75% Salvaged, Minneapolis

Reviewed June 23, 2103

I happened upon this store by accident, on my way to review another shop in the area and got lost - pleasantly lost, it turns out. If you've never been shopping in the 50th and Xerxes area of Minneapolis, and you like funky vintage stores, you're in for a treat. I couldn't help but walk into 75% Salvaged on my way down 50th Street - who could, with all those welcoming little antique chairs and kchotchkes out there on the sidewalk?

I think the best way to describe the ambiance - and the stuff -  in 75% Salvaged comes from on their own web site, http://www.75percentsalvaged.com:

"...regarding the nature of the furnishings available at  75% SaLVagEd. . . they are intentionally rustic, shabby and distressed and have been revitalized & reinvented with 25% nEw-NeSs - new knobs, new paint, new (& vintage) fabrics, new "sha-zizzle" - while retaining their aLLuRiNg oLd sOuLS; and along with those old souls come some splinters, scratches &  scars from a previous life lived passionately, which I prefer to regard as"pERfeCTlY iMPeRFeCT""

You get the picture. And if you visit the web site, you can get a better look at some of the delightful treasures they offer.

It's a very quirky - and a very tiny - place, filled with all kinds of  wonderful, whimsical things to splurge on - vintage furniture, knick-knacks, pillows, candles in old jars, handmade and antique jewelry, tote bags and purses, each lovingly refurbished and whimsically jazzed up in colorful ways. My eyes went straight to the candles in the old canning jars, the groovy Papya Art Accessories (now tell me you can actually keep your mitts off one of those splendid luxe tote bags!), and this really cool, huge silver wire-knotted ring for fifteen bucks - perfect for the index finger  with a simple black oversized top and leggings - that I just may have to go back and formally adopt. I'm also very interested in those awesome Funks' Corn Feed slipcover chairs I see on the web site because, as I sit here on my threadbare upholstered Ikea writing this, my one-year old kitten is busily putting the last three possible welts into the side of it with his claws before the stuffing explodes onto the floor.

Even if you're feeling a little down and not in a shopping mood, this is the kind of  place that will lift your spirits just by going inside. Allison, the owner, is quite friendly and will tell you little facts and tidbits about the pieces you are interested and cheerfully shoot the breeze with you, as she did with me and several other customers who stopped in with their dogs.

This is a great shop on a street full of great little shops.  Why not bring your mom, your best chick friend or your Signif some Saturday afternoon and make a grand time of checking them all out? If you do, I highly recommend 75% Salvaged as a must-stop. But dammit, don't buy my ring.

75% Salvaged
50th and Xerxes, Minneapolis MN
612-554-5567
http://www.75percentsalvaged.com
 

The Prop Shop, Eden Prairie MN

Reviewed June 21, 2013

The Prop Shop is a combination resale shop and nonprofit organization serving the southwest suburbs of Minneapolis. Staffed mostly by volunteers, the shop uses it's proceeds to pay needed expenses in the service of helping families in need. So when you shop there, you are doing a good thing..

There are as many kinds of thrift shops as there are Minnesota drivers, and Prop Shop is not really, shopping wise, to my particular taste. While it has lots to choose from in terms of gently used fashions, furniture and home décor, the place is sunny, large and clean and the volunteers manning the counters couldn't be nicer, it's very - how do I say this - tame. Now, if you're into tame, meaning you like floral sofas, wooden wall hangings with inspirational sayings on them, Christian wind chimes and nice but somewhat nondescript fashions with designer names running more towards Izod than Prada, you would probably like it here. I would shop here to find gifts for older friends and relatives, or to find work clothes for casual Fridays if I worked at, like, an insurance company or something. I had a hard time, though, finding much for me or anyone else who lives in a more funky/designer-type world.

Again, with any thrift, resale of consignment shop, the inventory varies depending on what they get in, but the theme here seems to run more towards the cheerful and inspirational rather than the daring, with very little in the way of  "designer". I did, however, spot a Tory Burch gold mini-clutch in perfect condition for five dollars tossed into a basket (and almost bought it, but then really, what's a working chit like me gonna do with a gold mini-clutch?), a pair of blue python Cole Haan mules, fairly worn-in but still nice, and a lovely Trina Turk Pucci-inspired print sundress for $25.00 (now, if that had been in my size I would have snapped that up). There was also a nice, white and beige Maxx New York handbag that looked new for about 15.00, but other than that the handbag area was mostly stocked with nondescript, black faux-leather things.

