Apron Thrift Girl

secandhand spirits - an interview

We were in Sonoma County barely a month when I found out that there was going to be a Book Festival in downtown Santa Rosa. As someone who is rarely seen without a book in her hands, I had to go to this event. I went from booth to booth meeting authors and taking leaflets from local writing groups. When I saw the paperback with the title "Secondhand Spirits" I had to take another look. And then another.

Juliette Blackwell was sitting behind a table with a display of of her books along with a group of authors. She gave me and Cerys a very warm hello and asked if we liked mystery books. Having just come out of my Sookie withdrawals I found myself nodding my head for the first time ever. Despite Trixie B, I don't tend to lean toward mysteries. I just don't sleep well if I read about murder & mayhem before laying my head on my pillow to sleep. I have bad dreams and worse:   I sleepwalk. Still the title said "secondhand". How could I go wrong with that? I bought a copy and asked Juliette to write an inscription to Cerys.

If you are a thrifter then you will love the main character Lily Ivory and her vintage clothing shop in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. There is so much vintage/thrift talk in this book that your head will spin until you are just plain giddy. Seriously, you-must-read-this-book-today.

Juliette has kindly agreed to an interview about a favorite subject of ours; vintage thrifting.

ATG:  Your book Secondhand Spirits featured a mouthwatering vintage clothing boutique, Aunt Cora's Closet. Do you have a favorite vintage clothing boutique that you frequent in San Francisco or the Bay Area?

Juliette Blackwell: There are far too many to name!  I set Secondhand Spirits in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood because in the Bay Area, the Haight is famous for its funky used-clothes and vintage shops.  I love La Rosa, Held Over, Static, Wasteland, and even the Goodwill at 1700 Haight.

In Berkeley, Telegraph Avenue offers a number of great stores; I like Mars Mercantile, Time Zone, and Stop the Clock.

ATG:  Are you a vintage clothing collector yourself? What is your favorite piece that you own?

Juliette Blackwell:  I wouldn’t call myself a real collector –for that you need serious money.  I adore really old clothing from the 1900s, and those items are truly expensive, so I mostly just admire them.  Plus I’m not what you’d call petite, so it can be hard to find clothes from that era that fit.

But I do have a number of nice pieces I’ve acquired over the years, especially 1950s cashmere sweaters and old flowy skirts.  I have a couple of jackets from the forties, and some beaded items from the thirties. My favorite pieces come from my mother: a lovely cocktail dress with a gauzy black skirt and a lacy bodice; and a fake-fur lined cocoa-colored wool coat. I wore her wedding dress when I got married, as well: it’s a simple piece that her sisters sewed for her.  Those items remind me of her, so I love them best.

ATG:  Many of my readers are avid thrifters for anything vintage. What's your best piece of advice for finding the perfect vintage item?

Juliette Blackwell: As I mentioned above, money is always a concern for me so I don’t buy much at stores that know exactly what they have, and charge for it – although those are great options for smaller items that can really dress up an outfit…yes, I’m a sucker for vintage rhinestone jewelry! 

I usually shop at Goodwill and other charity thrift stores – they often have incredible pieces without even knowing it. I once insisted on paying more than the $2 price tag on a skirt that I recognized as a genuine 1950s poodle-skirt!  Another great way to find less expensive items is at estate sales – sometimes clothes won’t be out for sale, but if you ask there just might be closets and boxes full of old stuff that people want to get rid of. Sometimes you have to pay one price for everything and go through it, but there are some real treasures if you’re willing to look.

Finally, I know a collector who works for Hollywood. He goes out on “big waste pick-up days” when homeowners are allowed to put big junk out on the curb.  If there are a lot of items from an era my friend is looking for, he’ll actually knock on the door and ask if they have any clothes from that era.  He’s surprisingly successful. A lot of people don’t know what to do with their old stuff –they don’t want it, but they hesitate to throw it away.

ATG: What kind of background research was needed to write about owning a vintage boutique shop?

