Thursday, September 11, 1986
trustworthy
loyal
helpful
friendly
courteous
kind
obedient
cheerful
THRIFTY . .
By Stew
Magnuson
I'm a thrift store junkie. That's
very convenient because Lincoln
just happens to be a thrift store
lover's paradise. According to the
phone book, this medium sized
midwestern city has 17 thrift stores
and consignment shops. That turns
out to be one thrift store for every
17.8 people in Lincoln. Or maybe my
calculator is busted. But there's a
lot of them anyway.
I owe my life to thrift shops. The
clothes I wear, the records I listen
to, the dishes I eat off, the books I
read, the mattress I sleep on and my
precious red and white beanbag
chair are all thrift store tinds.
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Maybe I go to the thrift stores for
the thrill of seeing what each new
day brings in the form of other peo
ple's unwanted items. All the Lin
coln thrifts have a constant tur
nover of items. Except for the poor,
unwanted Shaun Cassidy LPs and
the black velvet paintings of mata
dors, the stock changes from day to
day and week to week.
Are there really that many people
unloading that much second hand
junk on our thrift stores? Yes, and it
comes in by the truckload at the
Goodwill and Salvation Army, the
two original thrifts which both main
tain four stores each in Lincoln
alone.
Why do people spend $70 at a
downtown clothing outlet just so
they can look like Joe and Debby
Greek when $10 and a little luck
can buy more clothes at a thrift
store? Why do people spend $500 on
new furniture when there are per
fectly good chairs and couches at
the local thrifts? Sure, they're a lit
tle bit ratty and smell like some
one's cat has been using them for a
litter box. So spray a can of Lysol on
the old couch and throw a blanket
over it.
And if the economics of it all
doesn't overwhelm you into running
out to check out the thrift stores,
here's my top 10 list of just some of
the cool, hip, generally neat things
I've found at the thrift stores. It's
safe to say that not one of these
things you could buy new.
O "The Way I Feel, " Leo
nard Nimoy
Hear Nimoy, Mr. Spock himself,
sing such favorites as "If I Had a
Hammer, " "Sunny," and "Both Sides
Now." This album is a forgotten
Daily Nebraskan
classic.
O Twister
What a great stockin' feet game.
But I use the huge four color plas
tic game as a wall hanging. It's a
nice conversation piece.
O Pat Paulson for President
sweatshirt
Who remembers Pat Paulson's
run for the presidency on the
Smothers Brothers' Show in 1968? I
don't, but I love the shirt anyway.
O "Johnny Cash's Greatest
Hits"
The man is a genius. This is the
only worthwhile country music in
my opinion.
O My red and white bean
bag chair
Sure, it's ugly, but it doesn't leak,
and that says a lot for a beanbag
chair.
O Archie Bunker-For Pres
ident goblet
Archie was narrowly defeated by
Pat Paulson, if you remember your
joke U.S. presidents very well.
O "Funkentelechy vs. The
Placebo Syndrome, " Parlia
ment Soon I will have found all the
Parliament LPs in the thrift stores,
and my collection will be complete.
Why? Hey, I like the stuff, and I
make no apologies.
Bugs Bunny coffee cup
Self-explanatory.
O "Space Shuttle Fever.
Catch it!" T-shirt
How can a T-shirt get any tackier?
O "Have a Happy Holiday,"
Lome Greene
Yes, Ben Cartwright himself does
a dramatic reading of "The Gift of
The Magi." And if that wasn't enough,
he sings a few Christmas carols! A
r.
holiday favorite.
Now, after reading that list, you
have to be convinced that the Lin
coln thrift stores are where it's at.
You won't have any problems find
ing one either. Remember, this is
Lincoln, Land of a Thousand Thrift
Stores. For starters, go to O Street
between 17th and 18th streets where
the Goodwill, the Disabled Ameri
can Vets and the Community Thrift
stores are located.
The best of the three is the huge
Community Thrift Shop which recent
ly expanded into the store next
door. "Over 3,000 items added daily"
a banner claims. If something sits
around too long, the price is marked
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down eventually. So if you think
something costs a little too much,
come back the next day and it
might be a little cheaper.
But my absolute favorite thrift is
the Salvation Army's main store in
the Haymarket district. Just the
book section itself is great. Every
thing is organized into categories
like a real book store. The store
itself is huge. Scads of books, records
and clothes, the things I find neces
. sary for; existence on this planet. Be
sure to check out the wonderful
Matadors on Black Velvet Art Gallery
upstairs.
"Happy Hunting!
Linda StoryDiversions