I’ve always thought the experience of buying things in a thrift shop or consignment store could be made appealing — even fun — if the previous owner left you a note. Think of the possibilities. “I’m Jackie O and I wore this Givenchy gown when the Queen came to dinner at the White House.” “I’m Liz Taylor and I wore this to my fifth wedding. Michael Todd just loved it!”
Now, many notes won’t be that exciting. But what if a sofa came with a note from a previous owner saying “This was my only piece of furniture during 4 years of medical school. Please take care of it.”? Or, a note accompanying a pair of shoes came from the widow of a man who happened to own your favorite restaurant”?
Stories are cheap. It doesn’t cost a thing to attach one to a sweater or sofa. Stories add value. Enhancing the value of something that might otherwise go to waste.
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February 27, 2013 at 8:27 am
I bought an espresso maker at a thrift shop once for $25 because I liked the way it looked. It turned out to be collectible and I sold it years later, thanks to ebay, a thrift shop in itself, for $225. You can now shop Goodwill thrift shops all over the country online.
February 27, 2013 at 12:01 pm
Hi Jacquie,
What a great idea! Apart from the “Too much information” notes on could imagine…., finding out the history of a new treasure, a really special thrift shop find or even a “Googie” (A Mrs. Fischer term for a quirky “whats-it” only Mrs. Fischer could love!), is fun. And what a delightful way to do it.
At the same wonderful vintage clothing shop I mentioned in an earlier post, I noticed a beautiful deep blue dress covered in sequins in one area and then a “scarf” of the same material elsewhere in the store. I asked the owner about it. She told me the dress was an original by a famous designer, (forgot who) and the scarf had been made from the extra fabric removed from the dress. The reason she knew this was there were two labels sewn into lining of dress. The first told the designer, when and where the dress was created, etc.. The second label covered the information when the dress was later altered. The seamstress who did the work sewed and the details of the alteration. The dress had been shortened and relined.
And on a similar note….Hope I have this story right…..
When my brother Andrew decided to reupholster and rebuild a love seat, he found he had two other friends who wanted to learn the process. They each had their loveseat and everyone worked in his living room on each of their upholstery projects. What upheaval! Stripping the furniture down to the frame, rebuilding the upholstery back from the ground up. Before he and his friends completed their loveseats, they added a note about the piece so the next person who reupholstered it would find message as a surprise! I think they may have included a scrap of the original fabric and in some cases, extra little treasures to be discovered!
And Andrew took scraps of each new fabric and made gift bags for me, which I’m still using today!
Now I’m all psyched! Can’t wait to have something I’ll be donating to a thrift shops which has a history or “history” and cries out for a note!
February 27, 2013 at 1:15 pm
How about – “I was Janet Jackson’s once. Please don’t blame the wardrobe for malfunctions. It’s just not nice.”
What a great idea, Jacquie! It’s a spin on a message-in-a-bottle, but instead of futile attempts at creating love stories across time and space you are consciously changing the way people feel about buying second hand. Another kind of love story if you will. The notes can help remove the skepticism element from shopping at a thrift store. I know I’ve often heard people say they enjoy shopping at thrift stores, but never for clothes. “You never know what they’ve done to it!” Honestly, what could possibly have been done to it? But adding a note to each article of clothing is an extra step to show that you have loved it, and you are only giving it up because it’s time with you has come to an end. The note lets the next owner know it was special dress, hat or blouse that was treated with the utmost respect and care. And then the love story continues…
April 7, 2013 at 6:21 pm
Hetal,
You’ve gotten my point precisely! Yes, adding a message should make the item all that more desirable — and special to the next owner, too. After all, every item of clothing has a story. Why not tell it!
February 27, 2013 at 1:38 pm
What a wonderful idea – warm and personal, providing a sense of mystery and feeding the imagination.
Having a daughter who was an ardent Francophile, my father would roam around thrift shops and antique stores searching for French treasures. He gave me a book when I was a child entitled “How to be Happy in Paris Without Being Ruined” by John Chancellor, published in 1927. The book must have been given from one friend to another. The inscription: “Dear Agnes – Be Happy Everywhere. Yours, Katherine.” This book is one of my most treasured possessions. How I would love to know Agnes and Katherine!
March 14, 2013 at 11:10 am
Bonnie,
I know just how you feel! I have a small collection of antique post cards, many of which which actually sent. It’s beautiful to read the greetings sent back and forth so long ago.
(and see, incidentally, that not only do they not include zip codes, but many don’t even include a state! My mother once received a letter addressed to her telephone number! Those were the days.)