Juliette Blackwell:  As always, there’s an astounding amount of information available on the internet.  But besides reading catalogs and articles about vintage clothing, I go onto vintage clothing chatrooms and textile conservators’ chatrooms.  It’s amazing the kind of detail you can gleam from their discussions.  I also interview vintage clothing dealers and store owners, and as is probably obvious from my answers above, I spend a lot of time in the stores, just browsing and watching customers.

ATG:  How did you decide to combine magic with secondhand?

Juliette Blackwell:  My main character, Lily Ivory, has never felt close to people, so she feels connected to humanity through items that carry their vibrations.  I thought of having her dealing with antiques, but that has been done so often…and besides, I know more about clothes than antiques.  And I thought: What could be more intimate than clothing?  It touches our skin constantly, is there with us on important events like weddings and celebrations, even funerals, and in the old days it was often made by hand by loved ones. I do believe that old things carry a little of the energy of people who’ve passed through—old houses, old furniture, old clothes….

ATG:  In Book 2 are you going to continue with the vintage clothing theme or venture into other secondhand areas?

Juliette Blackwell:  Since Lily owns a vintage clothing store, obviously clothing will always have an important role in the books.  But I do get a chance to talk a little (too little, unfortunately) about ephemera in my next Witchcraft Mystery, A Cast-off Coven (coming June, 2010), and Lily is also considering expanding Aunt Cora’s Closet to include another one of my favorite hobbies: vintage kitchen items. If no one puts a stop to this, I might have her running a secondhand emporium soon!

****Thank you so much Juliette for taking the time to talk to us today about Secondhand Spirits and especially about vintage thrifting. Please check out Juliette's website for more information about the book, upcoming events and where to purchase your own copy of Secondhand Spirits.

The Salvage Studio Interview

Anyone who can take a rake and make a jewelry holder out of it is someone I had to meet. Multiply that that by 3 and we're talking about the three amazing women who make up The Salvage Studio in Edmonds, Washington. And actually I'm kind of cheating when I say I had to meet them because I did see them in person at the Goodwill Outlet in Seattle last year. I arrived halfway through their presentation and so I lingered on the side, shopping and listening as I pushed my cart around.  If you could have pictured me, my jaw had dropped open and my eyes were wide as I heard these three thrifty women talking about how to re-use Junk. Not the good condition thrifted stuff we might find, but stuff headed toward the landfills. They work their magic and create something beautiful and useful out of it. I was in total awe and was determined to learn more about them. Their studio focuses on workshops which I have yet to attend but am hoping to get together with some crafty girlfriends and make a day trip out of it.

With having a blog that is focused primarily on thrifting, I realized I finally had the perfect excuse to talk to them; an interview. I emailed the Salvage Studio and asked if I could do an interview for my blog.  They said yes. I say yeah and we set up a time for me to meet Beth in Edmonds.

The Salvage Studio is made up of Beth Evans-Ramos, Lisa Hilderbrand and Amy Duncan. I arrived at 10am for the interview excited as a bee. I couldn't believe I was in their studio and would be meeting the three of them in person. In the Seattle thrift world they are up there with the thrift royalty. Although I was a little nervous they immediately made me feel welcomed. I was offered a cup of tea and while my water was boiling I was given a tour of the studio.

This is the office section. What I didn't realize is that the workshop part of the studio is just a small area of the entire studio. They have cleverly broken up the areas into themes. And not only was it like a museum that you could gawk over but you could buy practically everything in sight. I was in heaven and needed to fan myself to keep conscious. You know those moments in life where you think "Why couldn't I have thought of that?". That was me. Or worse, I was ready to move into the studio and make camp in the library. I think I could fit a pup tent right behind the library table.  I'm sure Dave could handle the children without me right?

The Garden Area.

With a tea cup in my hand and Beth and I sitting comfortably in the lounge area surrounded by How-To Books, we started the interview.

Apron Thrift Girl: It's really exciting that the Salvage Studio is made up of three women. I'm dying to know how the three of you met?
Beth: Lisa and I were in a gardening club and we started junking together. I met Amy while standing in line at an estate sale.

Apron Thrift Girl: Do you find that the general public is eager to learn how to recycle cast off into something new?
Beth: Absolutely. We struck a chord, "I've found my place" said many of the people when they walked into our studio. We used to have one in a Lynnwood Business Park but we grew out of it and moved to this space in Edmonds. We have so much more room here and do not have to turn people away.

