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. .-V V 4 i T T T 1 ; I "ti1 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 m t S " A & 1 Page 7 i Ui i o i. 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