WHERE YOU CAN GO WHEN YOU HAVE $20 IN YOUR POCKET
By Butch Maier / Photo above: Nomads Clothing Exchange in Norfolk offered beautiful blouses, bougie boots and bags, and eye-grabbing gold Chucks.
VA Vintage started in Chesapeake and expanded to Virginia Beach. Most thrift stores sta nd alone. Entering one is a roll of the dice: You never know what hidden treasures you will find, if any.
Before we get to the list of five independent thrift stores to check out in Coastal Virginia, I would be remiss if I did not mention thrift stores with national and/or corporate ties who do a lot of good for the community: CHKD Thrift Stores; D.A.V. Thrift Stores, which benefit Disabled American Veterans; Goodwill; Habitat for Humanity; Hope House Foundation Thrift Shop; and The Salvation Army Thrift Store & Donation Center.
Vintage Treasures ’N More
315 N. Great Neck Road,
Suite 348, Virginia Beach
Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. vintagetreasuresnmore.com
Christine Rudman, owner of Vintage Treasures ’N More for a little over a year, warmly greeted a local young man who entered her store for the umpteenth time to try on a black cowboy hat. Each time, the young man left without buying the hat. An out-of-town customer brought a different selection to the register, asked Rudman how much the cowboy hat was, and paid for the hat so the young man could have it for free if he ever returned. Rudman rewarded the out-of-town customer with an item for her generosity. “It started with tenants leaving me stuff when they moved out,” said Rudman, who also works as a real estate agent and property manager. A slew of full storage spaces spurred her decision to open the shop—plus, she planned to give a job to her son with special needs. Her daughter, another son, and aunt also work at the store. The location is modest in size, but the finds are many. A vintage Pepsi wooden crate sat high on a shelf. Dozens of pretty jewelry pieces covered a mannequin. Blue-and-white Hague plates filled a wall display. Prices ranged greatly in this Great Neck Road space, so customers could spend a lot or a little. One customer’s wife was soon to receive a $10 chickadee figurine. Rudman works with numerous vendors on a consignment basis. “I try to give everybody options,” she said. “I try to be available and open to everybody.”
Nomads Clothing Exchange
517 W. 21st St., Norfolk
Weekdays, noon-6 p.m.
Weekend hours vary
Instagram: @nomadsnfk
“We have something for everybody,” Nomads Clothing Exchange owner Lucy Grice said. “From teenagers to senior citizens.” Peep the gold Chuck Taylor high-top sneakers. Eye the Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Yves Saint Laurent handbags. Choose your favorite patterned blouse. Her biggest transaction yet was a Chanel suit that went for “a couple thousand.” Nomads, which offered rack after rack of consignment clothing and some artisan goods, has been open for seven years following Grice’s stint at a brewery. Her interest in thrifting started with “my grandma dragging me to yard sales and estate sales.” In that spirit, Nomads has a quarterly rummage sale, where items—including designer pieces—are marked down significantly. Mark your calendar: The next rummage sale is Saturday, May 23, from noon to 5.
Hunt and Gather
110 W. 21st St., Norfolk
Monday-Saturday,
10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, noon-5 p.m.
Email: huntandgather
norfolk@gmail.com
Hunt and Gather promised “a different vintage and antique experience,” and it delivered. Scott Murray, who has managed the antique mall location for owner Michael Millard-Lowe since September, was on a mission to revamp the place in February. Walls were being moved to improve the flow. Spaces were being organized in shopping categories. Hallways were earning street names so customers knew where to go. Consignments were nearing 100 vendors. “We get a lot of art teachers,” Murray said. He pointed out shelves of decorative journals, a wall of meticulous paintings, colorful vintage clothing, and a variety of guitars. Hunt and Gather offered everything from a $5 trinket to a $6,500 piece of art.
Mrs. Pinkadot in Norfolk presented a pair of pretty chairs, a collection of kitchen dishes, and more than a few other favorite things.
Mrs. Pinkadot
1914 Granby St., Norfolk
Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, noon-5 p.m.
Website: mrspinkadot.com
Customers can take creative crafting classes and are encouraged to ask questions at Mrs. Pinkadot. “We give a lot of free advice because we want to help people,” owner Joan Wilkening said. “We always want to share our knowledge with everyone who asks.” Mrs. Pinkadot’s DIY department carries specialty paint, IOD transfers, molds, stamps, stencils, glazes, clay, and brushes. Natural wood, painted furniture, repurposed and salvaged junk, vintage treasures, and unique finds fill the Mrs. Pinkadot display rooms. More than 25 dealers keep inventory changing daily. Consignment arrangements can be set up to sell a houseful or just a dresser. Wilkening’s shop offered everything from a $5 mug to $900 dining room furniture. The store name was created from a brainstorming session. “Polka dot” was too typical. “Pinkadot” seemed too plain. Wilkening threw on the “Mrs.,” and it was just right. Mark your calendar: A market sale is planned for May 23.
Vintage Trixie
112 Wayne Ave., Chesapeake
Daily, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Website: vintagetrixie.com
“We’re different than anyone else,” Vintage Trixie co-owner John Carter said. How so? “Not being your grandma’s typical antique shop,” he said. “We have oddities and curiosities.” Do they ever. In two buildings now. A sign on one encouraged customers to “Stay Weird!” Co-owner Trixie Behm described her business as “eclectic and fun and warm. We highly curate it, so we literally handpick everything. It’s an oddities shop, heavy on the science.” Everything from rocks to potion bottles to jewelry to old books to classic toys to trinkets of all kinds. The original Vintage Trixie store, approximately 500 square feet, has been in place for 10 years. The business expanded to a 5,500-square-foot building next door almost three years ago. As for the name of the couple’s business? “She says she’s Trixie, and I’m vintage,” Carter said. Behm concurred: “Exactly. That’s exactly what I was gonna say next.”
Butch Maier
