Adventures in Thrifting & Thrifting Tips
Episode 2: “I’m just Hangry ok?”
On a particularly beautiful Wednesday, our thrifting adventures included our dear friend Kristen. She was able to take a day off to come and explore with us! This was a treat because Kristen is always such a positive addition to any situation. She’s got this wonderful optimism that balances out my bluntness and Melissa’s endearing no-nonsense approach to life. Plus, she graciously takes the back seat, knowing I’ll throw an adult tanti if I have to sit in the back. Actually I get carsick VERY easily, and I have to be in the front. True story.
Anyway, we picked up our ray of sunshine, and headed to Starbucks to fuel our souls with over-priced caffeinated beverages. We were back in Melissa’s forest green Rav, which I shall affectionately refer to as “Lettie”, as she named it after the bearded lady in The Greatest Showman. I love Melissa’s car. It is a trusty friend and gets us where we need to be. Buying a huge plant? Lettie’s got you. Buying a chair? No problem, Lettie’s there for you. Need to load up a desk? Look no further, Lettie has more than enough room. Also, Melissa has all of these pins stuck to the visors. Pins that brag New Kids on the Block, Wine & Crime Podcast, Cats, Strong Females, and various other fun topics.
On this blue bird Wednesday, we decided to go into Minneapolis proper. It’s always an adventure going into the city because you just never know. Today was no exception. Melissa is basically a rockstar, and I’m always thankful for her organizational skills. She had a list of locations and the addresses all prepared. I think Kristen was just happy to be out of her house (she’s working from home) and glad to be amongst adults. I could tell because when we picked her up, she was in makeup and looked super cute. At our age, that's sometimes a sign of someone who needs to get out a bit more.❤️ I was just happy I didn't have to drive and I was able to be in the front seat. Melissa was happy to be driving, because she’s kind of a control freak. That’s ok, because I have my own quirks that she puts up with, and Kristen just loves us for being us, and that’s why we love her. Can you see how these friendships just work?
Our first stop was to the most interesting antique store I’ve EVER been to. If you are ever in Minneapolis, and you have some time, I highly recommend going to Architectural Antiques on Quincy St NE. Once you step through the doors of this enchanted, magical and otherworldly place, you will forget everything else. This place had the most ornate, most travel-back-in-time items for sale. There was everything from old phone switchboards and chandeliers to large cherubs around a well- yes, a well made of stone that looks like it belongs in the house that is in Great Expectations; the 1998 movie with Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke. I’ll just stop right here to tell you that we came out of that store with a mason jar and a few postcards. That’s all we really could afford, but unlike the Minnetonka Thrift Store, this shop knew it and didn’t care. It just loved that we were there to witness its grandness and its gothic delicious darkness. It didn’t care that we weren’t going to buy any of it’s elaborate whole pieces of wall that once belonged to a grand home… it just loved to breathe its grandiose energy to anyone who would stop in their tracks to admire it; and we were willing victims.
After this store, nothing would really matter anymore, so we decided to hit Goodwill where we picked up some small ticket items and enjoyed seeing prices that were more in our comfort zone. We also hit up a fun second hand store where both Kristen and Melissa found some things they had actually been on the lookout for, so that was pretty awesome. I had only spent about $10 up until this point so I was doing ok, except that meant I wasn't really finding anything. Needless to say, our time wandering in Architectural Antiques took up a lot of the morning, and by the time we had gone to the other stores on the list, we had worked up an appetite.
We decided to head over to Global Market in Minneapolis. This is the first time I was visiting Global Market since the George Floyd murder in May, and everything that ensued in the aftermath. In the past, Global Market was a bustling, welcoming home to everyone and everything from every land and nation. It was usually crowded with shoppers, and there was always live music or entertainment of some sort right in the middle of the center. Sadly, that was no more. It was quiet, and some of the shops were closed or going out of business. Still, there were the aromas of the food vendors, which I was thankful for. It brought a comfort to me and I prayed silently that things would pick up for everyone, in honor of George Floyd and despite everything Minneapolis went through- regardless of where you stood on the situation.
The strong smells of Italian food, Mexican food, and Asian foods wafted throughout the building and I could feel my stomach rumbling and I realized that I was actually very hungry! I had it in my head that I wanted Mexican food, and with every minute that passed I felt the stab of hunger pains and the onset of a headache. My patience with everything started wearing thin, but I tried to keep myself in check because I knew I was just being a bit of a brat. I didn’t think Melissa or Kristen suspected I was about to blow my top, or at least I hoped they didn’t. We found ourselves in front of Taqueria Los Ocampo. To add insult to injury, everything on the menu looked so amazing that we all stood there for what seemed like forever trying to figure out what we would order. Because I was now in full hangry mode, I struggled with making a choice. I wanted food and I wanted it NOW and I didn’t care what it was, I just wanted it, but I couldn't make up my mind, and that added to my irritability.
