How to Find Art Supplies at Thrift Stores
I have been going to garage sales and thrift stores for years. It started out of necessity but now I continue to shop at these places because I get awesome stuff for nearly nothing!! Lots of my friends say they never can find anything at thrift stores so I thought I’d share with my readers how I do it.
1. Know your stores
Go to all the thrift stores in your area. Spend some time checking out what they have and what their prices are like. They aren’t all alike by any means!
Thrift stores have different specials and sales on certain days of the week. Make note of what each store has on sale on what days. For instance, my two favorite stores have clothes half price on Wednesdays. They have certain days that knick knacks are on sale, and other days accessories, etc.
2. Know what you will use
If you feel overwhelmed when you walk in the door it’s probably because you dont’ know what you want to find. Think about the things you typically look at when you go to the craft or art supply stores. Do you focus on beads/jewelry? Or do you like scrapbooking supplies? Maybe you prefer paints and brushes?
When you enter the thrift store find the area that most closely fits the category of things you use a lot in your art. Because I’m a mixed media artist, and alter lots of things, I check out the books, games and jewelry first.
3. Know what you’ll pay
It helps to know what the things you use in your art cost new. If you find a Scrabble game at the thrift store and it’s marked $10 is that a bargain? If you sell your art, consider what you’ll have to charge to cover the cost of buying these supplies. I would never buy a brand new Scrabble game to use in my art. And I wouldn’t pay $10 at the thrift store either. But I would pay $1.
After you spend some time in the thrift stores or at garage sales, you’ll get a feel for what is often available. The things that are more abundant are cheaper. So you might pay a little more for something you’ve been looking for and know is hard to find.
4. Know what you are getting
Always check everything closely. If it’s a game, open it up and see what parts are still there. If it’s a book, make sure the pages aren’t scribbled with crayon.
I sometimes get so excited at finding something that I grab it up and don’t really think it through. Will I really use 25 lotto card with simple children’s pictures of objects? Probably not but I have an abundance of them because I didn’t think before I threw it in my cart 
5. Know how you will use the items
This last tip is possibly the most important. It is so exciting to find such great things so cheap that it’s tempting to buy anything that catches your eye. I have bought many things and then realized I had no way to attach them, or clean them, or it was too big or too small – you get the idea.
Once you get the hang of thrifting you’re going to get obsessed, trust me So just expect to buy a bunch of stuff you’ll end up throwing out. That’s okay. But once the newness has passed, go to the thrift store or garage sale with things in mind that you need for current projects or ideas you want to implement. It will save in the log run on the cost of organizers
Here is an example of one of my recent Great Finds. This was a small tin and I paid 99 cents for it.
I love the grungy look of the tin. I may use it for a project later but right now I’m using it to carry my journaling supplies. I can fit small scissors, glue stick short pencils, watercolor crayons and a sharpener in it. The little wooden circles and the dice I will use on some frames I’m making from found objects.
The little backgammon board is totally cool looking. I scanned it to use as an image for backgrounds. Here it is.
It’s about 4 inches square. Isn’t it a great image? This alone was worth 99 cents!
I’d love if you’d share with me and my readers in the comment section any great finds you’ve found while thrifting!!
