This is another topic I’ve been meaning to post about for quite a long time. I mentioned back in June that Javi and I had picked up a bunch of things from Goodwill to make our house more comfortable, including that awesome corner cabinet for our china. I also mentioned that I’d come back to the subject of Goodwill visits later…and apparently later meant December. I am an excellent procrastinator.

Last December I set up an etsy store for my knit Yoda hats, and I decided to throw a few vintage items up on etsy that I had found while shopping at Goodwill for furniture for our Louisville house. I didn’t sell anything until late April, and truthfully I had completely forgotten that I had anything listed at all. That initial sale (of a vintage Maxwell Coffee tin of all things) made me an instant addict, and selling vintage items and clothing has now become the most fun game I’ve ever played. It’s endlessly entertaining for me to find the most bizarre items and see if they are just crazy enough or kitschy enough to sell. It’s not all kitsch though; I’ve had some fun getting into vintage high fashion including classic wool coats, silk bomber jackets, shearling-lined denim jackets and tailored polyester blouses. I now have a whole collection of milk glass vases and mugs that I use until I sell them (the benefits of selling pre-owned items!). I changed the name of my shop from Binknits to ShopBuenaBuena, and now I have an instagram account (@shopbuenabuena) to keep up with new inventory.

Thanks to my touring life with Humming House I am able to branch out to thrift stores all over the place. I’ve spent some rare free time in shops in Tucson AZ, Dallas TX, Philadelphia PA, Collegeville PA, Whyteville VA, Seabrook NH, Portland ME, Elizabethtown KY, Bowling Green KY, just to name a few. Of course, all of this shopping meant that I had to find a place to put all of my inventory while I wait for it to sell. I had been dumping everything unceremoniously in an extra, unused room in our basement, along with the shipping materials. A couple of days ago the disorganization and general insanity in that room started to scare me. I felt like the room was screaming “HOARDER” at me every time I walked in to find an item to ship so I decided it was time to make a little shop room in the house.

I took everything out of the room and painted it with leftover paint from our bed and from painting the other rooms in the house. Then Javier and I went to home depot and bought two sheets of wood for shelves, the hardware to hang them up, and one pvc pipe to use as a rack beneath one of the shelves. We went about as cheap as we could go on this project – I think for 8 shelves and a rack we spent less than $100. It took us a few hours to get the shelving up and the difference is incredible. That room is now a cheerful, bright place, and it’s really entertaining to see some of the crazy things I’ve been able to find over the last few months on display. It’ll also help when I’m on tour and Javier needs to find items to ship when I get an order.

There are still a few things I’d eventually like for this shop room. I need a spot where I can organize my knitting projects, and I’d like to get an area rug in there. I don’t have any windows so I used Christmas lights to bring a little extra cheerful light into the room. That “table” under the gold cloth is actually the giant box for our Christmas tree that won’t fit through the door to our attic. It now serves as my shipping station. I may also eventually need another hanging rack, but for now I’m thrilled with all of this new storage space. I also might work on a mobile shop that I can take with me to flea markets in Louisville…but that’s another project for another time.

I’m planning to keep this blog updated with my favorite finds as they come in, so keep an eye out for what’s new in the shop. Mosey on over to the shop right now if you’re looking for one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts!