Tag: bargain

Goodwill Vintage Clothing Inspires Canine Couture

August 8, 2013

Guest Blog by  Annette Kaiser, Goodwill Keystone Area

You never know what you’ll find at Goodwill Keystone Area’s Tilghman Square store in Allentown, PA. Two regular customers at the gently used clothing racks are fashion designers Maribel and Jana Nieves, a mother-daughter team who own a studio called Bel Bijoux Couture in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Bel Bijoux Couture
Maribel and Jana Nieves, a mother-daughter team, in their studio.

While their shop looks like any other design studio — with spools of brightly colored thread and coat trees draped with rich textures and fabrics — the design pages and patterns folded neatly in rows of hangers are in miniature. That’s because this couture isn’t designed for humans, it’s designed for their pets.

The Nieves specialize in one-of-a-kind pet coats and were recently featured on NAT GEO WILD’s “Spoiled Rotten Pets.”  Their  favorite place to shop for material is the Goodwill store in Allentown,  because the selections of vintage clothes and modern fashions spurs their imagination and gives them endless choices for fabrics, buttons and other accessories that go into their line.

“When we work with a customer, they tell us what colors and type of fabric they would like,” said Jana Nieves. “We go to Goodwill, browse all sorts of pieces from skirts to jackets, from coats and pants. Once we find something that meets the description, we’ll take a picture and send it to them. You never know what you will find at Goodwill.”

Dogs Modeling Custom Coats
These fashionable dogs had their custom outfits created from Goodwill finds.

Jana Nieves says she can design and create up to three pieces from one Goodwill garment.  Unlike the “sleepy” bolted fabrics found on the shelves of retail textile stores, “the pieces we find at Goodwill have a certain life to them that transform into beautiful pieces.”

For more information on Bel Bijoux Couture, visit t www.belbijouxcouture.com.  Custom coats start at $55 and are guaranteed to fit your life, your style and your pet.

Fashion is Never Finished at Goodwill

August 7, 2013

Style is How You Define It

One thing great about style is that trends ebb and flow, so what was once cool, may go out of style, but it tends to come back in style sometime in the future, reinvented, considered new. Fashion is never finished.

Goodwill Outfits for Less
Corinne found her style at the Goodwill Runway Show.

This is why thrift stores like Goodwill are so fantastic to frequent.  New donations come in every day, meaning many new chances for new styles. 

Why We Do What We Do

With the proceeds from these donations, people who need job training can receive it, people with disabilities can receive care and socialization they need and older, lower-income people who seek opportunities can find jobs that suit them. Goodwill is a nonprofit organization. We invest 84% of what we take in to help people with disabilities and other barriers to independence.

Some Like the Thrill of the Hunt

We organize our clothes by color, so if you know what colors suit you, which are your favorites, you can start there.  Like most stores, shirts and pants are racked together, but unlike most stores, they are all the same price.  Jeans are $6. Pants are $4. Shirts are $3.50. Tee-shirts are $1.50. And so on. With our new Rewards Card, you can save even more on select items.

You might even find that thrifting makes you a fashion trendsetter. Sometimes just choosing to wear clothes you love is all you need to be fashionable.

Leave Your Electronic Book Reader at Home

June 13, 2013

Get Your Hands on a Real Book for Less

Bestsellers at Goodwill
Hardbacks, trade paperbacks and children’s books are all available at Goodwill for less. From biographies to classics to thrillers, get it at Goodwill.

You might want to leave your Kindle or iPad at home when you go to the beach. Sand and electronics don’t mix. So buy a hardback or paperback for less at Goodwill. 

Whether your vacation spot is a backyard barbecue, a nearby beach or distant mountain, nothing beats a book you can open and read while you relax or when you are on vacation.

Our hardbacks are inexpensive and we have an ample supply of paperbacks,  juvenile and children’s books for even less.

Books at Goodwill
The Lightning Thief is a great book, which was made into a movie. So many Stephen King books have become movies. There’s even fitness books to be found just in time for summer.

Readers will always be able to find something to read at Goodwill.  Save your money and add to your summer reading list at any one of our Goodwill Keystone Area stores.

Shop Goodwill Offers Online Auctions

February 27, 2013
This East African bottle topper is hand carved out of a rare wood and is about 50 years old.
This East African bottle topper is hand carved out of a rare wood and is 55 years old.

