travel – Page 3 – Thrift Shopping Buzz

From Trash to Treasure…bookends from A to Z

Dumpster diving is sometimes viewed as an urban foraging technique.Dumpster divers typically scour thru dumpsters for items such as clothing, furniture, food and…my good luck… bookends… in serviceable condition.

Imagine my surprise and delight when my friend BC found these cool bookends near his dumpster in the North Park neighborhood in San Diego. Location to be kept secret– I have to protect my sources! BC is an avid “dumpster watcher” who is always on the look-out for trash-to-treasure opportunities. What a score!

As you can see, I had books all in disarray in the living room. Well, maybe not this bad but you get the idea, right?

So… the bookends look really cute on my shelf in the living room. And the books look a little more tidy as well. Not bad for a dumpster diving find! Bravo!

Unique Gifts – 4851 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, CA

Oh wow– what a treat when I stopped by at 4851 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach recently. The shop is called Unique Gifts. Of course, like me you will likely want to keep everything in sight for yourself! When I visited, the store was just in process of getting set up. It looks like the idea is for small shops of independent merchants selling their wares.

I found unique items ranging from jewelry to jackets to small plants. This shop was a true pleasure to browse.

Unique Gifts – over 50 different vendors
4851 Newport Avenue
Ocean Beach, CA 92107
Phone: (858) 222-0223

What $33 Gets You at Old Navy

I’m supposed to be on a “shopping fast” right now. Yeah… about that… didn’t really go so well this weekend. Friday was the day of the flip-flops and yesterday was the day of $33 at Old Navy. Yes, you read that correctly– I spent approximately $33 at Old Navy and got 4 super cute items– a flirty summer dress, 2 basic t-shirts and a fabulous yellow recycling bag. And because I used my store credit card I saved 30% on my purchases which made the t-shirts ring up at the ridiculous price of $4 roughly. Of course, I went online right away and paid off the balance (wow, that took discipline!).

Old Navy
Fashion Valley Mall – San Diego
Phone: (619) 299-4329
Web: www.oldnavygap.com

I hadn’t been in an Old Navy store in a long time so just happened to browse thru for nothing more than a quick peek. I gravitated to the dresses where I was lucky enough to nab the last one in the particular style in my photo below– and it fit better yet! And, who doesn’t need a few cheap summer t-shirts?? In fact, I might go back for a few more. That chipper yellow recycling bag was just a wonderful “gift” and something I can use this summer. So much for the “shopping fast”– I’m hopeful this will be a better week… Cheers!

Look at my new flip flops!!

Today I spent the afternoon with co-workers volunteering & picking up trash on the beach. Getting a head start on celebrating Earth Day I guess. We were at La Jolla Shores– fortunately it is now one of the cleaner beaches. After the beach cleaning I was in the mood for some retail therapy so me and KC (a fellow beach cleaner) strolled over to a few shops by the beach in search of inexpensive and fashionable flip flops.

Rusty Boardhouse
2170 Avenida de la Playa
La Jolla, CA 92037
Phone: (858) 551-0262
Web: http://www.rustyboardhouse.com

We scored! I found some cute and cushiony– and highly colorful Reef flip flops for the bargain price of $24. My shopping cohort came in at just $26 for her cushiony dark brown flip flops. Who needs shoes when you can just wear flip flops all summer?? ( maybe if I hide at my desk all day I can wear them to the office???)

Cheers & Happy (early) Earth Day! A beach clean up and new flip flops make a great start to a fabulous weekend!

Temptress Fashion Boutique – Classy Sassy… Trashy

Are you looking to channel your inner “Betty Paige”? Just walking into Temptress will make you feel glamorous. They have everything from panties and camis to make-up and dresses. If you’ve ever considered booking a boudoir photo shoot this would be a great place to find outfits for the photos!

Temptress Fashion Boutique
1918 Bacon Street
San Diego, CA 92107
Phone: (619) 224-2284
Blog: temptressfashion.blogspot.com

I’d walked by this shop numerous times and peeked in the windows. (Love their window looks!) I’m glad I finally had the chance to do a little shopping for real. I was definitely intrigued by the idea of a pin-up inspired shop. And did I mention the cute window displays?? They had me at the colorful handbags, shoes and camis. Next time you need some retail therapy on a lazy Sunday afternoon this is your store. Why not grab a glamour-girl dress and some sexy heels?? Way to spark up Sunday!

