15 July 2010

Junk Shoppin' in 'Bama

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Among the many things I've been doing during my stay in Alabama, I've been hitting up lots of small town junk shops searching for treasures. The South seems to lay claim to this unique type of shop... something I haven't run across in any other part of the country. These go beyond thrift stores. They're not charity shops. They're just... junk shops. Need a pencil drawing of a Nascar driver? They've got you covered. Need a box of fake fingernails? Yep, they've got that too (I spared you the photo of that one). An old kitchen sink? I'm sure there's one lying around somewhere.

But among the junk there are certainly treasures to be found. In the back of this shop, we found a warehouse full of old linens, old clothes and shoes, suitcases, dishes... pretty much every kind of junk you could think of. It was hot as Hades (no air-conditioning on a typically hot Southern day) but my sister (that's her in the photo) and I braved the sweltering conditions to rummage through the piles. At the end of our many stops in towns with names like Sylacauga and Childersburg, I had collected a bag full of vintage dresses for the shop, another floppy wool hat for myself and a piece of cream colored pottery to add to my collection for the dining room table.

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31 comments:

Shanah said...

Amazing :D & beautiful pictures by the way. Hope to get there one day :)

melina bee said...

how cool! not sure if I have been in a legit junk shop before since you must admit some thrift stores straddle the line.

Hannah said...

Places like these always seem really interesting and yet somewhat intimidating to me. I'm always afraid I'm going to walk away feeling like I've wasted my time. But then again there are always such cool and unique things- like that box of fake fingernails...how could I pass up an opportunity like that?

Taylor Kitto / The Little Deer said...

i wish i had one of these stores around where i live!
how wonderful.
i love all the old luggage.

Chandler said...

Wow I would love to go to that store!

http://chandler-freshstart.blogspot.com/

Veronica said...

Oh man! That place looks awesome! Or...scary. I guess it could go either way! ;)

Madeline Veenstra said...

Amazing! I'm going to California in November, hopefully I can find some thrift stores while I'm there. If you have any tips for the Santa Clara area, that would be great :)

franca maisha said...

wow! this is heaven! did you get anything?? :)

Madame LaLa said...

just great!

check out my blog if you have time.
its all about FASHION.

love,
sarah from http://madame-lala.blogspot.com

Madame LaLa said...

just great!

check out my blog if you have time.
its all about FASHION.

love,
sarah from http://madame-lala.blogspot.com

milly said...

This sounds fantastic, wish we had places like this in England! (we just have charity shops as far as I have found!!)

How do you know how to spot a real piece??? :)

the spectator said...

That's the neatest, most beautifully set out junk shop I've seen.

Velvet said...

Mouthwatering suitcases.

Rosie said...

Oh looks like super fun!!

MOUSEVOX VINTAGE said...

I need to make another AL road trip soon. I may hit you up on shopping spots! This place looks pretty spectacular.

Bea said...

Junk shop sounds like heaven to me. I would not at all mind braving the heat to dig through all those treasures :)

I would probably get a huge kick out of seeing all the crazy funny stuff too

B from A plus B

fromwhoknowswear said...

I love 'junk' shops, especially ones where you have to pretty much climb over and sift through treacherous piles of stuff to find treasures!

There was a great one in my hometown that closed down a few years ago :(, I still have a sweet, nearly naked lady MCM lamp that I bought there while I was in high school.

Paige Tanya said...

This is such a cute little store!
I wish we had one like this in montreal.

Rebecca said...

Aside from the heat this sounds like an amazing shopping experience. I am so jealous of american thrift stores. You rarely get anything like that over here.

DIANA said...

Oh gosh vintage, Thrift, Junk stores are a dream………….you could always find something that you absolutely love and they always make me feel like I just discovered a tiny treasure♥

Amazing photos!
I hope you have a brilliant weekend

Zohar said...

dreamy.... I wish we had those kind of things here :)

DANDELION DAYDREAMER said...

wow! I could do with a serious trip there for my vintage shop! Your pics are great, your blog is gorgeous and you are the cutest little vintage doll in your pics :)

Lexie said...

my grandmother was an antique dealer for several years, so i know junk shops WAY too well! so many memories....

Sarah said...

These pictures are lovely; they make me want to go out and buy a bunch of vintage clothes. :)

Cherri Porter said...

I am ridiculously jealous. In California all the thrift stores seem way too sanitized and all the stuff way too new. As I read the blogs of those folks on the east coast, in the south and in the midwest I am jealous, jealous, jealous for some thrifting like this.

Zoƫ, Lion Heart Vintage said...

oh wow... SO lust-worthy.

Joan said...

Wow.. I definitely won't mind shopping at shops like these. I wish we have such stores here.. ;)

...on the brink of something beautiful said...

this post makes me want to go thrift shopping SOOO badly
-kellie

jamie said...

If you ever venture to Atlanta let me know. I can give you the names of some awesome antique and junk shops.

Leire said...

vintage suitcases...

The Jazzy Belle said...

OMG! I'm smiling from ear to ear! I grew up in Childersburg.. Random town.. you are so right. But, I loved it. Beautiful countryside to ride around in and plenty of junk to go through. I frequently visit J&J Junk and wear minimal clothes when I go b/c you are right.. HOT HOT HOT!!! So many treasures though.. My last visit I came out w/ a cool trench and several skirts :) I hope you hit up the new junk and vintage shops in Sylacauga.. i did last time i was there and they are also awesome!