Thrift Store Score: A Boho Stool

Sorry for all of the quick posts around these parts lately, guys. Like the rest of the world, I’m attempting to slow down a little bit since this is summertime, after all, plus I’m keeping my head way down as I focus on bringing a few big ideas to life (including FINALLY launching a newsletter, which is why you’ve seen those invitations popping up on the site as of late—it launches next month, so sign up now to join our DIY tribe!).

At any rate, I’m churning away on lots of exciting things behind the scenes, which means I’m keeping things light and airy here on the blog. Hopefully, you guys are enjoying some down time away from your computers and smart phone screens this season, too! But before I head off to throw myself into today’s entrepreneurial duties, I wanted to share one new Thrift Store Score story: my new-to-me boho stool.

This little woven beauty came to me via a traveling flea market that I just happened to come across one day while out solo hunting for antiques. “Happened across,” as in, I literally was driving from one antique store downtown to another a little further out of town when I randomly spotted the flea market from the highway. It was a massive event with 4-5 building stuffed with vendors and hundreds of other individually run stands packed along the gravel lots in between.

I’m usually not the type of person to just “pop into” a large-scale event without doing extensive research beforehand, and I never go to such things without either John or a buddy along for moral support, but that day I was on my own and apparently feeling extra spontaneous. I think I was also feeling a little bolder than normal having picked up a few good finds downtown (i.e. the hand-carved wooden bowl you see holding coasters above, and the cool architecture coffee table book pictured below). I couldn’t resist the urge to pull in and see what was up.

I crunched my way over the gravel drive to get down to the convention area and was met by a parking attendant. It turned out that there was a $5 fee to get in. Thankfully, I happened to have some cash on hand so I didn’t have to turn right around without following through on my adventure.

After forking over the cash, I decided not to beat around the bush and admitted to the woman that I had no idea what I was getting myself into. “So, this was a very spontaneous decision…” I said. “What do I do?!” The woman went a little wide-eyed before going into business mode. She pointed down toward a grassy field where I could park, and then explained that I would find flea-market-style vendors scattered across the central gravel lots and more high-end furniture, fixtures, and jewelry in the five buildings. I nodded meekly and moved the car into the grass as instructed.

While I certainly expected to find a treasure trove of goodies (why else would I have stepped so far out of my comfort zone to get there?!) I ended up leaving with just two things. I wandered and wandered the entire antique show only to find that most of the items were older than the mid-century era I typically gravitate toward. In other words, everything was pretty “farmhouse” and rustic. It was a blast to walk through the event—it just ended up being more about the experience than the Thrift Store Scores, per se.

So, what did I end up getting? A piece of $2 art that I’ll share about a little later on, and the boho stool that this post is dedicated to. It cost $20, which is a little high for what it is, but the intricately woven texture is just so beautiful up close. I must have walked by the stool on four or five different occasions, giving it major side eye each time, and ultimately I decided that it was worth my twenty bucks.

Let this be a lesson to you that you never quite know what you’ll find while out antiquing (whether it’s just inspiration or a cool new-to-you possession), and to go ahead and step out of your comfort zone every now and then. Tell us about a recent Thrift Store Score of your own in the comments below.