The staff was really friendly and helpful the afternoon I visited– they were fine with me taking photos and answered all my questions. Love this place and can’t wait to stop by again. Cheers!

The Thrill of the $2 Dress!

It was my lucky day on Sunday when I walked into 2Dollar Thrill in Ocean Beach… and walked out with a fabulous $2 dress! I was there mostly as a “looky-loo” and had a strict shopping list in mind– if I didn’t find what I was looking for no deal. I’ve been in the market for summer dresses and casual jewelry and walked into 2Dollar Thrill seriously hoping to find a dress. And wow– I found a really cute summer dress with a colorful flower print. And at $2 how can you go wrong?

2Dollar Thrill
4871 Newport Avenue
Ocean Beach, CA 92107
Phone: (619) 222-2772
Web: www.2dollarthrill.org

Also, check out the cute beaded bracelet I found- also $2. My good luck… I walked out of there with a bracelet on my wrist and a dress– and spent a whopping $4.31 including tax. Bravo! For sure, I’ll be back!

Azucar – a Cuban Style Patisserie

Have you ever found yourself in need of a sugar fix?? This was me a few weekends ago as I was strolling along Newport Avenue in the Ocean Beach area of San Diego. It was not quite warm enough for the beach and just sunny enough where I felt a strange sense of guilt sitting indoors. Of course, it was early afternoon and a coffee and a few cookies seemed like a great idea.

Azucar
4820 Newport Avenue
Ocean Beach, CA 92107
Phone: (619) 523-2020
Web: www.iloveazucar.com

I saw the inviting sign for “azucar” and stopped in. Wow… what a fabulous place! I was in the market for a coffee (of course!) and a few cookies. I chose what resembled a chocolate chip cookie but what I got was sooo much better! Part cookie and part chocolate perfection it was more than I ever thought a cookie could be! I’m hooked and will gladly be back for more. As far as the coffee is concerned– all I can say is that they had vanilla sugar for the coffee. What more can a girl ask for?! (Joy!)

Wordless Wednesday – April 11

$2 Dollar Thrill – Recycle It & Rock It!

Last weekend I found myself wondering– what can you get for a couple of bucks these days? Turns out $2 buys a whole lot of cool stuff at $2 Dollar Thrill in Ocean Beach. Everything from vinyl records to CD’s to cute dresses and summer tops. I’m not kidding… you really can buy a dress in this place for $2. A super cute dress! When I originally stopped by it was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I was post-beach and completely out of cash (bummer). An especially huge bummer because I spotted a super-fabulous dress and didn’t have 2 bucks in actual cash-only my debit card. (Ahh.. such is life) The good news– I’m planning a return trip next weekend and maybe I can do some damage under $10. Never thought I’d say that!!

$2 Dollar Thrill
4871 Newport Avenue
Ocean Beach, CA 92107
Phone: (619) 222-2772
Web: www.thrifttrader.org

From what I was told, this is the place where the “left-over” stuff from their Pacific Beach store goes. I hear in Pacific Beach the items are priced at $6 (oh… guess this is the high price store-ha). So… recycle it and rock the look! Here’s to recycling and here are some of the cute things I found…

Alice Alfreda – A Resale Boutique

Oh wow… I found a really cute shop earlier this week in Point Loma. I was “wandering around” aimlessly in the neighborhood when I came across Alice Alfreda— I literally ran into it while driving. (No, I didn’t actually hit the building itself but I did hit the curb- another story, another time…)

Alice Alfreda – a resale boutique
1255-102 Rosecrans Street
San Diego, CA 92106
Phone: (619) 549-8676

As you all know, I love finding resale shops and am always on the look-out for bargains. Alice Alfreda offers a carefully edited collection of gently used and new upscale clothing, shoes and accessories. I spotted a fantastic black Kate Spade bag hanging on the wall for a mere $45– and the bag was in perfect condition! The stuff here is great! It is a smaller shop which is fine as far as I’m concerned– easier to shop. I love handbags and shoes and the selection for both was excellent. Even with a small space everything was well-organized, neat and clean. I didn’t feel like I had to “dig” to find things. Better yet– the girl minding the shop for the owner was friendly and helpful. I will definitely be back again!

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