The Bins
Officially known as the Goodwill As-Is Store.
Little known, even to veteran Bay Area thrifters, The Goodwill As-Is store is a treasure hunter's paradise. There are at least five dozen 6wx4dx8h bins on wheels overflowing with clothes, most of which didn't sell in regular Good Will Stores, for whatever reason. They weren't stained or torn. They were actually in good shape.
Jen and I were there to hunt for wool sweaters, the kind I make the scarves out of. We began digging in the back. After eight bins, we decided to check out the front dozen bins. After about an hour, between the two of us, we had sixteen great wool sweaters, a pair of jeans, a blanket, a sheet, a t-shirt, a skirt, some cool blue and red fabric and a decorative pillow case.
But, more importantly, we figured out why there were people standing in two lines, shoulder to shoulder, facing each other. They are the regulars. The ones who come every day. They were waiting for the fresh bins to come out. Which as soon as they did, the contents were being spilled on the floor. Fascinating.
Oh, and the people watching! Awesome! Some of the best I've experienced in San Francisco. Very colorful people. My favorite was the large, black man whose outfit keep evolving. He ended up wearing a pink and orange skirt over black pants, with a white lace shirt over a black shirt covered with a large, sequined and furred black sweater, topped with a black knit hat with a black fancy doll hat attached. He was looking for fire red tulle. He already had loads of white and didn't need anymore of that. Fabulous. Really.
Little known, even to veteran Bay Area thrifters, The Goodwill As-Is store is a treasure hunter's paradise. There are at least five dozen 6wx4dx8h bins on wheels overflowing with clothes, most of which didn't sell in regular Good Will Stores, for whatever reason. They weren't stained or torn. They were actually in good shape.
Jen and I were there to hunt for wool sweaters, the kind I make the scarves out of. We began digging in the back. After eight bins, we decided to check out the front dozen bins. After about an hour, between the two of us, we had sixteen great wool sweaters, a pair of jeans, a blanket, a sheet, a t-shirt, a skirt, some cool blue and red fabric and a decorative pillow case.
But, more importantly, we figured out why there were people standing in two lines, shoulder to shoulder, facing each other. They are the regulars. The ones who come every day. They were waiting for the fresh bins to come out. Which as soon as they did, the contents were being spilled on the floor. Fascinating.
Oh, and the people watching! Awesome! Some of the best I've experienced in San Francisco. Very colorful people. My favorite was the large, black man whose outfit keep evolving. He ended up wearing a pink and orange skirt over black pants, with a white lace shirt over a black shirt covered with a large, sequined and furred black sweater, topped with a black knit hat with a black fancy doll hat attached. He was looking for fire red tulle. He already had loads of white and didn't need anymore of that. Fabulous. Really.
2 Comments:
I'm jealous. I want a sequined and furred black sweater.
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