Last year, my best friend Courtney and I started our tradition of a thrift trip when we drove to Washington, DC. Instead of hitting up museums or the White House, we searched for hole-in-the-wall second-hand stores full of treasures.
This year, we kicked off our second annual thrifting weekend with a mission: to be more intentional! In the past, I have gone a little overboard, especially with spending on new books, so this time around, I came up with a game plan. My go-to thrift list? BookTok finds, 100% cotton pieces, quality jeans, and art I’ll actually hang up. I’m still chasing that thrifters high of finding a book I’ve been wanting for just a couple bucks, there’s nothing like it!
For the second year in a row, we left the kid, the dog, the cat, and the men behind to strike out on our own in search of our next thrifted finds in and around Charlotte, North Carolina, this time. The girls’ weekend began Thursday night with a late-night run to Target for snacks and cold brew, an episode of Traitors, and a fresh set of press-on nails from @pineapple.pressons. At 10 pm, exactly, we were online for the Wild but Cutie CryBaby restock, where we got nothing because the site kept crashing until it said sold out. 😥
But don’t worry, in the morning, two blind boxes arrived for Courtney before we hit the road. She opened them up and got the Stupid Cupid and the Heart Broken ones to add to her collection! They’re so cute!
Friday Morning.
NoRa Cafe.
We woke up in need of sustenance, so our first stop of the day before heading out was the one and only NoRa Cafe in North Raleigh. If I’m there, I have to grab one of their iced matcha lattes, and for breakfast, I tried the sausage, egg, and cheese on a croissant, and I literally don’t go a day without thinking about either one. I need an excuse to drive up there for breakfast again. Then we were on our way to Charlotte!
Grandaddy’s Antique Mall.
We were on our way to a bookstore in Burlington when we started seeing signs for this giant antiques mall off the side of the highway. We decided to make this our first thrift stop of the day on Friday. Grandaddy’s is a huge antique mall, and it’s kinda like a treasure hunting maze, but like, in a good way! There were so many unique booths selling different pieces of art, collectibles, and treasures untold. We found a booth selling cute rings, and we bought matching ones as our souvenirs this trip. Also, the vintage pink gooseberry Pyrex set is something I will own before the day I die! I’m obsessed!
Persnickety Books.
Our next stop was Persnickety Books in Burlington. This is a bookstore selling a great assortment of used books as well as new books. They also serve coffee, so this place is a one-stop shop for your cozy bookstore outing. Persnickety Books has tables set up where you can sit and work while you sip. They also have some couches as well as games to hang out, read, and play. The shop also had a wide selection of stickers, cards, and other gifts for readers.
Collage.
This store had to be one of our favorite finds on this trip. Located in Winston Salem, Collage is a well-curated store selling antiques, home decor, and fun local items for amazing prices. As we walked around, we continued to be surprised by the items we were finding as well as the prices on them. I found the perfect-sized lamp that I’ve been needing for my desk while I work at night. I would drive back to Winston-Salem just to go check out what they have at Collage this week!
TROSA Thrift and Donation Center.
When you walk into TROSA, you’re greeted by a large open thrift store organized by sections of furniture, wall art, clothes, kitchen items, books, and movies. We immediately had a “fun” interaction with one of the employees, wherein we had to pretend to be together to get him to leave us alone. The prices at Trosa were the best thing about the store. If you’re looking for furniture or wall art, I would definitely recommend checking here to see what they have. Surprisingly, I actually found a few items that came home with me from the clothes section, considering that most of the clothes they were selling had stains or holes in them. A lot of their inventory was also cheap T-shirts, again with stains or holes in them. I managed to find a 100% cotton Cabela’s long-sleeve button-down for $3.99, a Columbia long-leeve tee for $3.99, and Courtney made me get this dark green strappy dress that turned out to be really cute once I tried it on for $5.99. All in all, we found some decent stuff at great prices, but we did have to dig (and dodge questionable staff members).
Downtown Winston Salem.
For dinner, we headed to Thai Harmony in downtown Winston-Salem. We walked around for a while afterwards, and I decided I really like Winston-Salem! As we drove through, parts of it reminded me of California with the hilly and winding roads. I definitely see myself visiting more often, especially when this gem of a city is only an hour and a half away from me in Raleigh.
Friday Night in Charlotte.
Do you want to know the best part of planning a thrifting trip with your best friend? You can stay up late and watch reality TV all you want, because most of the thrift stores you want to visit the next day don’t open until 11am or even later! 😀
Saturday.
The Wearhouse.
Our first stop of the day was The Wearhouse in Charlotte. This thrift store had carefully selected items, and you could tell there was a lot of thought behind the items on the shelves and hanging on the racks. We found a lot of cute clothes, but I just didn’t end up loving any of the pieces when I tried them on. I found a couple of DVDs that were brand new. I still need a new (used) DVD player, but that’s for another thrift trip. They had a small inventory of canvas aprons, so I grabbed two for painting and the pottery studio. She was also selling the brand of chunky yarn that I like to use for crocheting stuffed animals, and it was $1 per skein, so I bought 6, LOL. I also found another 100% cotton long-sleeve tee with a Lake Tahoe, California design on it.
