How to find the best savings, according to the pros

There will always be people in their lives who demand only freshly made and packaged items. But then there are the rest of us who love nothing more than driving by an estate sale, checking out a yard sale, or making well-timed weekly visits to a local home improvement store. For many of us, thrifting is a fun hobby that allows us to dive into the dumpsters and hold out hope that the treasure hunt pays off.

For food stylists, stage decorators, set designers, prop shop owners and other professionals, finding the right item can be an important part of their job. We asked how they always seem to find the best things, whether it’s a perfectly preserved vintage dress, stunning home accessories or well-built furniture that will last another lifetime. That’s how I find the best prey.

Melissa Alderton is the owner of Propabilities, a longtime prop rental shop in Chicago. Offers locally filmed television programs such as “One Chicago” (“Med,” “Fire,” “PD”) and “The Bear,” as well as commercials. The term “props” is short for “theatrical property” and refers to any object that an actor uses during a performance. Right now, for example, his store offers items including a gold-engraved pocket watch, a costume crown with faux sapphires, a Western-style fringed leather vest, a 1950s bar cart with glasses and vintage menus laminated.

Give every sale a chance.

“I always find something when I’m in a hurry,” she said. “I walked past an estate sale the other day which was taking place in a very small house but I found some jewellery, along with gardening tools, carpentry tools, Christmas decorations and some really lavish artwork.

“My advice is to never let the outside look of the space put you off, at least go inside to have a look around.”

Try this “two-step” system.

“First, I do a short introduction and things ‘call’ me and almost throw me off. But then, I turn around and see what might be lurking around the corner. I claim everything immediately and start a stack at home. You can always give it back, but if you don’t act quickly, someone else could take it.”

“If you take a friend, you might be influenced by someone else’s tastes. I can go faster on my own and know in my heart if I should buy something or not.

“If you want things as cheap as possible, enter the last hours of the estate sale. They will be keen to reduce the amount of stuff they have to carry. I always had good things at that time.

Lisa Golden Schroeder is a food stylist for commercial photography. And when it comes to second-hand purchases, she’s always on the lookout for smaller plates, glassware and flatware, especially antique silver and uniquely designed serving pieces. “The smaller scale of the older pieces works much better for photographs,” he explained. While she’s captured unusual pieces like an olive serving spoon, a flat tomato server, or ladles, she said most of the time, “I’m looking for more pedestrian pieces for food photography every day during the day, like small jugs for maple syrup or cream. , baking cups and interesting napkins and sheets.”

“My tip no. 1 is to watch regularly. It’s like hunting for wild food: you won’t find anything if you only go out once in a while.

“We hit thrift stores in upscale neighborhoods because people will donate incredibly cool things like fancy clothes for a fraction of the cost. If I’m looking for props for the job, I’ve found tableware and glass to be a pretty safe bet.”

Dress appropriately and bring a purse.

“I try not to overdress in a bulky coat or anything that can easily fall into windows because a lot of thrift stores are full of stuff. Plus, many are small and can be warm, so you don’t want to have to shed layers and grab them when you need your hands free. I also try to carry a heavy folded shopping bag for treasures because some places just wrap things in paper or put them in paper bags that can tear easily.

“I never miss an opportunity to save when I travel. I collected some great vintage silverware and serving pieces that I brought home to use in the picture.

Leave room to negotiate.

“It’s always worth asking if prices are ‘firm’.”

Lori Bohner is a production designer and freelance art director in Chicago. Mainly works for national ads, incl This with Chicago Bulls player Zach LaVine. For that ad, “We needed a freestanding full-length mirror that had an ‘Old English’ look,” she said. “We didn’t have time to build or order one, but we found exactly what we needed on Facebook Marketplace. No wonder I’m still a big fan of that site.”

Like Alderton, she prefers to work alone. “I shop for a living and I’m pretty fast.”

Maintain laser focus.

“Don’t be fooled. I’m usually looking for a specific item, so when I go into a store I remember what I’m looking for. I sit in one place and scan from left to right, like I’m reading a book.”

“Be patient and wait until you fall in love with something so much that you feel you can’t live without it. Otherwise, you’ll end up with something in your house that you wish you hadn’t bought.” If your gut tells you to pass, listen to it.

While Alderton noted the value of showing up at an estate sale when closing, Bohner said things work differently at a home improvement store. “There’s too much pressure to get something right when the lights start going out, so give yourself plenty of time to shop around.”

Like Schroeder, Bohner is a fan of the art of dickering, but she adheres to this guideline: “Especially if you’re on Facebook Marketplace, don’t ask for a discount before you see the item, because the seller is likely to. it is like someone who is not serious about buying and can move on to the next request. Wondering how much of a discount to ask for? “Wait until you’re in person with the salesperson, then ask for about 20 percent less than what they’re asking,” she suggests. “If it’s a $100 table, ask if they’ll take $80, not $20.”

Reyne Hirsch is a dealer and collector of 20th century decorative arts who spent 13 seasons on PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow.” He once found a set of lithographs in a thrift store in Arkansas, bought them for $80, and eventually sold what turned out to be a real Picasso for $18,000. So yes, his bona fide searching and finding is top notch, but his attitude remains down to earth. “I’ll find any basket at an auction or a thrift store,” she said, describing her thrifty style. “I found amazing things mixed in a box.”

“Over the years, I’ve learned that certain cities are better for second-hand finds. Places that have been long established and had notable stores and many affluent citizens tend to be more of a “focus-rich environment” than, say, Texas, where I live. That’s not to say that things don’t happen here, because they do, but we don’t tend to see the big breakthroughs that you get on the East Coast.”

“If you regularly check some home improvement stores, ask the manager what day they issued new stock. Stores usually have a schedule for sorting, cleaning, pricing and stocking. This is important because if they have stock on Tuesday and you always visit on Saturday, all the good stuff will be gone before it arrives.

Measure twice (or more).

“You should always have a tape measure with you. If you’re looking for an item that fits a specific space, measure it before you go. And then measure any item you’re considering buying.

“Buy a small, portable black light and take it with you whenever you shop. You can use it to find out if the artwork was painted, like that “Monet” signature was added last week instead of last century. A black light will also show the repairs that have been made to the furniture and ceramics.”

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you see something described as a Tiffany lamp and it sells for $500, then run, don’t walk, away from that store. There are a lot of fakes out there, designed to fool anyone who has seen an episode of Antiques Roadshow, so don’t spend a lot of money just for a hope.”

It looks like you can stretch your savings even further, said the money-saving expert Andrea Woroch: “Some thrift and consignment stores will buy items from you. You can get cash or credit for purchases like new in store or on the website, which can sometimes be a higher value.” And to save even more, consider using coupons. “Check out sites like CouponCabin.comwhere you can find offers such as 25% off + free shipping at Thredup.com, $25 off + 2.5% Cashback at TheRealReal.com and 3.6% cash back a Chairish transportation,” he said.

Another person who takes savings very seriously is Margherita Savagesvice president of Vintage Fashion Guild. “Just looking at a thrift store line of clothes — with all the variety — is so much more interesting than looking at a new, drab line of clothes,” she said. His advice for beginners: “I highly recommend the tutorials on our site. Even when you’re out shopping, you can use Label Resource to get an idea of ​​a label’s era and notoriety, and once you get home, there’s more to look at, like Fabric Resource and Care and Cleaning. guide. There are active public forums where you can ask questions and VFG members can help you.

Finally, he offered these words of wisdom: “Don’t buy something just because you like it and it’s a good deal. Buy it because it makes your heart sing and ask yourself if you’d regret leaving it behind.”