second hand treasures

have you ever walked into a second hand store like Value Village or the Sally Ann and been struck by the distinct odour of second hand clothes? Now, for those of you who regularly "Pillage the village" (Nancy Saura!!!!) this is not a slam on second hand stores! I just want to know... what is the origin of the smell? Is it the body odour of the thousands of other people who are searching for second hand treasures? Is it the musty couches in the back corner? Is there a leak somewhere in the roof of every V and V Boutique? I ask only because it is an odour that is unique to all second hand stores. Maybe it is moth balls... or the detergent that every piece of clothing gets washed in... or maybe there is a chemical reaction when cotton and wool and tweed come together. Yeah that must be it.

I walked into a Sally Ann (or was it Good Will... can't remember) with my friends Barb and Al today. After I got through the initial moment of odour detection, I looked around and realized that the clothing was not organized by size, but by colour! (or color... for my American friends) I found that odd. I guess if you come in looking for a pink or purple sweater, it makes it easier, but if you don't know what you want and you just want to look around, it is truly an odd system.

Did I find anything? No. I didn't have Nancy to show me the way. (or to wait for either!) I also didn't have Jessica to search the books for Garfield comics Thankfully, Barb and Al are not pillagers to the same degree and she was looking for a pink turtle neck! We were in and out of the stores pretty quickly.

I did come home with a Van Gogh poster though... 99 cents... $1.22 cdn! It'll look good in my new home! So there you go, second hand treasures... once you get past the smell... they aren't so bad!