The Rat’s Nest.
The Rat’s Nest was an instant favorite! It had a vintage western theme, which is exactly what I’ve been looking for since I’ve been trying to find a pair of cowboy boots. I went looking for boots when I was in Austin last year, but they were priced too high, and the seller only accepted cash. After trying on at least half a dozen pairs of boots, I found a pair that fit, and I liked the style and color of the boots. They were $80, which I felt was a steal after my previous search for cowboy boots. The Rat’s Nest was also selling random vintage toys and decor items, vintage clothes, and vintage Levi’s jeans and shorts. Definitely check it out on your next outing in Charlotte, NC.
Clearing House.
Clearing House in Charlotte is located in an old house where the owners have beautifully styled each room with their collection of pieces. They have hallways with shelves full of silver items, a room for all their dishware, and another room full of knick-knacks. Clearing House did have a lot of higher-priced items, but if you’re looking for home decor, you might just find the gem you’re looking for here. Courtney found this beautiful red Tiffany-style glass lamp for $115, which seemed even more reasonable after any other lamps we saw in this style for the rest of the weekend were selling for no less than $300.
TROPE.
Our next stop was not a thrift store, but it was indeed a 100% must-visit while we were in Charlotte. You see, Trope is a women-owned romance-only bookstore. Yes, you read that right! These ladies know what’s up, and they are curating an amazing selection of the best romance books of our day and age. I ended up grabbing a copy of Wild Love by Elsie Silver, and when I asked the owner for a duology recommendation, she suggested What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez. Trope also had a great selection of reading stickers and bookmarks. I had to get the “romantasy reader” one and the “It’s all about the wingspan” sticker. IYKYK! Being that we went on a Saturday, Trope was packed, and it was great to see the local smut addicts out and about enjoying the nice weather. I’ll definitely be going back here on future trips to Charlotte.
After perusing Trope, we had worked up quite an appetite reading all that smut, so we settled on Bahn Mi’s for a late lunch. We decided on Cilantro Noodle for two delicious grilled pork bahn mi, and then we were on our way.
Sleepy Poet Stuff.
Our last stop on Saturday took us to Sleepy Poet Stuff. This was another antique mall where they have individual sellers renting booths and stocking them full of cool stuff. This place is located in a massive warehouse, so make sure you get there with plenty of time to look around before they close.
Sunday.
By Sunday, I had a few solid finds that would be useful, so I was happy with that, but I still hadn’t found any good used books, unlike last year on our trip.
2nd and Charles
This is where 2nd and Charles comes in to save the weekend from being used bookless! Before this day, I had never even heard of 2nd and Charles, but Courtney knew what it was, so she recommended it when I said I still wanted to look for used books. If, like me, you have never heard of 2nd and Charles, let me break it down for you. They buy used books, games, toys, electronics, instruments, CDs, and records, all the good stuff. This means they offer a large selection of these items, used. They also stock and sell brand-new books, vinyl records, instruments, and games.
We stayed here for a few hours searching shelf after shelf for our next reads. I found a few of the second books in multiple series that I have the first book of and haven’t read yet. I found Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn, the second book in the Legendborn Cycle series. I also grabbed Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, the second book in the Six of Crows duology. I found Hyacinth’s book, It’s in His Kiss, by Julie Quinn, from the Bridgerton series. I found A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross, which I was recommended a while ago, and I’ve been wanting to buy it, but I’ve been trying to make it through more of my physical TBR first. The last book I found used was The Wicked King by Holly Black, and after scouring the Fantasy and Young Adult sections, I could not find the first book of the series. This is where 2nd and Charles became my new favorite bookstore, because I was able to buy The Cruel Prince by Holly Black brand new! Their prices are also very reasonable. I paid $3.50-$8.95 for each used book and $12.99 for the new book.
I have been out here searching these thrift stores high and low for unscratched Dixie Chicks CDs with no luck, and then comes along 2nd and Charles. I walk right up to the Country section of the CDs, and immediately I find 3 of their CDs in great condition. I also had to get a Josh Turner CD that I used to own but can’t find.
2nd and Charles truly saved the day, and may have just become my new happy place. From finding the next piece in each series to finally scoring those Dixie Chicks CDs I’ve been on the hunt for, it was the perfect mix of nostalgia and discovery. If you’re ever near one, do yourself a favor and go check it out!
That’s a Wrap!
There’s something special about weekend trips like this. When the real treasure isn’t just what you find on the shelves, but the memories you make digging through them side by side with your best friend. I’ll never get tired of chasing that thrill of the perfect find, new inside jokes, and turning these simple weekends into one of my favorite traditions. Until next year, thrift trip ❤
Life With Mack 