tags still on it)!
Just returned from spending $20 for 4 pairs of pants, a purse, and a lampshade at Goodwill!
NICE!
I live in Charlotte as well and I love The Sleep Poet.
I LOVE the idea of thrifting. One time I went to a higher-end consignment show for baby things with a friend and wound up with LOTS of great stuff for very little money. Being that I live in NY I’m sure there are TONS of great shops out there. I’ll have to do some research.
Buying things for a bargain or on sale gives me such a rush! More money saved means more money for other purchases haha! My Dear loves going to the thrift store to buy t-shirts with silly sayings on them
Smart thinking about baby clothes! Don’t waste your money on brand new unless it’s a really good sale. I just picked up 2 Patagonia Fleece jackets for $1.50 each!
I recently started enjoying thrifting and have a couple stores that I hit every couple of weeks. My latest obsession though is finding architectural salvage stores, often they still have some furniture and decorative pieces and they are great for unique wall art. Plus if you wind up buying an older house they have door knobs, leaded glass windows, solid wood doors etc.
OOO i wish there was a store like that here, I need to hunt!
Hookah! (leave it to me.)
obviously.
Oh my gosh, I totally agree about the bad message in Twilight – it was very UN-empowering for women! Which is why I couldn’t read the books – I think I read a chapter and had to put it down, I got so frustrated.
But I LOVE the films, they’re so much fun, and just light entertainment! The last film was awesome. You looks SO beautiful with your bump, and that is an absolutely awesome idea to get baby clothes frmo a consignment store. I will definitely be doing that if/when I have a little baby! 
Such a fun post! xyx
I love thrifting! I grew up thrifting & my husband did too! I have bought lots of baby/toddler clothes at Goodwill for family members. Most thrift stores & consignment shops also have great maternity stuff too. My sis-in-law is tall (5’11”) and she was still able to find some great maternity jeans that were long enough, stylish and a good name brand. I plan to do the same when I get pregnant. I doubt we’ll buy any maternity or baby clothes at “real” stores since I’ll probably get gifted tons of brand new stuff in the beginning.
My husband and I LOVE antiquing! I hated it growing up. My mom would drag me around massive musty warehouses full of dusty old things. I’ve grown to love it now that I have my own place. I prefer to decorate and furnish my house with unique things with character rather than mass produced stuff in modern catalogs.
I am not too much of a thrifter, but I love a good antique store. I like to look for very old Christmas decorations, specifically.
It’s funny because I am a thrifter, but my fiance is not. He doesn’t even want to sit in any of the stuff that I buy second hand, he thinks it’s gross. Silly boy.
BTW, from looking at the baby clothes I totally thought that you were having a boy for a hot second.
It must be hard to find gender neutral clothing. But then again most clothes can be gender neutral because in actuality blue and pink don’t have real genders. Boys can wear pink and girls can wear blue.
Agree! But you’re right, I would pull out a blue striped one and I would think, “this is a boy’s” and then I would say, “but why!?”
That thrift store looks awesome! Have you tried “The Black Lion” in Charlotte? It’s near Pineville-Matthews Rd. & Park Rd.– it’s my mom’s secret favorite place to get designer stuff at really discounted prices!
I really wish I was, but for certain things I just feel the heebie-jeebies. I can’t stand used clothing. It’s the stupidest thing ever, because like you said so many of it is practically new. But just being inside Goodwill makes me feel like I need a shower.
Although, I did buy a couch and a chair from Goodwill, and I’ve gotten home decor and stuff like that. Just not anything that goes on my body.
You should check out thredup.com for baby clothes! You can buy or sell your own baby clothes, for just $9 per box of clothes! And, you earn $10 for every box you sell.
Jen
Oh awesome, thanks jen!
I grew up in a family of garage sale, flea market, thrift shop hunters. Sadly I don’t buy too much from thrift now that i am older, except when i was in college and for Halloween. Good idea on the baby clothes
San Juan Bautista here in CA has a lot of nice antique shops.
We got married in San Juan Bautista!! I love it there!!!
I’m loving the bump!!! You are too cute….so excited for you and your hubby!
Our daughters entire nursery was thrifted finds, garage sale scores and etsy love!!
I love thrift shops! I’ve gotten some great finds there. I could spend hours in one.
You have such a cute baby bump!
That thrift mall looks AMAZING! Holy smokes, it’s heaven on earth.
I love Value Village. It’s my favourite. (I didn’t even know they had store in the States)
I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but don’t buy too many baby clothes! I’ve had one baby shower so far and soooo many people bought us clothes instead of registry stuff. I understand that clothes are just so darn cute, but we actually need most of that registry stuff, hahah. I have another shower coming up at the end of January and we’ll see if people are still into buying clothes!
Cute onesies btw, and don’t you just love baby overalls? We always called them buckle pants in my house and our baby boy already has about 8 pairs of them (no exaggeration!)
Caitlyn, as a fellow Charlotte-area resident, can I suggest Gibson Mills in Concord? Very similar to the Sleepy Poet. Might be worth a day trip!
Ooo thanks
Love, love, love Sleepy Poet! Here’s another tip- go to Once Upon A Child. They have a few locations I think, but I go to one near Park Rd. Anyway, I sell the kid’s old clothes and toys there on consignment (they give you the money right then and there!), and I am always amazed at the quality of items they have in there. I’m talking practically brand-spanking new bouncy seats, carriers, high chairs, toys, clothes, cribs…you name it!
OOOOOOOO excited.
I’m usually not much of a “thrifter” but since you brought up the great point of baby stuff, I may have to start
I love The Sleepy Poet! Someone suggested we visit there when we first moved to Charlotte, and I’m a big fan. No junk and lots of unique stuff!
I’m a huge fan of thrifting! Love it! And that is quite the “bump” now CONGRATS again!
Some seriously cool stuff in those shops! I wish i had your patience to sift through looking for the great bargains!
You should check out the Junior League Wearhouse, over on Pecan Avenue. It has a lot of awesome clothes and has a lot of brand name stuff for cheap.
There’s a (small) section for maternity and tons of baby clothes, a lot of which have never even been worn.
1117 Pecan Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28205
Ph: 704.377.1854
Thanks!
I love to go saturday’s morning to yard sales, but can you tell me where is this thrift store because look very good to me, thanks~~
It’s called Sleepy Poet in Charlotte NC