Tag: goodwill

Glitter Sale : A Retrospective

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Oh loyal fans, I must offer up my dearest apologies! After this Saturday’s Goodwill Glitter Sale I was unexpectedly put into what the medical community has called “a severe glamor coma” – a debilitating condition which left me slack-jawed and muttering to myself for the last several days. It is only now that I have achieved a form of spiritual clarity, surrounded here by the pile of sequin jackets and brightly colored vests purchased this weekend, that I can offer a sufficient look back on this most holy of holy days.

It goes without saying that I take my Glitter Sale seriously. But I am not one of those most righteous of devotees – the kind that wake up at 4am to camp outside the Dearborn Goodwill and wait their turn to enter that palace of enchanting apparel before the sun has yet to rise.
But I did wake up pretty early by my own standards and when my team arrived at 11am we were bestowed with sanctimonious lanyards & told that with our entrance numbers we were estimated to be let in around 4pm. 
All of us felt the blood rush from our face. 4pm! 4PM !! We went back to our car and drove to the Szechuan Noodle Bowl in the International District a little dejected, hoping that we wouldn’t lose heart and that the test of our commitment to the calling of all that is glitter and gold would persist throughout the day. We ate green onion pancakes and bok choy and tried to keep the faith.
Thankfully, instead of long lines, this year Goodwill decided to use the virtuousness of text messaging to let folks know when they would be permitted into the gates. Around 3pm we got the signal that we would soon be able to enter, and we rushed back to the thrift store seething with excitement. 
Words cannot describe what is to be experienced behind those fanciful curtains lifted only but once a year. As I entered into the exclusive sale I felt all sound collapse around me; my vision narrowed into a tunnel and I felt myself as if moving underwater. 
My wife took my hand and snapped her fingers in front of my eyes a few times ( this close from having to break out the smelling salts) and as emerged from the daze, I entered a fight or flight mode, racing clumsily through the aisles. 
As best a description as I can give: racks and racks and racks and racks with the most impeccably tailored blouses, vests, and jackets – almost exclusively beaded and sequined apparel, constantly replenished by staff and equally devoured by a host of hungry customers. 
It took me a minute to find my bearings, but I before long I found the aisles I was looking for: 
GLITTER JACKETS. 
Just try to imagine that for a moment. A WHOLE SECTION FOR GLITTER JACKETS.

I spent a good 40 minutes in this part of the sale, carefully sifting through the many varieties and trying things on right then and there. At first I was so excited that I actually broke a few hangers trying to pull things off too quickly. At one point someone picked up the hat I had in my stash but that I had forgot to keep nearby, and I felt my voice crack as I snapped “NO WAIT. THAT’S MINE GIMME GIMME GIMME”. 
Once I had the item back in my possession I was a little embarrassed about my behavior, and had a chance to reflect on it. Humbled, I decided to stop treating the experience like a competition and tried to just enjoy the moment. I looked around at all the smiling faces, the happiness and joy being had by all the folks around me and was deeply moved. Everyone was having so much fun!
It was such a peaceful experience, a singular moment in time that I can always refer back to as my ‘happy place’. And no one can take that away from me!
And now, for the fashion!
This was a great blouse thing we convinced Meghan she HAD TO GET. It has an elastic waist and ripples and ripples of shine. If it would have fit over my beer belly (and believe me, I tried) I would have snagged it from her. One of my favorites pieces from the sale, hands down.
This was my main competition, a stranger I met named Derrick, who had a criminal amount of sequined loot he was dragging around with him. We talked shop for a while, and he told me that he has a little project going where he’s taking men’s jackets and attaching sequin fabrics to them to spruce them up. I hope to feature this work on a future edition of Sequins In Seattle. 
Complex patterned jacket that Amber took a liking to. 
A pretty special vest with bead work and butterflies. <3 <3 <3 <3
Me, in a frantic moment.
No comment needed.
Totally snagged this one!
Fabulous sequin hat with music notes!
These are SEQUIN UGGS that a customer (Diane) was wearing. She got them on the
home shopping network. MUST FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THESE. 
And my personal favorite from the weekend, this sequin robe formal wear. 
I can totally see myself wearing this on a night on the town and stopping all the  muted-tone fleece-wearing fools in their tracks. Seattle is about to get so very real. 
THANKS #GLITTERSALE

OH YOU BETTER BELIEVE SEQUINS IN SEATTLE WILL BE THERE

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GLITTER SALE AT GOODWILL THIS SATURDAY!

This is the only holiday that Sequins in Seattle officially recognizes.

I went last year and it was a raucous good time! Good to hear that this year they’ve removed the need to stand in line. Instead: GOODWILL HAS TURNED HELLA WEB 2.0!!!!

THEY’RE USING A #GLITTERSALE HASHTAG ON TWITTER TO NOTIFY YOU WHEN YOU CAN ENTER THE SALE!!!

That’s really good news because look at some of the glitz that will be there this year!

Here are some tips from the Goodwill blog:

The Glitter Sale is coming up!  Be ready when our doors open Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. with these useful tips.

