HOWDY, Howdy, Howdy.

Traveling is always a blast to me. I don’t get out of California much, so I was really hoping that whoever won our big VIP Stylist Giveaway would be from another state, so I could get outta town and see the WORLD!! Ok, not the world, but you understand (Sorry Californians, I was kinda rooting against you).

Needless to say, I was a tad excited that our big VIP winner, Sara R. lives in the great state of Texas!

 

As per the contest, our winner got to meet with the talented and crafty Ashley, from our Graphic Arts department for a DIY and home-style consult, as well as have a fashion style consult with me! Ashley and I flew into Dallas Sunday night and had a whirlwind trip meeting with our winner and visit 4 of our 6 Texas Thrift Town stores (with a little extra Texas fun on the side).

 

 

 

We’re saving all the tips, tricks & pics we had with Sara for next week, and will feature our North Richland Hills. For this week - here’s a look at the good times and good finds we had at our Fort Worth, Dallas and Arlington stores!

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First Stop: FORT WORTH.

We found so many cute clothes, just in time for fall!
Here’s just a few of the pieces we loved:

Just because the weather is (supposedly soon) getting cooler doesn’t mean you have to pack away those adorable shorter dresses. Each of these dresses were under $10, and can be fall-ready with some tights, boots and a cardigan. Especially love infusing fun colors into a colder-months wardrobe.

This Calvin Klein dress is under $5. WHAT? That’s crazy! With the belt included,
you can walk into any boardroom looking like the woman in charge, and you spent less than $5. Office chic.

Two confessions about this blouse: #1 I know it’s not for everyone, but it’s SO different and interesting! and #2: It’s not still at the Fort Worth Store, cause I bought it. For $8, I now have a long sleeved, high-low, sheer, cutout, hand-crocheted blouse that no one else in Sacramento will be wearing. This might be my favorite find of the trip. LOVE IT.

 

 

 

 

 

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Next Stop: DALLAS.

All our stores are organized, and we love it. But let me tell you, the Dallas store was ORGANIZED (great job, Dallas team!).

It was fun to hear all the work that goes into the systems to keep inventory accessible & fresh and how each section of the store has it’s own system.

I would venture to say that in most secondhand stores, even fairly organized ones, that the kid’s areas (toys, kids books, games etc) are usually a bit of a disaster. Why? Because kids rifle through everything and leave it a mess, as kids do. I was so impressed with the Dallas store’s level of organization: these are the kids small toys, and the puzzles, games and clothes looked the same.

This 3-piece leather couch, chair and ottoman set is a GREAT find! My pictures came out a bit funny with the lighting and angles, but they are all the same color (the big couch color). And you can have all 3 in your living-room for under $200. Can you believe it? Holy cow.

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Last Stop: ARLINGTON.

For me, this store was all about indulgences for less. Jewelry,
name brands for kids, designer handbags, and a fancy Texas staple education.

 

How fun are these silver pieces? All are under $10, one for under $5.
And they’re all so unique - you will definitely be getting some compliments on your jewelry.


Ashley and I got an education on Texas head-wear, and I think she looks pretty stinking cute too! Apparently, the more X’s (that live in Texas?) on the inside of the hat the higher end the hat is. This was a pretty nice one by those standards - see bottom left pic. We just loved the details and craftsmanship that we saw on the hats and boots in Texas.

 

This is the quintessential Thrift Town piece to me, because it represents a big part of thrift: you can find GREAT pieces at lower prices. Aaaalmost had to take this one off their hands, but no fear, you can still scoop this bag up at the Arlington store.

Have little ones who grow out of their clothes every other week? We’ve got them covered, literally. We found name brand pants for your little princess for under $5. Can’t beat that!

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As if our VIP winner and visiting all the stores wasn’t fun enough, we heard there was a part of Ft. Worth where they run the cattle through town twice a day, so we hurried over and made it just in time. This one was wild, but I lassoed and subdued him for a ride! (Ok, so he was tied to a fence, sweet as pie, letting people take pictures…) Either way, major highlight of the trip!

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It’s such a comforting standard that each of our stores is so clean, bright and organized. No matter which store we visited, I knew right where to find what I was looking for. The signs are clear, and everything was seriously SO ORGANIZED! Although they are all part of Thrift Town, I love that each store has it’s own personality and flair. We had such a warm and friendly welcome at every stop, and each employee has such a pride in the work they do, and the store they represent.

So, THANK YOU Texas for a wonderful time! I have such a greater understanding of, and respect for all our Thrift Town Crew, and what it takes to bring our company’s mission to communities across 4 states.

Hopefully I’ll be back to visit soon!

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WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Have you been to (or live in) Texas? What do you love about it?

Like our fab finds? Which one?

. . . . .

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or
Simply send pictures & stories to kariatthrifttown@gmail.com

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