March 11, 2013 at 7:11 pm
Shortly after reading this post, I came across one of Rob Walker’s “Consumed” columns that I had clipped from the New York Times (yes, with scissors!). In “The Back Story” (9/3/2010), he writes about technology-enabled ways to communicate stories and information about objects, including Totem, Itizen and StickyBits.
With the first system, the user can take a photo, record a story, and link it to a QR coded sticker placed on the possession before giving or donating it to someone. (See demo on TalesofThings.com.) This hi-tech alternative to a written note may appeal more to Gen Y.
As Jacquie suggests, such stories may enhance the value of objects. Walker writes “…Totem researchers worked with an Oxfam thrift store in Manchester, recording stories by stuff-donors, for a spinoff project called RememberMe. Shoppers could hear short back stories for about 60 pieces of secondhand merchandise. The used goods with stories were swiftly snapped up…”
By the way, the Consumed columns were discontinued, but are archived on the NYT website. The “Back Story” article is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/magazine/05FOB-Consumed-t.html?ref=consumed&_r=1&;
March 12, 2013 at 12:20 am
Thanks, Mike, Hetal and Bonnie for sharing your own wonderful stories about leaving notes on possessions. I think it would be a great idea for a consumer behavior class to actually work with a thrift store to see if items with notes get scooped up faster (or for more money?) than those without notes.
Mike and Hetal — you have me wondering if there are any “notes in a bottle” in any of my furniture. I do remember the very first Macintosh computers having the signatures of everyone who worked on it embossed on the underside of the case.
Frederica — perhaps the invention of QR codes will allow us all to sign our work as well as our passalongs! Surely, as Bonnie has found out, signed copies of books are worth more than unsigned!
March 12, 2013 at 2:37 pm
While stories may be cheap, they’re easily communicated and can be very important for a consumer making a purchase decision. If we’re not able to imagine someone wearing a vintage suit, a pasture raised cow roaming the field, or rainforest teak being crafted into a coffee table, it’s likely that a lot of products would suffer some value loss. A mental picture is worth a thousand words.
For green products, it’s possible that an anecdote can quickly communicate the added benefit one gets from making a more sustainable choice. Those familiar with the television show Antiques Roadshow will need no introduction to the coupled power a background story can have on purchase decisions when someone finds a deal.
March 19, 2013 at 12:22 pm
This is a great Idea. I frequently shop at goodwill and wonder about the past of the items I buy. Learning about an items history and its importance to its previous owner gives a new piece of your wardrobe such character for no cost. I would love to get a note like this!
April 4, 2013 at 4:32 am
Hi Jacquie,
I love this idea! I think it’s a fantastic way to shift consumer value from the new and back to the old. Ultimately, it’d be ideal if people began to place more value on the story behind the object than the object itself. Will it be the new dress that makes me happy or the fact that I feel some personal connection to the woman who wore it before me? There’s a lot of talk about why the environmental movement matters at all! Some say it’s to preserve the earth for our grandchildren and their grandchildren. Perhaps more people could connect to this argument if they began to buy goods from the generation of their grandparents. Closing the loop of consumption is a tough task, but a worthwhile one. This is a fun and inspiring way of bringing past and future generations together with the goal in mind that we are all inhabiting the same planet and using the same resources.
April 7, 2013 at 12:46 pm
Great idea Jacquie. We did something similar when we left a note behind built in shelves when we de-installed them to paint. Someone sometime will find our message. You should forward a story to go with your piano bequeathed to Smith!
April 7, 2013 at 6:26 pm
Sara — how did you know! I actually just last week sent a framed letter to the residents of Sessions House giving them the background on the piano. It meant so much to my family, and I wanted them to feel part of that history as well.
The letter also let me send along some care instructions. I told them when I come to my reunion in the future, I’ll be bringing some rags and lemon oil and (cotton balls and alcohol for the ivory keys), but hinted that they could fill in for me in the meantime!
I can’t wait to hear what the folks say when they find your letter — kinds of like finding a letter in a bottle!
April 15, 2013 at 11:19 pm
I really enjoy finding things that don’t belong with the things that I get at thrift store. Its like rediscovering a little forgotten piece of history, a small, exciting treasure.
I volunteer at a local thrift store (a deadly thing because of my love of books), and I always love finding bookmarks or various scraps that people find to mark their places in the book. Its always interesting to see where the books came from and trying to figure out why people put some very strange things into books. They are just as interesting as the personalizations within the front covers. The books seem to gain more substance if there is a story behind that particular copy.
Put a found thing in a book and create another story along side the printed one!
April 15, 2013 at 11:42 pm
I’m with you, Alexis, finding things in books is like finding a message in a bottle.
When I wrote the post, I was thinking about intentionally preparing a note to accompany thrift shop items. But there’s something special about finding treasures in a pocket, too!