Goodwill stores throughout the 22-county region comprising Goodwill Keystone Area receive all sorts of interesting donations every day.  After processing and pricing, donations go directly into stores for sale to customers or to shopgoodwill.com. The profits from these sales are used to help people with disabilities and other challenges to employment through job training and other activities.

Interesting sterling silver necklaces.
Interesting sterling silver necklaces.

More than 80 Goodwills across the nation have online stores that auction merchandise on shopgoodwill.com, including five in Pennsylvania.  You can search the site by item, category or seller. Goodwill Keystone Area (GKA) has two online stores. (Click here to view merchandise currently up for auction at the Berwyn and Reading online stores.) Each online store offers brand name clothing, shoes, antiques and collectibles.

To browse merchandise on shopgoodwill.com, you can search specifically for items available online at GKA’s two stores, click the magnifying glass and browse by seller.  one your search specifically for items for sale by the Berwyn or Reading online stores.

Proceeds from these online auctions are maximized, adding additional funds to Goodwill’s mission to support persons with disabilities and other barriers to independence in achieving their fullest potential as workers and as members of the broader community.

Spring Training Means Tee-Shirt Weather is Not Far Away

February 20, 2013

As we endure another February chill, let’s think of warmer days when we hear the snap of a ball in a mitt or the crack of a well-hit baseball.

Phillies Shirts
Phillies Fan Club and Shane Victorino shirts and many other team shirts can be found at Goodwill.

Spring is only a month away. Besides birds, a good early sign of spring is pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training camps this week in Florida and Arizona.

This means it’s time to start looking for your favorite team’s attire at Goodwill. Every time I shop at a Goodwill store, I like to browse through the different tee shirt colors looking for my teams and those of my family and friends. They make good “I was thinking of you.” gifts. They can be sleepwear or something to wear to a ball game. What we wear can be the beginning of a conversation with a neighbor while out gardening.

I like how our Goodwill stores are set up – by type of clothes and by color. It makes it easy to search for my favorite team’s colors, and you can’t beat the prices. Often, with my Shop & Save card I get additional discounts on top of the already low cost. Then all I have to do is find the right size.

Good hunting. Find your favorite things at Goodwill.

Stock up on Super Bowl Party Supplies at Goodwill

February 1, 2013

 I went looking for a few extra  serving bowls for a Super Bowl party I am planning, but was discouraged at the exorbitant prices at some high-end and supposedly bargain-price stores. While I was shopping I suddenly thought ‘Goodwill to the rescue.’ 

I knew the prices would be more than affordable and that I would be able to find something different. I chose a couple neat serving bowls. 

Silver-plated candy dish.
Great pretzel bowl and drink glasses for the Super Bowl.

 

 

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Go fancy or plain with extra serving bowls for your party.

I found extra glasses in several Goodwill stores that I could use for drinks so my guests would not misplace their drinks.  I also found plenty of decorations in the purple and black shelves of my local Goodwill store – Ravens colors, and scarlet red and orange – San Francisco colors. This added some color to my party platters.

With the money you save on party decorations at Goodwill, buy some shrimp or wings for your guests.

Need Glassware for a Holiday Party? Goodwill to the Rescue!

December 20, 2012

If you’re having a holiday gathering and expecting more guests than you have glasses or you want to keep your set intact or ensure grandmother’s china doesn’t get broken, think about stocking up on some extra mugs, glassware and other kitchen items from Goodwill.

If the thought of serving drinks in your wedding crystal or good wine glasses gives you nightmares, why not get some inexpensive beverage glasses at one of our 35 Goodwill stores? Different mugs and glasses for each guest would also prevent drink mix ups from happening.

Barware 1
Budweiser Clydesdale lager glasses, a Planet Hollywood and a Brown University shot glass at Goodwill.
Unique quality barware from Goodwill doesn’t break your budget. Hand-blown champagne flute & martini glass – $0.97 each. Four matching tumblers – $0.47 each.

How often have we heard this exchange:” Where did I put my drink?” “What kind of glass was it in?” “It was like yours. Did you take my glass by mistake?” If you’ve ever been to a holiday party where identical wine glasses had different charms on them, but still got mixed up, you know how easy it is to forget where you left your glass when you get up to go to the bathroom and someone takes your spot near the fireplace.

