Last year, my husband and I decided it was best for our family that I retire. Whoa – days can be long – what would I do with all this time??
A friend of a friend, for many years, thrifted/upscaled items and opened her home once a year to resell what she collected throughout the year. I would look forward to attending her event yearly. As luck would have it, just prior to my retiring, she decided to end her yearly sale. A wise friend, who would attend with me, said “We should take it over”! The wheels started turning….
I’ve always recycled. I love to thrift, go to tag sales, crane my neck looking at those items sitting on the side of the road. Hmmm, maybe I could do this.
Around this same time, Suffield Parks and Rec offered a series of classes for small businesses. I needed a catchy name. I needed a plan.
This is how Thrifting Pretty came to life. I started thrifting, spending my weekends going to tag sales, looking for those pretty items and those poor pieces that, with a little love and creativity, could be reborn.
I also discovered that I love to refinish furniture. Little did my husband, and kids realize they’d turn into my furniture movers. I became very diligent about paying attention to items sitting on the side of the road, waiting to be taken. It takes an eye to look beyond the piece in front of you to imagine its possibilities.
December 2024 rolled around, and it was time for my first Holiday Pop-Up. I opened my home to showcase the hundreds of items I had purchased and upcycled. It’s amazing what you can do with a glue gun, boxes of ribbon and pinecones! There were also newly painted furniture pieces that were brought back to life.
I knew I gained much satisfaction from helping the environment by recycling all these items, as well as channeling my newfound creativity, but little did I know how happy this would make people. As folks were shopping, you could see the joy as they discovered ‘new’ pieces – they were giddy. “How can you sell this so cheap?!” was what I heard throughout the sale weekend. My response… “I find it cheap, then you get it cheap”.
Around this same time, I also joined the Sustainable Suffield organization. They are doing great things to help Suffield residents learn more about sustainability. Have you attended a Repair Café event or picked up a composting bucket? Check them out at https://www.suffieldct.gov/departments/sustainable-suffield.
I’m living my best life as I continue to look for the next treasures. If you’re interested in watching this journey, follow me on Instagram (thriftingpretty_suffield) or send me your email if you would like to be added to my mailing list (thriftingpretty@gmail.com).
I will hold Pop-Up Sales throughout the year, as well as participating in the Suffield Garden Club’s May Market. The next Pop-Up Sale will be held on Friday, December 5 through Sunday, December 7.
If you ever wondered if sustainability can be fun, the answer is “YES, it can!”