On thrifting, among other things.

Just finished my two granola-bar-and-leftover-surprise-cake lunch because THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR WALLET (AND BRAIN) IN JASON'S DELI!

(sigh)

The cake may be office leftovers, but it's left over from MY surprise party! I KNOW! Best co-workers ever! Even snuck my parents and Adam's mom in for the day! And I don't know if you've met me or not, but I've always wondered how I'd react to a surprise and all I have to say is, people, I DELIVER.

Annnyways, the point is I want to talk to you about my new favorite thing and no, it actually is not wedding related NOR is it about my cherry Carmex. Instead, let's talk Savers.

I don't know how you feel about thrift stores, but if you're like me they make you a little uncomfortable and suddenly, violently itchy. And you never really know where to roam within the dusty aisles but you're certain that you're the only materialistic moron who can't seem to find the treasures that others rave about because you're too nervous to touch anything.

And also--probably MORE SO--because there was a point in time when you actually started getting into the idea of thrift stores only to discover that the thrift store you were visiting had a mascot and it was a cat. And not a fake cat. A real cat. A REAL CAT I SAY! Just an icky furball LYING THERE by the LAMPS like it was at HOME. Because IT WAS! And when your piercing scream startled the sleepy teenage worker and you shrieked DID YOU KNOW THERE IS A CAT IN HERE?!...he said "Uh, yeah...it like, is always here...?" and looks at you like YOU'RE THE WEIRD ONE!

What.EVER!

So that's my story and I didn't expect much to change when a coworker of mine told me about this new thrift store that opened up a few blocks away. But LO AND BEHOLD it DID!

(but not about cats. Puh-lease.)

There are aisles--aisles!--with arranged and ORGANIZED sections of QUALITY used clothes, shoes, household items, etc. The prices, I've been told, are a tad more than typical thrift stores but YOU GUYS. THERE ARE NO CATS! Just really nice people who give you 20% off your next purchase of $10 or more just by making a DONATION!

I KNOW!

AND to seal the deal, and honestly, what really truly sold me in the first place was something called The Savers Cycle. Basically, Savers partners with local nonprofits and pays them for all the goods donated to their store (taken from their brochure). The Overland Park location, for example, benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City.

AND the checkout lady explained that while their selection process is quite involved, nothing donated goes in the trash (which according to her, happens a lot at other thrift stores). Unusable donations (such as stained, ripped, damaged-beyond-repair-goods) are sent to third world countries or reused in a variety of ways.

And that, my friends, is music to my kitten-hardened heart.

To learn more about Savers, visit here and here.


(and this little image is just because)