5 Thrift Store Scores With Soul

I love old stuff. There is nothing I enjoy more than the Grandma’s cabinet smell of a thrift store. I love the hunt of a good item and the kismet and charm of an item seemingly finding YOU. Who died and left me this crumpled hat? This weird quilt bag? This coffee mug with two handles? Where did you come from you weird little guy?

New stuff on the other hand fills me with immediate regrets. Did I really just pay $45 for a black t-shirt? Why did I buy this soulless item?

This is a list of some amazing thrifty scores with soul. They come with a checkered past (sometimes of my own creation) and a new life when people spot me wearing them in the wild.

1. The Stunts Unlimited Ball Cap

I was at an estate sale in Pasadena at a huge house combing through 70's chachkies choking on the smell of cat piss and mildew in the living room and loving every minute of it. I came across this simple black 80’s snapback with a yellow logo of sun-like rays and “Stunts Unlimited” proudly written on it. It was one of those items where you just know you’re getting it. And in my case I knew it’d be glued to my head. I’m a ball cap kind of guy. I paid my $5 to the woman running the estate sale who had plenty to say about this now deceased couple whose stuff she was selling.

They were a husband-wife duo — a dentist and an elite socialite respectfully. The dentist had apparently been a fan of Hollywood and all things motion pictures so the hat had found his way to him through that affinity. I imagined the weird party he went to where they were giving out free stunt hats. The socialite, on the other hand, had been a hoarder and they literally found couture clothing buried in the backyard! But the real magic of this hat came through when I stopped at a grocery store and the checker took a look at my hat and said, “Oh wow, Stunts Unlimited!” Turned out she’d been a stunt woman that had worked for the now defunct company!

2. The Cobra Sweatshirt

I’ve grown obsessed with oversized sweatshirts over the last handful of years and I came across this gem at Out of the Closet which is my absolute favorite thrift store in Los Angeles because they offer free HIV testing and the donations are the best. I feel absolutely zero sense of guilt shopping there and sometimes I’ll pick up items that I later don’t love but I don’t care because I’m supporting such a great spot. It was a small tragedy when some stupid athletic shoe store took over their Echo Park location. Major bummer.

So, I came across this oversized bright blue sweatshirt with a red G.I. Joe Cobra symbol screen printed on the chest. At first I didn’t put together that it was from G.I. Joe. I knew it was something vaguely nostalgic but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. The Cobra was printed a little off kilter indicative of an amateur at home job which made me love it even more. It was later that week when I went to my chiropractor and the guy working the desk asked me where I’d gotten it. Clearly excited, he went on to say it was from the G.I. Joe cartoon that he loved watching and I had that “Ah ha” moment of remembering watching the cartoons with my brother. I loved that he and I connected on shared childhood memories. I looked up the character Cobra later and saw that he kind of has a hot BDSM Daddy vibe with his hood and strappy leather outfit. Who knew?!

3. The White Tail Deer Belt Buckle

I was in Oklahoma City where I grew up on a rare visit and headed to a store that specialized in vintage cowboy boots. The man running it looked as you would expect — rail thin with a yellowy mustache from years of smoking and head to toe western gear. I came across this brass belt buckle with a sweet little Whitetail deer with antlers bending down to eat some grass. There was something gentle and subtle about him. It came up in conversation with the mustached man that I was visiting from California which was a mistake on my part because the buckle didn’t have a price on it and when I asked him how much I remember thinking, this guy is overcharging me because he thinks I’ve got that California money. I decided not to haggle. He can have my California money. It’s my favorite belt buckle.

4. Arctic Cat ‘Feel The Thunder’ Sweatshirt

This was another great Out of the Closet find. I remember spotting it and just knowing “You will be mine.” Someone at the store knew it’s 90s vintage value because they’d priced it a little higher than the average sweatshirt but I knew the extra $5 was worth it. The checker said, “Oh I was wondering who would get this!” Me, definitely me. The fluorescent pinks and greens of the logo on the basic black sweatshirt have been on my person regularly since. For those who don’t know, Arctic Cats are snowmobiles and the company apparently went wild with printing promotional “Feel the Thunder” sweatshirts in the 90s. You can find quite a few on eBay. I’m asked about this sweatshirt whenever I wear it. There’s just something eye catching and charming and nostalgic about it. Side note: if I ever go to a Thunder basketball game in Oklahoma City I plan on wearing this because I don’t love overtly supporting a sports team but I do love subversively supporting a sports team.

5. The Neto Armadillo Canadian Ski Jacket(?)

The question mark is here because this jacket is somewhat confusing, which I will explain. I almost shouldn’t include this because it really wasn’t MY find. I procured it from Operator LA in Highland Park, a vintage shop that really did the digging on finding this gem. But this jacket is such an anomaly it must be mentioned. It’s a grey leather and grey canvas combo that gives both motorcycle and ski jacket vibes. It reads: I just arrived to the slopes on the back of a 1985 Ducati and I may or may not ski because I do what I want. The inside is a silky grey with an armadillo logo next to the company name “Neto” and “Made in Canada.” I remember trying it on and thinking, This jacket is my gender, which is to say, what is my gender? I don’t really know. I can’t fully explain that but it seems to embody both the masculine and the feminine and also an armadillo. And when have I ever gendered an armadillo? Literally never. I list this item last because this jacket is all potential. As a current Angeleno, this jacket doesn’t get a lot of action here in our warm climate. But if I ever go to Canada, she’s definitely coming with me.