Don’t lose track of which glass or beer mug is yours. Giving each guest a unique glass is easy if you shop at Goodwill.

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Need a Party Dress for Less? Think Goodwill.

December 13, 2012

Let’s face it, sometimes, last minute invitations come up. Your schedule clears and you are able to attend a holiday party you had not anticipated going to.  Sometimes your daughter comes to you and says she needs an outfit for the school dance tonight and has nothing to wear.

These dresses were available during a recent visit to a Goodwill in Lemoyne, PA.

You’ve done all of your holiday shopping already and came in at or near budget. You’ve fought through the Black Friday crowds and braved the parking lots packed with Christmas shoppers at the mall.  Now you want to get yourself or a family member a last-minute special outfit without paying retail. What do you do? This is the perfect time to think Goodwill.Our stores specialize in women’s fashions.You don’t have to pay $50 or more. Feel free to brag a little. ‘I paid $8 for this dress from Jones of New York at Goodwill.’ AND I used my Shop-N-Save card to save on this Liz Claiborne purse. Next time, bring along an envious friend to shop Goodwill with you.

Liz Claiborne, left and Tommy Hilfiger, right. Purses to accessorize any outfit and they won’t empty your wallet.

While you’re there, you may want to look for a housewarming gift for the party host. A serving dish.  A decoration. A game. You’ll leave knowing that you can still afford a bottle of wine for the hostess. Look for it and find it. At Goodwill.

Silver-plated candy dish. Perfect holiday impulse buy.

Ugly Christmas Sweaters. It’s Hip to be Square.

December 8, 2012

I can’t help but smile when I see someone at the mall, at a Christmas party or out and about boldly wearing a loud Christmas sweater, embroidered sweatshirt or Santa Claus hat. Normally this comes with slight disregard for traditional fashion sense. It’s festive, it’s fun, it’s something you talk and joke about.

Ugly Christmas sweaters are colorful. They’re busy. They’re garish.

They’re the opposite of cool, yet they are cool at the same time. They are conversation pieces. Who can find the most ornate, the most creative, the most daring? It’s Christmas and it’s time to celebrate. “Fashion can be put on hold when I wear my ugly Christmas sweater,” seems to be the prevailing mood. That’s why ugly Christmas sweaters remain a popular annual trend.

Where do we find our new favorite? To find an ugly Christmas sweater that suits your particular personality and budget takes some doing. If you’ve shopped online for them, they can also carry hefty price tag. Instead of shelling out $35 or $50 for an ugly Christmas sweater, shopping at your local Goodwill can save you plenty. In fact, you can afford to buy several different sweaters at thrift store prices for much less than you would pay for one at retail or online with shipping.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the wide selection, quality and variety of sweaters and sweatshirts that Goodwill has. Keep in mind, each Goodwill store has unique ugly Christman sweaters in stock.

Challenge your friends and relatives. Plan an ugly Christmas sweater party. Ask guests to wear an outlandish sweater or sweatshirt to your next gathering.

Shop Goodwill. You’ll be happy you did.

When in Doubt: Zombie Out

October 26, 2012

Zombies are in right now, esp. with the return or the AMC series Walking Dead and numerous zombie genre movies still popular, but especially as a popular costume choice for Halloween parties.

Goodwill Keystone Area’s stores have inexpensive, quality clothing and decorations for Halloween that can help bring out the zombie in you.

Goodwill merchandise provides good value for the quality of the clothing, but you can feel better about distressing a pair of our inexpensive jeans rather than your favorite going-out pair.  A few rips and frays, some dirt, zombie goo (ketchup, mustard, honey?) and of course a mask or face paint will round out the look.

Don’t forget to accessorize your zombie costumes with such things as scarves, belts and shoes, all of which Goodwill stores have in ample supply.  Adding a dead bouquet of flowers for the beautiful zombie bride or a dead corsage for the zombie groom could complete the look.

This window display in the Goodwill store at 121 Rohrerstown Road in Lancaster features a wedding gown and long black cape.

Imagine what an entrance you could make at a party if you arrived with your date and an entourage or zombified friends, all bursting into the party at once!  Just don’t make the hostess drop the macaroni and cheese she’s serving.

The only limitation is your imagination.  By shopping at Goodwill, you’ll be able to afford your costume and have some money left over to bring something for the party hosts.