Apron Thrift Girl: I know I have found some funky things while thrifting but what's the oddest item you have ever found in a thrift store?
Beth: I can't think of one although I'm sure I've found something weird from time to time. I'll get back to you on this one.
Amy chips in from the other side of the room: I found some empty boxes in a basement that said "casket handles" on the side.
Apron Thrift Girl: I think that definitely qualifies in the weird department.

Apron Thrift Girl: Everything here is incredible. Where do you find most of your items for the studio?
Beth: We find most of our items at estate sales. We also have been salvaging homes recently. Someone will call us and ask us to come in and take away items. Generally this is for free. People call us and ask if we will take donations. It works for everyone.

Apron Thrift Girl: I'm pretty acquainted with thrifting in parts of Seattle but as an expert how would you rate the Seattle area and its thrifting venues?
Beth: Snohomish County is my favorite place to thrift. We go to a lot of Estate Sales and Thrift Stores. People are really nice to us because they know we are going to look after what they sell us.

Apron Thrift Girl: What is your best thrift find ever?
Beth: I collect Bakelite and once I found a necklace for $5.00 which is a great price.

Apron Thrift Girl: Do you ever go dumpster diving? I used to do this in college outside of dormitories and I found everything under the sun including a large canister full of change once. I haven't done this in years but used to really enjoy the free things and saving it from going to the landfill.
Beth: I do some dumpster diving at estate sales. Occasionally I'll see a dumpster in the back by a garage and I'll ask if I can look through it. Sometimes our best finds are the items that people have thrown away.  Other times we'll find things by a driveway that are marked Free.

Apron Thrift Girl: Is there a book in the making for the Salvage Studio? I know I would love to add it to my bedside table books.
Beth: Well we haven't signed a contract yet but a publisher is pursuing us.

Apron Thrift Girl: When I plan our driving trips, they are sometimes based around thrift stores or Flea Markets. Do you look for junk when you are on vacation?
Beth: Absolutely. We were in Paris for 10 days and I loved the flea markets. What the French consider as just old postcards is very collectible here.

Apron Thrift Girl: What are your plans for the Studio?
Beth: At the moment we are so happy just to open the doors on the weekends. We love to see regulars as well as new faces.  We want to keep up the quality of the items in the studio as well as making sure we have enough time to work on items.

Apron Thrift Girl: Are there any hints that you can give thrifters on how to spot a gem among the junk?
Beth: You need to try to visualize what the item will be without it covered in grime and mildew. The setting can bring an item down. Picture it somewhere else and what you might do with it.

I could have talked to Beth for hours on the subject of thrifing. I felt like I had found a kindred spirit and I wished I had her to myself the entire day. Knowing that she is very busy though I thanked her and then was a bit cheeky and asked if I could shop.

Their prices were more expensive than thrift stores or yard sales but much cheaper than an antique store. Plus their style totally, matched mine which made shopping very easy. I didn't have to look through things that didn't interest me because it all interested me.

Here is my collection. The copy of the French postcards was a gift from Beth to me for coming to see them. I think I'm going to frame these for my office. I also bought some rickrack, paper bits, and a record book. 

As I was looking in their workshop area I knew that this would be a thrift-craft-bloggers paradise.

There are shelves with tins full of game pieces, bottle caps, corks, paper, buttons, small stencils and much more.

As you can see everything is priced and it is all affordable.

Here are the amazing women of The Salvage Studio.

If you live around Seattle you can see attend their "Garden Art from Found Objects" at certain King County Libraries during the next two months. Their calendar as well as their workshop schedule can be found on their website.

Going to the studio gave me optimism that thrifing is not only become trendy but people want to save things from going into the landfill. It's not just about saving money anymore. What I loved most about the Salvage Studio is that they have taken their passion for thrifting, garden art and making something new out of something old in order to create a learning environment for people. I could see that all three of them were so content and just plain happy with sharing their passion and their skills. It was an honor to meet them and to be inspired by their hard work and dedication to thrifting.