Half Price Books: Dallas Edition

Half Price Books is a great used book store chain and there are a ton around Austin that B and I always go to once in a while to scour the 99 cent racks.  When we were in Dallas, we drove by a ginormous Half Price Books and decided to stop in that evening to check it out.  Not only was it 3 to 4 times bigger than any HPB we have ever been in, it was also really evident that a lot of time had been spent into making this store a place where you could actually browse and sit down and relax and read.   There was a cute little cafe attached and lots of seating everywhere (unlike our small HPB where you will find me crouched in a corner thumbing through a book).   And...they had some of the best visual merchandising that I've ever seen.  (I might be partial because they used all vintage items!)

Love these old stained glass window panels hung from the ceiling

Decorating with vintage suitcases and cameras

Shelves were filled with books and various vintage keepsakes like
wooden blocks, microscopes and sewing machines.
Check out the old cash register in the center!

Love this old film projector

Be still my beating heart, an old General Electric refrigerator!

We went on a Saturday night and it was packed full of families, couples and people working on their laptops.  The store really had a great vibe and there was even an outdoor movie showing in the parking lot that evening.

Oh and I almost forgot--one of the best things about our trip was that I got to finally try Pinkberry yogurt! I got a little size of the tart plain yogurt with mochi and mangoes.  Yum!

Vintage Monday: Treasure hunting

So you've seen most of my treasures on Vintage Mondays.  Today, I thought I'd show you where the treasures usually come from.  I do a lot of online shopping through ebay and etsy, but what I love best is to be able to view and touch things in person.  Bonus points if you have to dig for it.

There are vintage/antique stores that are carefully edited, and then there are stores that believe in cramming in items onto every available surface.  These stores tend to have the best deals and it's fun to root around and see what you can come up with after all the dust has settled.

Vintage shopping/thrifting is not for the faint of heart.  I present you exhibit A:

Just think about walking into this room.  Is this your worst nightmare?  Or do you feel lightheaded with all the possibilties?

Let's say you decide to take a step forward and examine the room a little closer.  Do you say to yourself: "Why on earth is there a neon palm tree in here?"  Or do you think "Hey, that would be perfect for the patio!" (don't worry honey I didn't get it)

These pictures are from Good Finds, a really fun place to dig and browse here in Tallahassee.  And just when you're about crossed eyed from all the goodness in the store, you go outside and up some rickety stairs at your own peril...

To find another floor of treasures waiting to be unearthed 

Sometimes you come out empty handed.  And sometimes you come out lucky...

But most of all, if you are willing to look high and low, you'll always find something that'll give you a good laugh!