  1. This year we are doing things a little differently to make waiting outside the Glitter Sale more enjoyable!  This year everyone in line will be getting a lanyard with a number on it.  Your number is your admission to the Glitter Sale – when your number is called, you may enter the sale any time thereafter.
  • Once you have your lanyard you no longer have to wait in line.  You may shop the regular Goodwill store, grab coffee, visit the food trucks outside, or just move about until your number is called.
  • Once inside the Glitter Sale, your number is also your admittance to the jewelry counter.  Please listen for your number to be called before approaching the counter.  (We do this so that each person can be helped by a personal shopper behind the jewelry counter.)
  • Numbers will be announced over the store PA system, via text alerts, on Twitter through the#GlitterSale hashtag, and on a board by the Glitter Sale door.  Sign up for text alerts by texting “goodwill123” to 91011.
  • If you shop in the main Goodwill store before entering the Glitter Sale, we recommend purchasing these items and putting them in your car before shopping the Glitter Sale.  However, if necessary you can pay for these items inside the Glitter Sale.
  1. Racks will be restocked throughout the weekend, so don’t worry if you’re not the first through the door!
  2. Outfits from the blog and the Glitter Gala fashion show will be on specially marked racks.
  3. Pick up a blue mesh shopping bag when you arrive; shopping carts are not allowed.
  4. Glitter Sale items are returnable within 7 days of purchase with original tag and receipt.
  5. Wear a leotard or swimsuit to try on clothes; there are no dressing rooms.
  6. Bring a friend who will give you honest feedback – shoppers will vastly outnumber the mirrors!

Of course I will be there covering the event and elbowing the hell out of everyone.

GIVE ME GAUDY OR GIVE ME DEATH.

What about you? Have you been to the Glitter Sale? You have any tips or tricks?

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Seattle musician Macklemore is about to blowup, and part of that success comes from his recently debuted anti-consumerist video ‘Thrift Shop’. Rarely does a song so deeply resonate with me. ‘Thrift Shop’ codifies into words feelings that have been bubbling inside of me since Kurt Cobain wore that sweater on ‘Unplugged’. This is the manifesto of the second-hand revolution.

It doesn’t hurt that this video features one of the best places for ‘digging’ in Seattle, the Goodwill Outlet (also known as ‘The Bins’). I plan to feature this establishment in future postings, but for now I wanted to write about something the video sparked inside of me –  a chronicling of my favorite finds from there, particularly of the ‘sweatshirt’ persuasion.

First up, we have this teal hoodie emblazoned with the words “Camp Enumclaw”. Apart from the remarkably breathable fabric and the neckline (obviously scissored by a previous owner) – what really makes this sweater shine is the context of the words. For those outside the Pacific NW, or even folks from the neighborhood out of the loop, the nearby town of ‘Enumclaw’ is darn near synonymous with ‘bestial relations’ (especially those of an equestrian nature). Specifically in regards to this tragic incident: NSFW AND PROBABLY WILL BUM YOU OUT. Morally repugnant, yes, but let me tell you, this sweater is nothing if not a conversation starter! I wear it to any and all formal dinners, wrinkles and all!

Next on my list of high-brow cotton pullovers, the inevitable Christmas print! I’m not a particularly festive chap, but this particular article of clothing really spoke to me. Because if you read carefully the message Mr. Kris Kringle is sharing, you’ll see that this sweater is layered with much deeper and pressing issues than the consumerist Black Friday $2 dollar waffle iron kind of Yuletide.

“Greetings from Santa to the People of the World ‘Protect Our Oceans’”

Powerful words from a powerful man. And the best part about it (other than the quite valid message to care for the planet) – it gives a new reason for ANY Season! That’s right, I can pull out this treasure any time of the year and thankfully saving the Earth while in a sleigh pulled by a narwhal NEVER goes out of style!

But perhaps the greatest sweater find of my digging career goes to this humble beast. You may not think it much – a dark navy with a large print of a horned creature. But for some reason this particular Elk spoke to me and so I picked it up, going with my intuition. It never fit quite right on my body but I knew I had to have it. Because ultimately size does not matter. The single greatest fashion tip I can give you – no matter how it looks on you, if a piece of clothing can start a conversation or create a new human interaction, then IT HAS VALUE.

And now I know the purpose of this garment.

If you watch the Macklemore video ‘Thrift Shop’ one more time, there is a scene where he and producer Ryan Lewis are walking in the Bins with a large piano sticking out of a shopping cart. If you look closely you will see: MACK IS WEARING MY SWEATER.

What does this mean? Well, I’m not entirely sure, but here are the facts as I know them:

a) Macklemore filmed that scene at the Goodwill Bins.

b) I found my identical sweat shirt sometime within the last year at the same place.

Could this be the EXACT SAME SWEATER? Or could two identical vintage prints have ended up at the same clothing facility within the same year? Entirely possible. Likely even.

But to reflect the possibility that yes, perhaps this is the SAME SWEATER MACKLEMORE IS WEARING IN THE VIDEO (AND I’M NOT SAYING THAT – JUST OFFERING IT UP AS A POSSIBILITY – BUT REALLY IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT – I MEAN WHAT ARE THE CHANCES)-

I am now opening up the bidding at $200 on EBAY

Get it now before Macklemore really breaks out and the value of this sucker skyrockets!

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)