Okay, it’s not Thursday again already, but this is the promised follow-up on last week’s Thrift-Shop Thursday post, in which I explored a fabulous Goodwill boutique in the hipster-cool Hawthorne neighborhood of Portland. (Don’t you love the store displays?) Today, I’ll show you what I bought, and finish off my review of this hard-to-believe-it’s-a-thrift shop!

You know how it goes with thrift shopping… feast or famine, right? Some days the shopping cart runneth over, and on other days, you regretfully leave with nothing. This experience was a kind of hybrid of the two; I did find several wonderful things— for my daughter, who was with me on this shopping safari. One girl’s bust can be another girl’s bonanza.

First, this will give you a sense of the variety and quality I found throughout this Goodwill boutique:

It was just Valerie’s day, and apparently also the day for coats! Here’s the first one I found, and I may say, she told me later that as soon as she saw this fabulous take on the classic trench, she (and I quote) perked up— it made her smile!

… a beautifully simple oyster-white Ann Taylor knit top:

Note: Yes, the prices in this boutique are unquestionably higher than in regular thrift shops, but after thoroughly inspecting the merchandise, I can understand why. Not only is there a preponderance of unique pieces and high-quality designer and manufacturer labels, but I didn’t see anything like a rip, stain, missing button, or any other kind of damage on anything in the store. Clearly, there is some detailed editing going on here. And I’m familiar enough with lots of good labels to know that these items are still being offered at bargain prices.

Then I found this winter-weight wool coat, tucked in between the faux furs and vintage pleathers:

Lest you think I left the shop completely empty-handed, here’s the one thing I bought for myself: a lovely, slightly funky Bakelite rose ring in the perfect shade of coral/red/orange.

I’m so impressed with this store! The ladies working there were friendly and helpful, surprisingly so, considering how busy the shop was while we were there. One explained the somewhat unusual organizational system to me; clothes were grouped first according to type (skirt, sweater, dress), then by color, with sizes mixed up together, other than the plus-size section.

As I mentioned in the previous post about this boutique, the thought and effort that went into all the displays in the shop were truly impressive— a far cry from the throw-’em-on-the-nearest-rack feeling in so many of the warehouse-style thrift shops I’m used to. And after learning that they receive new merchandise every night, I predict that shopping in this fantastic Goodwill boutique will become a regular event for me!

Note: If I’m ever hired/compensated for mentioning any business, store, website, etc., I will always tell you up front. That’s not the case here, or for any business mentioned to date on this blog. Just wanted you to know that!