michigan thrifting

Sometimes the secret to surviving a long road trip is finding a small town junk shop. We drove to and from Chicago this past week and stopped in Galesburg, Michigan on our way back. Jay has a knack for spotting signs for such obscure places, and with the 25 degree weather we really needed to get out of the car. The shop was a gem; we spent over an hour discovering treasures and if we didn't have to get back to pick up Sadie we would have stayed all afternoon. The doll's highchair is already Sadie's favourite. She has sat every creature in its' steel seat and served them juice. As for me, I simply indulged in little treats: the tiniest pearl buttons, an old baby portrait, a baby's diary from 1905 and a little something I'm going to pass along to a far away and dearly missed friend. The wool is a mismatched element because it is new and hails from Chicago, but it's such a great colour and the shop was so fantastic that I wanted to include it. If you're ever in Chicago, Nina is a shop worth visiting. The Red Balloon was pretty sweet too, but I'll save my Chicago review for next time.

(There is a reason to my separating posts though - up until Galesburg I had mostly been shopping in retail stores as any new city compels me to do. However, it was so refreshing to go thrifting and rediscover items long loved by other people. I have a love/hate relationship with shopping and consumerism - who doesn't? - but it seems I almost forgot who I was until we walked into this shop. It was like breathing fresh air, regardless of dust content.)