Hidden Gems

To celebrate the opening of a new Value Village store in Mississauga (a suburb of Toronto), I was invited back to shop the store challenging a $50 budget. For those of you who may not be familiar, Value Village is a thrift retailer that offers affordable clothing and household goods. If you’ve been following the blog you would recall last summer I thrifted two outfits on that same budget.

Thrifting can be a hit or miss. At times one may end up leaving with the most remarkable vintage find. And that is exactly what happened here.  While my intention was to put together a winter outfit I simply didn’t have much luck in the clothing department that day. So I started wandering the store for inspiration…And boy did I ever find it in the housewares section!

It all started when I spotted a floral keepsakes box. While I already have a few of these throughout my home another couldn’t possibly hurt. The ‘Live Laugh Love’ motif resonated with me and inspired a home decor on a budget theme. Thus creating the perfect opportunity to challenge a $50 budget on home decor. 

After having settled on the box the next step was to find items to compliment its’ floral and Parisienne motif. Immediately I pictured French inspired artwork. And a white vase full of flowers to compliment the design of the box. Now came the fun part. Thrifting for aforementioned items to find great decor on a budget.

Finding artwork was a breeze. I even scored a framed mirror which had been on my home decor wish list for quite some time. In addition, mirrored-glass candle holders were a no brainer as I’m always burning candles. The only snag I hit (which turned out to be a blessing in disguise) was that I could not find an appropriate vase. 

A glass pitcher kept catching my eye every time I walked by. Upon further inspection I deemed it to be vintage based on the detailing. Until eventually I decided to forgo the vase in lieu of this beauty. Best decision I I made that night. I am actually thankful that I wasn’t able to find a vase or else I would have passed up on this gem!

It’s hard to imagine that such pretty items would have otherwise ended up in a landfill. Which is why it’s great that Value Village teams up with local nonprofit parters to divert more than 650 million pounds of used goods from landfills each year. These reused goods are put into the hands of people who will give them a new life and home.

On a side note, one of the store managers gave me a behind the scenes tour of the whole process that night. Aside from accepting donations (for which they offer a discount on their merchandise), Value Village purchases their clothing from local nonprofit organizations.

More than 100,000 items are out on the sales floor at any given time, carrying everything from clothing and accessories to housewares and electronics. Up to 10,000 new items are placed on the floor daily. Any items that exceed their in-store ‘season’ are then further passed down to charities or recycled. Love how everything keeps getting re-used.

Well, and there you have it my friends. These are all the goodies I found for home decor on a budget. Whether you are looking to incorporate a few one of a kind pieces into your existing decor or create an entire display, $50 at Value Village takes you a long way.

xo

All housewares c/o Value Village.