Introducing Junction Tuesdays

A few short months ago, the gods brought Shannan Fales and I together on a rainy evening, during which we recounted thrifting adventures over hot cider.  It quickly became obvious that her wealth of knowledge must be shared with the greater community.  And so I present to you, dear reader:

Junction Tuesdays: Thrifting Secrets from Shannan

To introduce herself to the QL crowd, she's left a note.  Get ready for Shannon's thrift tips every Tuesday!

Hello,

My name is Shannan Fales and I am the owner of Junction at 1510 U Street NW, here in the nation’s capital.  I met Lisa after she wrote about her field trip to Junction and realized we have a lot in common, specifically our abundance of thrift shopping knowledge.  She invited me to submit tips as a guest blogger and I was more than thrilled to put pen to paper—or should I say, fingers to keys.

I’d first like to introduce myself and then highlight a few topics I’ll be blogging about.  Junction is a vintage and resale boutique that I opened in 2003.  I hand-thrift everything in the store, so there’s no blind bulk buying, consigning, or wholesaling involved.  Twice a week, I hit local shops to stock up on items like men’s and women’s clothes, accessories, house wares and art from the 1940s to today. 

I’ve lived in DC since 1996, having moved from a small town in Massachusetts where my deal-hunting skills were born.  My mom and I have been “yard-saleing” ever since I can remember.  And to this day, my mom cannot drive by a yard sale without begging my dad to stop (must be where I get it from). 

The very first vintage store I stepped into is called Circa, currently located in New Bedford, MA.  Owner Chris Duval is still rocking it some twenty years later and has been one of my biggest inspirations.  He, as well as years of thrifting awesome pieces that weren't my size, motivated me to open Junction so I could have a place to showcase all my amazing finds. 

But my education in thrift shopping didn’t end there.  I’m constantly learning about what to look for, where to research, how to fix and clean, what’s valuable in different markets (jewelry, glass, pottery), all while picking up little “tricks” along the way.  These are the topics I’ll be concentrating on, with my first post focusing on jewelry. 

I’m really looking forward to sharing with you all!  Check back next week to read about vintage costume jewelry, its origins and what to look for when thrifting it. 

Shannan

♥