YouTube and TikTok Thrifters have people wanting to get in on the hunt for antique and vintage treasures. And why not? As we’ve shown in the last two articles in this series, there are plenty of great places in North Georgia loaded with loot and ripe for the pickin’. The Savvy Picker will walk us through a place to grab good deals for a great cause: Circle of Hope Clarkesville Thrift Store.
Circle of Hope Clarkesville Thrift Store has more clothing than housewares but is still worth a stop, even if you aren’t searching for apparel. I picked up a silver-plated shell dish for a dollar that will sell well in my coastal hometown for around $6. I also nabbed a gorgeous antique Victorian dresser box for $5, which is easily worth $30. Sometimes they sell for over a hundred. But to me, the biggest bargains in the store were found in the wall full of books. Grab one of the plastic bags hanging on the bookshelf, fill it up with all the books it can hold, and it will only cost you $1.50!
Old books are always in fashion, so I keep at least two small shelves full in my shop, usually priced between $3 and $30 each. They are steady sellers, especially ones with interesting covers, gift books, unusual or regional cookbooks, and antique books.
Although I didn’t score big here, I could have!
No one can know everything, and that fact is what makes the reseller’s world go round. We use our knowledge to find great deals when we shop; meanwhile, someone who knows something we don’t know will be shopping in our stores to find bargains.
I once sold a basket for $35 that I later discovered was a vintage Cherokee basket worth several hundred. Yes, it made me sick. It also made me start researching baskets with intricate weaving. Since then, I have acquired a few gorgeous vintage baskets and sold them in my online shop for between $150 and $300 each.
So… it’s all about what you know, and I just didn’t know about this pair of large white ceramic deer that were priced at $10 each.
As you can see, they are kind of cute, but I was on the fence about them because they’re so chunky. This Georgia Bulldog couldn’t help thinking it looked like someone put deer heads on bulldog torsos. My gut said they were worth something, but I decided to keep looking around while I thought about them. Well, while I was thinking, someone else scooped them up and bought them. So, if you are really on the fence about something, keep your hands on it until you make up your mind! When I got home, I looked up those deer and found one listed on Etsy for $419.30 and another for $199. Per deer!
Somewhere in Habersham County, a pair of chunky bulldog-deer worth $400-800 is sitting on someone’s hearth or in someone else’s store.
This happens to everyone, so when it happens to you, learn from the experience and take comfort in the fact that you now know more than you did. Just keep hunting!
Who should visit: Anyone with a few minutes to run in and see if anything catches your eye, and those who want to support victims of domestic violence.
Score of the Day: Victorian Dresser Box
Projected Profit on Dresser Box and Books: $60
Re-seller takeaway: Go with your gut. If you think it might be valuable, don’t leave it there for someone else to buy!
The Circle of Hope Clarkesville Thrift Store is located at 506 Monroe Street, directly across from the old county courthouse off Highway 115 in Clarkesville, GA.
The Savvy Picker publishes bi-monthly on Now Habersham. For more great reads and finds, click here. Also, visit The Savvy Picker website for additional tips on tracking vintage treasure.
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Habersham County, GA, was the author’s home away from home when she was a student at UGA in the 1980s. Though she now lives and operates a vintage business in SC, she loves returning to the North Georgia mountains to visit friends and, of course, to shop!
