I have the wonderful opportunity of running a Thrift Store/Training Center where we use the Thrift Store operation to train individuals in job skills and self-reliance. It’s a wonderful and rewarding career. But, there is a bonus for me as a flyfisher and fly-tyer as I find a lot of cool stuff that is very useful in my flyfishing and tying activities. The down side is that I never get first pick as the items must be processed, priced and on the sale’s floor in order for me to purchase them, nevertheless, I have come up with some incredible bargains over my 11 years.
-Force Fins, 2 pair - in my size even! One pair was $7 and the other $3.
-2 European coffee grinders that I use for dubbing blending - $3 bucks each.
-An Ott Light, fly-tying light that I use all the time and works especially well when I tie at expos or shows, etc. Very portable. $3 bucks.
-A magnifier/light combo on an extendible/adjustable arm. $5 bucks.
-Several PFD’s for when I’m on the lake in my pontoon, as required by law. Usually from $2 to @5 bucks.
-2 folding seats for pontoon boats, one was a swivel model. $10 and $15.
-1 pontoon boat frame - no pontoons, w/seat, oars and oarlocks. $20 bucks.
-I can’t number the number and amount of fly tying materials I have found, but it is a lot.
-Also, I have a great collection of flyfishing theme shirts, fishing shirts and pants and jackets, base layer clothing , hats, etc. Many top-line brands such as LL Bean, Patagonia, Columbia, Simms, and North Face.
Anyway, just wondered if any others go Thrift Store diving to find such items, or if you have other sources for them and what they might be.
I drive my better half nuts…‘STOP!..there’s a secondhand store!!!’
I get lots of ‘hard’ items there…bits and bobs of hand tools and odd gadgets that convert to fly tying or fishing…small clamps for lots of uses…old clipboards with the ‘good’ clamps on them…storage type stuff…occasionally desks and chairs…
But, its the MATERIALS you cna find there that really draw me in. Fur coats, muffs, and trimmings…foam from toys, shoes, decorations…silk flowers for wings…yarns and fibre products (you can buy a small woven item for next to nothing, cut a piece big enough to last you a lifetime, and pitch the rest)…those old ‘Mandelas’ have some nice wool and yarns in them, often some nice feathers also…they usually sell around here for a buck or, at most, two…
You have to be willing to shop for this stuff, but I enjoy that part of it…plus the ‘figuring out’ what the stuff you see can be ‘converted’ to…
And, while she won’t admit it, my wife likes to shop these places too…she likes good cookware and kitchen stuff, and she often finds neat stuff, even high ends things, at ridiculous prices (she’s even cheaper than I am).
Thanks, Buddy. I plumb forgot about all of the fur items I’ve found at the thrift store - bobcat, coyote, black bear, alpaca llama, rabbit, badger, mink, fox, and so on. Don’t know if I’ll ever use all of them. Been thinking about cutting them into manageable pieces and giving them away at a drawing during our fly fishing club meetings (Snake River Cutthroats; Upper Snake River Fly Fishers), just haven’t gotten organized enough.
Was high bidder on an entire case (25 drawers) of popping bug materials. Hooks, corks, hackle, feathers, etc, etc, etc. Have purchased boxes full of flys, lures, rods, reels, fishing equipment in general. It is incredible what you can find at an auction every now and then.
