All Over Albany

Thrift at Something Olde, Something New

Let's face it, if you're a thrift shopper, you have to keep yourself open to possibility. Borrowing from Forest Gump's chocolate box metaphor, "you never know what you're going to get."

At Something Olde, Something New in Slingerlands, you could walk out with a unique housewarming gift --or a pair of vintage Gucci alligator heels. You just never know. And that's half the fun.

One side of this shop is filled with women's clothing and accessories and the other side is primarily antiques, gently used household items and a few new craft sale-type things like decorative teddy bears and jewelry.

Clothing here is sold on consignment, so the prices are higher than a thrift shop. On the other hand, most of the clothing represents more recent styles and is only barely worn. If you're looking for a nice dress for some occasion and don't want to pay full-price, for instance, this might be your spot. But if you're looking for something a little funkier or more retro, well, you'll probably need to look elsewhere. This is a shop that generally caters to a clientele base a little older than my own twenty-something demographic, but that's not to say I didn't find a few items I coveted.

I especially liked this flower-adorned straw bag ($12.50)

and this houndstooth shirt dress ($16.50.)

I also liked this ribbon stripe skirt ($13.50.)

And I was swooning over the vintage hat boxes from now-defunct area boutiques that decorate the clothing section. Unfortunately, those don't appear to be for sale.

I had more luck on the other side of the store where I found genuine antiques like a $140 yellow ware bowl. Among the selection of more moderately-priced housewares and random things were VHS cassettes and a used copy of the hardcover book, "Weird NY."

Here are my favorite finds:

A set of four ruby glass dessert dishes for $14.50

A little blue pottery sake set for $12.50

An adorable pair of vintage salt and pepper shakes for $6.50.