Melissa went first- she’s usually first for everything. This annoyed me. She’s kind of competitive and whenever I have a good idea, she beats me to it. Sometimes by just like- 5 minutes. I thought about every single instance when, in our group text I have something witty to add to the conversation and as I’m typing it out, I see her text come through with something similar to what I had planned on saying. She’s not selfish or self centered by any means. She’s super kind, she’s got a heart of gold and she’s a very giving person. She’s just assertive, and I don’t usually come across people more assertive than myself. This is usually something I just smile and chuckle about, but when my stomach is empty and I feel like I’m one minute away from committing a crime, I found myself pressing my lips together as I fell in line behind her and listened to her place her order. Of course we ended up ordering the same thing, and since she ordered first, I felt like a copycat. 🙄
Then there’s Kristen. Sweet, oblivious to my stewing Kristen. She is my delicate friend who can’t really eat things the rest of us can without getting a migraine or something horrible happening to her. Bless her heart, she hadn’t even had breakfast (she forgot…?????) And she was pretty excited about having Mexican food because she loves all things brown. Including our food. Plus she likes intensely spicy food, it can’t get hot enough for her. As I waited for Melissa to pay for her food, I low-key worried about Kristen finding something she could actually eat, but when it was my turn to order, I forgot all about her and didn’t care what she ate. It was my turn.
I placed my order, but not before I waited with my teeth gritted as the woman taking my order had to first answer the phone. I cursed the caller under my breath and secretly wished they got food poisoning from whatever they ordered. Then I remembered I might be ordering the same thing and I immediately reprimanded myself. I placed my order, grabbed some utensils and napkins, and went and sat at a table with Melissa while Kristen placed her order. Once we all were seated, I tried making nice while we waited. Of course, since Melissa ordered first, her food was ready first. I found this annoying because we had ordered the same thing, couldn’t they just make it at the same time?? But nope, hers was ready first. Melissa went up to collect her food and came back to our table with a container that smelled so good I thought I would die. Kristen must have realized her hunger as well, because I noticed we both kind of looked away as Melissa dug into her container- that hussy didn't even wait for us!!! (To be fair, I would have done the same thing, but since I couldn't, I grumpily looked at the floor with my back half turned to Melissa so I wouldn't have to watch her enjoy her food.)
So I had planned on not looking at her eat, because that’s kind of weird, plus, in all honesty, I was SO hungry that I couldn’t stand watching her take her first bites of food. Then, all of a sudden, we hear these satisfied moans coming from Melissa’s corner of the table. She was going, “Ummmmmm!!! Oh my god- this is SOOOO good!! MMMMMMM!!!!!!!” I turned to look at her in utter irritation and I saw Kristen kind of look at her like- “really?” I watched her eat and listened to her make noises that would be embarrassing if we were anywhere other than a restaurant, and then I finally snapped, “Seriously Melissa?? Will you shut the hell up??” Melissa just laughed apologetically and said, “I’m Sorry guys!!! I’m sorry!!! But it’s so good I can’t help it!” I knew I would miss her if I actually committed murder, so instead I gulped down some water and did some concentrated breathing. Finally Kristen and I got our meals and we all sat there eating like we had been food deprived for months.
I highly recommend Taqueria Los Ocampo. They have some of the best food and the prices aren't too shabby. I also highly recommend going when you’re not hangry. I think it would make for a more pleasant experience.
After we finished eating and I had forgiven Melissa, and with Kristen in her usual bright rainbow mood, we headed to Cafe Finspang store, where we found some delightful little trinkets for purchase. We decided on one last stop, having felt a bit better after some good food. We headed for a store called Time Bomb Vintage.
Time Bomb is the best kept secret (or maybe not so secret) place in the city for novelties and being thrown back in time a good 35 years or so. Everything in this store was nostalgic 80’s and 70’s. It was such a treat walking through here and seeing clothes, toys, food boxes and trends from our childhood. This was just what we needed to end our day. Remember the world of Fisher Price? Remember Holly Hobby? What about Garfield and Alf? Def Leppard and Lita Ford, oh- and what about Farrah Fawcett? ET, Hulk and the A-Team were just a few among hundreds of throw back items that we saw that day. My horrible hangry mood, Melissa’s eating faux pas and Kristen’s dietary needs were long forgotten… we just lost ourselves in a Time Bomb.
I highly recommend visiting this place if you want to forget about the state of the world and lose yourself in the wonderful world of your childhood. I’ll be going back to enjoy this place again, you can bet on that.
So, after a lovely Wednesday with friends, even though we didn’t thrift much, I still have a thrifting tip for today: Start your day with a lovely coffee or tea, or whatever your poison is, but for the love of God- BRING SNACKS!!! There it is my friends, there’s the big one. Bring snacks. Could be that you don’t have my will power, and having a snack might prevent a potential crime.
Happy Thrifting!
