On Sunday, I stumbled on a junk shop in my neighborhood. It's on the pricey side for a shop full of finds that look like they came off the street (no surprise, since it is New York, after all.) And I wasn't as charmed as I was when I walked into a little junk shop in Connecticut with my friend Erin. But no matter, I still found myself hooked: walked down every row, looked on every shelf, and peeked inside buckets and bins for an hour. A junk shop always has a certain mystery. You just never know. You dig hard enough, and your persistence sometimes pays off with some unexpected treasure. You find the most amazing something. But many times, like on Sunday for me, you walk away empty-handed.
I love shopping in a junk shop. I love how you're left alone by the owner — left to explore at your own pace. And I don't mind how it's hit or miss — sometimes shops like Anthropologie are too tempting because you know you'll find a bunch of things (not on sale, of course) that you love. Every. single. time. A rare discovery at a junk shop makes you want to do a happy dance. You don't know when, but you know if you keep looking, you'll find some cool gem that feels perfect for you (or screams project!).
And it may sound all a little cliche, but recently, I've had a few conversations with friends about finding something new, something unexpected, something kind of wonderful in this mess of a recession. It's felt a little like an endless string of nothing good (so sad to hear of Gourmet and Cookie closing.) But then so many people around me are discovering and trying new things. "Once in a while you get shown a light" (from the amazing song, Scarlet Begonias.)
