The Arc/Rock of St Martin, Breaux Bridge, LA

Just off I-10, in the charming little Cajun town of Breaux Bridge (known especially for it's annual crawfish festival), is a fine little example of a thrift shop known as The Arc of St. Martin.




Well, formerly known, as I was reminded by the Carribean shopkeeper as I wrote my check out for eight dollars. For reasons not fully explained, the Arc is now known as the Rock, and rock it does.




The best kind of thrift store is one that is mindful of it's own nomenclature: one which maintains an integrity to the word 'thrift'. The best are ones that I like to call 'baggers' or 'stuffers,' wherein customers pay a single given price for whatever they can fit into a single plastic bag.




The Rock of St. Martin is one of these holy grails of thrifting, the kind of undertaking that should make any given Goodwill burn with shame at the recognition of their pricegouging ways. At 4 bucks a bag, anything and everything in the Rock is vastly affordable, and - as one of the few thrift venues in the area - there are often good finds to be had, as long as you can handle the gospel music soundtrack for your shopping experience.




This particular excursion produced mediocre finds, at best: a few vintage poly dresses here, a few standard sweaters there. The real strength of the Rock on this stop, however, was the men's workwear section, wherein several full length utility coveralls could be found and a nice set of Carhartts. We left these for other intrepid thrift explorers, but made out with the sweet vintage Sears and Roebuck lined windbreaker seen above.




Soon, you will be able to find this item, among others, at our etsy shop: THRUNKIE.etsy.com



The Arc/Rock of St. Martin
1408 East Bridge Street
Breaux Bridge LA

Rating: Highly Recommended

Loot: 2 poly dresses, 1 leather vest, 1 pearl snap shirt, 2 casual sweaters, 1 utility jacket

Location:1408 East Bridge Street Breaux Bridge LA

Goodwill, Hagerstown Maryland

As something of a Goodwill connoisseur, I speak from both experience and taste when I say that this is one of my all-time favorite Goodwills. Not because of any particularly good finds, nor because of the prices (generally the same as all of the chain's outlets across the nation), but sheerly because it has just... A certain something about it. Maybe its because of it's prime location on the road of just about when I'm starting to lose my bladder, but for whatever reason I have consistently made this store a must-see stop on my cross-country travels.

I have generally always come out well from these stopovers, but this trip was something of an exception... Nothing of note in the clothing department, but a gem of a find in the homewares! This adorable bike (although fitted only for the smallest of road warriors) was unfortunately something I had to skip over (no room in the car). (Somewhat) reasonably priced at 30 bucks, with no rust, this wasn't by any means the cheapest find, but would have made a perfect flip in Brooklyn. Just look at those sweet fenders!



In any case, apart from it's size and location, I think what I like best about this particular goodwill is it's consistently killer glasses selection. On my last trip I came away with a rather unique pair for 2 bucks that have garnered constant complements and inquiry ever since...





Goodwill
151 North Burhans Boulevard
Hagerstown MD

Rating: Highly Reccommended

Loot: 2 pairs deadstock sunglasses, some clothing of little note...

Location:151 North Burhans Boulevard Hagerstown MD

Welcome and Hello!

Hello Internet! Welcome to THRUNKIE, a new blogging venture into the magical world of compulsive shopping that is the life of the "thrift store junkie." Here, I document finds and reviews of thrift stores that I encounter in my travels, occasionally linking to listings of various associated eBay auctions for perusal and purchase...

Have a look around, enjoy your visit, don't be too shy to say hi and - as always - happy thrifting!