I'm Begging You to Look in the Case
Plus, the return of #ThriftScoreThursday
First off, if you’re new here, welcome! I’m excited to have you. I’m been writing my newsletter on Substack for about three years now and it’s been wild to see this platform grow. I’m excited to grow with it. If you want to catch up on past issues, might I suggest my series, The Best Thing I Ever Thrifted, where I share the amazing vintage finds of notable taste-makers? Or Finding Beauty in a Thrift Store, where I share how I got into antique shopping (and selling) and how a tragedy in my younger life shaped the way I view beauty? For other personal writings, head here to see How I Make Money or How I Turned Thrifting Into a Career.
As TikTok goes away (though…I’m still not entirely convinced it won’t come back) and new landscapes emerge, I’m excited to get back to my roots a bit. I’m a writer and Substack is a natural space for me to be in but I also love video and grew my Instagram following through sharing my thrift finds every Thursday.
Last Friday, I went live on Substack and it all kind of clicked for me — why not do here what I used to do over on the other platforms? So, I am. I’m bringing back #ThriftScoreThursday, live on Substack every Thursday morning at 8:30 AM. If you subscribe to the letter, you’ll get an email alerting you when I go live and you can tune in and ask questions as it happens. It’ll be brief — shooting for 5-10 minutes. Sometimes I'll share a new haul and other times I’ll share pieces I’ve had for a while that are significant or exciting. After the live ends, I’ll post the full video on my page, in case you missed it. And in the coming weeks and months, I’ll invite some friends to join me and share their own finds — kind of like a live version of The Best Thing I Ever Thrifted. The times might change but for now, I figured 8:30 AM would be a fun way to start the day and wouldn’t conflict with work hours. I’m honestly so excited about this and hope you’ll tune in.
Since we’re talking about great finds, I wanted to delve into the place where I’ve found so many of mine: the glass cases that line the front of antique malls or sit at the chceck-out counters of thrift stores. I love the glass cases. But is there anything more humiliating that having to ask someone to show you an item that’s kept behind lock and key and then ultimately not buying it?
There is a strange sort of pressure that accompanies the “Might I just see this little necklace here?” or “Oh, could you please open this case for me so I can look at something?” It is unsurprising, then, that most shoppers will simply give up on an item that’s locked in a case.
Retail Brew recently polled their readers and found that four out of five people wouldn’t purchase or even ask about buying a product if it were behind glass and locked up. I imagine most of the survey respondents were referring to things like razors or deodorant at CVS. But I think there are probably a lot of people who are also intimidated by the glass cases at antique shops.
Just because something is locked behind glass does not mean it’s expensive. In fact, most of the little who’s-its and what-nots kept under lock and key are rather inexpensive — but they’re small. They’re tucked away so they don’t get picked up and put elsewhere (or, frankly, stashed in someone’s pocket).
I have found some of my most favorite things behind glass. A Karl Lagerfeld bangle, an entire collection of 1980s brass animal head belt buckles, a Rimini blue hippopotamus, an original Pablo Picasso exhibition catalogue. None more than $20, believe it or not.
Some of my fave behind-glass finds:
These paisley earrings from the late ‘80s/early ‘90s were an instant yes for me. They are just so big and so bold. But when the sales associate started bagging them up, they fell apart. They were priced at $12 and, as I was buying some other items, she said, “Just keep these.” So I took them home and super-glued them back together. A free find? What could be better!
This is a selection of costume jewelry that was all in one case at an antique mall! I was initially drawn to the choker because of the chain detailing and, when I flipped it over, I saw the “KL” signature. Being a collector of vintage Karl Lagerfeld jewelry, I knew this was one of his early pieces. It was $12! Also $12? The coin-shaped earrings (look close and you’ll see the Givenchy earrings) and the big gold hoops (not made by any designer, just really fun).
I found this collection of vintage belt buckles at a thrift store and they obviously all came from one household — someone with a major fixation on brass animal heads. These are by Mimi Di N, not Christopher Ross (Christopher Ross belt buckles are extraordinary and I am always on the hunt for them — wildly expensive on the secondary market). But I love the ones with the glass eyes and was pleased that the person who donated them had the cat belt buckle in two sizes — because sometimes you want something bold, and sometimes just a bit more subtle, right?
This was a really excellent behind-glass find, which came from an antique booth owned by a dealer who was moving away. So everything was 50% off but she was there, so she was practically giving things away. I got this for $12 and it was kind of tucked beneath some jewelry and cups — but I spotted the face on the cover and instantly knew it was something Picasso. Initially, I thought it was a little tiny Pablo Picasso book, but I was surprised to open it and see it’s actually a catalogue from one of his exhibitions in 1957, so it would have been distributed to the collectors who went to that opening. The Picasso Museum in Barcelona even has a copy of the same catalogue in their collection!
Another thrift store glass case find, these blue hippos were produced by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and are stamped “MMA” on the bottom. If you see “MMA” that almost always means it’s a museum miniature — a tiny version of a piece in the museum’s permanent collection, probably sold in their gift shop at one point. I collect museum miniatures so I jumped at the chance to buy this set (for probably $10, though I later sold them on Chairish).
Looking in the glass cases isn’t a hack, certainly. But I hope it serves as a gentle reminder that some of the most amazing treasures are hiding in plain sight!
If you read or look at one home tour today, make it this one. John Derian is a designer, textile maker and decoupage artist who I have admired since I was very very young. (My grandmother was also a decoupage artist and would make fabulous plates and decoupage artworks when I was young). New York Magazine describes his apartment as “his autobiography in objects” and that’s an apt descriptor — it’s full of art work, found objects, vintage pieces…it’s magic.
Are you a big list maker? I certainly am. I have written before about my behemoth Google doc that houses my weekly grocery list but I also love a paper list. These cheeky notepads made list-making fun (and quite chic) and make really excellent housewarming gifts, too.
And while we’re on the subject og gifts, I would not at all mind if someone gifted me this shrunken polo by Guest in Residence (Gigi Hadid’s cashmere line). I love their stuff and this is the perfect shape and size.
And I’ll leave you with this…
Yes, I always look in the case! I find all kinds of goodies in there! 💕 Those belt buckles are fantastic-you need to wear double cat belts stay!
Those belt buckles are everything.