This would be a great store to shop if you want to help others in need, if your taste tends toward the conservative and if you aren't looking for designer or high end brands in particular. The merchandise is displayed well and, except for a few broken kick-knacks near the children's section, everything seemed to be in good condition. For me, I guess I just need a little more excitement. Although I might go back and have another look at that Maxx bag...


The Prop Shop
15195 Martin Drive
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
952-934-2323

Turn Styles, Eden Prairie, MN

Reviewed 6/15/2013

This is one of my favorite consignment shops ever and the reason I started this blog . Oh yes, friends. It all began on a dark and stormy still-not-spring May day in 2013 when, in my existential despair at the weather, I happened into Turn Styles in Eden Prairie in an effort to find meaning in my life again when - lo and behold - there sat, on the abundantly stocked purse rack in front of me, a beautiful, gleaming silver Betsey Johnson tote with the tags still on, sporting that wonderful  black and pink floral Betsey Johnson lining, retail price on the tag $98.00, being offered for $17.00. When I asked the girl behind the counter why, she turned the bag over and  pointed to a scratch about as long and visible as my arm, running straight down the front. Figuring that, for the price, I could just wear the bag with the scratched side towards me, I purchased it anyway. Upon further inspection in the car, I noticed that it was not a scratch at all marring the beautiful bag, but simply a long smear of some mysterious gook that, in the wrong light, looked awfully scratch-like. Got it home, rubbed it down with a towel, and -- voila! I had a brand shiny new, perfect $98.00 Betsey Johnson bag. For seventeen bucks. Delirious with joy, I thought, "I have to start a blog and share these amazing finds of mine." The rest, as they say, is history, and I've been carrying that shiny silver tote everywhere since that magical, long-ago day a couple of weeks ago.

 

But enough about me. To quote SNL's "Stefon", this place has everything - Dooney Bags, Coach Bags, Fake Prada's (even a real one from time to time), New Balance and Sketchers sneaks, Juicy Couture, Adidas, Charlotte Ronson, - all the delicious, well made and gently used high-end castoffs those Eden Prairie rich people so graciously toss out for our benefit. Now, of course, you can't find all of these brands all of the time - it is consignment, after all - but I've never not been there when they didn't have at least a dozen real Dooneys and a few nice Coaches stored safely beneath their locked glass counter. And if you are skittish about knowing how to tell the real thing from the fabulous fake, Lynn, the store manager, is happy to give you a quick lesson. Lyn and her staff have always been very friendly to me, which I have to say is unlike my experience with some other Turn Styles Consignment stores, where the staff can be quite rude (St. Paul, are you listening?).

 

This really is one of those shops where you can get lost for hours, especially if you stop at their next-door housewares shop first (which I'll review soon).  It is best suited to those of us who want to dress funky but well, with fun but well-made clothing by higher-end quality and designer brands, for a thrift shop price. Can't be done, you say? Hello, I just bought a black Charlotte Ronson hoodie sweater here for six bucks. A pair of grey and plaid New Balance sneakers, perfect condition, for $8.50. And my seventeen dollar Betsey Johnson bag. They have a huge, well picked selection and a nice big store with decent background music, as well as quite a few clean fitting rooms for you to try on stuff. The only place better than this on a rainy day, in my opinion, is Mall of America, and then you have to deal with parking and - gasp-full prices.

 

 

 

 

Turn Styles Consignment Stores - Eden Prairie Location

Accepts: Clothing
Prairie View Shopping Center
960 Prairie Center Drive
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Phone: 952-974-9392

 

Howdy, Shoppers!

Like a trained puppy, I sniff out the multitude of second hand, vintage, consignment and charity thrift stores in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas and give you my personal reviews. Find out who carries the best designer stuff, the coolest retro stuff, the stuff you really want as well as the cheap crap you need to have to get by until you can afford some good stuff. I'll give you some tips along the way on how to find the best value in your second-hand treasures and how to spot the fakes and bad deals. Why do I do this, you ask? Simple. Because thrifting is my rush, baby.



Welcome! I'm just setting up this place, so give me a day or two...the first few reviews are cooking in the oven as we speak. This week we'll start off by visiting a few of my all-time Eden Prairie favorites. (You know Eden Prairie. Designer Handbag Central. Just stand in line at the Kowalski's on this end of town sometime and see how many you spy on the arms of the Ladies Who Lunch and Buy Groceries.  Now let me show you where you can find some (relatively) cheap...)