$5 Deal of the Day

[Colleen Smith]

I wasn't even going to go to any garage sales today. I have work to do here at the house, and the weather was crappy this morning. But...it's Saturday, and there's ritual and habits to consider...so I told myself I would go for just a little bit. Maybe hit a couple of places and call it good. I checked Craigslist...church sale two neighborhoods away. Good. That's close to my favorite thrift store. I can kill two birds with one stone. I tell my husband I have my cell, and not to worry, I won't be dragging home more furniture.

I walked into the door of the church basement...and what's sitting there? A chrome and vinyl sofa. Oh my...I've been looking for one for a few years now. And the price? Five dollars. Yep, big sticker on the front says FIVE DOLLARS. It has some duct tape on it so we can assume it needs some vinyl work, and the chrome could use a good polishing, but it's a keeper! The nice lady standing at the entry has no idea that my heart just melted and my knees are weak. She says something along the lines of that being a pretty good price for "that old sofa". I breathlessly agree and throwing my statement to my husband squarely out the window, I tell her I'll take it. I make the obligatory passes through the aisles of the church basement picking up another $4 worth of this's and that's. A nice old DART Industries shelf that matches some wallhangings I already have, a good glass bowl, and a nice shaker set - all terribly underpriced. Now it's time to pay and make off like a bandit in the night.

Knowing there's no way I can bring the sofa home (as I've mentioned before - no room for anything at this house and we're still house-hunting) I know I have to take it to the storage unit. Of course that unit is pretty full, and without getting really creative about arranging things again, there's just nowhere to put a sofa. So I go inside to rent a small unit. Just for a month or two. Maybe until we move. Well, the guy at the storage unit place is a decent sort and we start talking when I notice that he has a matching side table to my c. 1965 set. He's taken the legs off, but it's the same two-tiered tabletop. I ask him if he wants to sell it to me. He says no, but he'll give it to me. It doesn't have legs anymore and he wouldn't want to take my money. I try to protest, but he won't hear it and insists I take the tabletop. What am I gonna do? I take the top. Anyway, as I'm unloading the tabletop and sofa into my newly aquired storage space I decide to flip the sofa over and look for labels, marks, whatever. And I find one. Okay, this is the good part...Lloyd furniture for Heywood Wakefield. K-ching! And I mentioned that I paid $5, right?

So today was a good day. Just to entertain myself I went to a thrift store across town that I like and bought a Broyhill MCM walnut dresser with a gorgeous mirror for $40, a vintage enamel cookware set for $10, and a couple of California pottery bowls.

I stopped at the storage unit to put the dresser and mirror inside then I headed for home. When I came home with the cookware and other small things I could honestly tell my husband that I hadn't brought home any furniture. Then I told him how my day really went and showed him the pictures. He loves a good find as much as I do and he trusts my judgement. But he did mention something about recording what I say and playing it back to make sure he's got it in context next time. Hmmm...

[Colleen Smith]

And I would do it again! The worst part is it's still there....but so are all of my beauties, just waiting for their new home (which we haven't found yet, I might add...still looking for that perfect spot) while we run around for the summer in the rv.

[thevintagelist]

Whatta score!! It's so funny that you rented a whole new storage unit just to put it in - that's hardcore! ;)

[Sofie]

A sofa for 5 bucks! i've got to move out of new york for greener pastures.

[Memphis Attic]

lol i hide my finds all the time.

[Colleen Smith]

Thanks! When we finally get moved I'm going to be able to unwrap all of my treasures just like seeing them for the first time - I can hardly wait!

[Kymberly King]

aahh, unplanned treasure hunting, stuff dreams are made of but dang ya gotta hide it away!!
I loved reading your post.