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Show Just Common ents Village has two locations at VS. 3750 S. and 279 E. 300 S. This is a good spot for housewares, collectibles, and antiques. Note that they don't take checks... cash only here! Utah Boys' Ranch Thrift Store has recently taken over the old Kirkham's Tenting store at 24 W. 500 S. While I've never personally bought anything there, it's usually because it's been the last stop on a day of junking and I've suffered because it's been the last stop on a day of junking and I've suffered from thrift shop overkill. Their merchandise is always well displayed and immaculately clean. Friends who've purchased there have been well satisfied. And just in case you're one of those who'd never be caught in a thrift shop, let me tease your spirit of adventure. In Salt Lake Thrift Shops I've seen a one-hundred one-hundred year old oak desk chair, an ancient but venerable vener-able Maytag manual washer, an elegant monkey fur coat with black peau de soie lining, numerous overstuffed velvet sofas, antique hurricane hurri-cane lamps, full sets of exquisite crystal... and some of the most intriguing shoppers ever! Try it. You'll save money and meet the most interesting people. After all, it's only Common Cents! By Pat Whitfield The first snowfall of winter is always so pristine pure that it reminds me of new beginnings. With this winter's win-ter's first snowfall comes another new beginning for me... a different column for. the Park Record. As beginnings mark change, this column marks a change from the travel column I previously wrote to consumer-oriented, featuring featur-ing zeroing in on bargains and other dollar-savers in the Park City and greater Salt Lake area. It just makes common sense in these days to try to get as much mileage out of your dollar that's humanly, or inhumanly, possible. With gas well over a dollar, groceries inching to the zenith point and salaries well beyond the stretch of a sadly delapidated foundation garment, gar-ment, this column will try to steer you to serious dollar stretching. ' Jumping right in with both feet, I must admit that for years I've been a closet junker. That's a person who surreptitiously steals into thrift shops looking for recycled treasures. I first got hooked as a m second-hand Rose when as a young bride I sought furniture for refinish-ing. refinish-ing. While my daughter was an infant, I made a tidy profit in recycling other people's rejects into campy commodities. commodi-ties. It was, however, a little unsettling for my husband who often came home to find that his sturdy Virtue Brothers Broth-ers chrome-and-formica dinette din-ette set had been replaced by a somewhat wobbly maple trestle table half-stripped to natural, and definitely not to be too long with us. I'm known, and I'm told, envied... for my fur collection. collec-tion. Admittedly, I adore the REAL thing, regardless of environmentalist frowns. NOTHING is cozier in our bleak Utah deep winter than a body swathed in fur. I have more than I care to admit, all purchased in thrift shops from Provo to Idaho Falls, none costing more than $15, and looking far more expensive. expen-sive. Last spring I read about a doctor's wife in Salt Lake whose hobby is shopping in thrift stores for name brands and putting together fashionable fashion-able ensembles for pennies. I know it works, and I wish I had the time to give lectures as she does. Making the circuit of thrift shops and specializing in woolens, cot-tens cot-tens and silks in either designer, of high quality labels like Kimberly Knits, Evan Piccone, Jack Winter and others, I've .amassed some treasures I would not be ashamed to wear to a Presidential reception. Really! But it helps to know .labels, to be familiar with good garment construction, and to stay in tempo with the current styles. After all, mini-skirts became passe in 1970. And you'd be surprised at the people you meet in thrift shops. While junking, I've met school teachers, doctor's wives, college students, senior citizens and hippies or whatever the current equiva lent is. Real junkers have no shame, only a bloodhound's nose for a bargain. My own personal triumph came last June when I bought around $250 worth of garments from the Junior League Flea Market for $6.75 during their annual pre-closing half-price sale. Where can you find these treasures? My absolute favorite fav-orite for quality is the Junior League Flea Market at 952 E. 900 South. While women's wo-men's clothes are a strong suit, you can find such treasures as men's Harris tweed or cashmere sports jackets and Kate Greenway dresses for little girls at a pittance. You can also sell on consignment here. They charge you 20. Deseret Industries has furniture, often rather overpriced and not always antique, as well as clothing. Their half-price sales are worthwhile for all the family. With three stores in Salt Lake, you can consult the phone book. The real treasure trove of the DI stores is, however, the one in Provo. Well worth the trip; you can buy furs, antiques and good solid furniture in additon to family apparel, all clean and in good condition for very little. Or, should you be passing through Idaho Falls, that's a thrift shop junkie's Nirvana. The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop at 312 W. 2nd S. tends to be rather dank and dreary with merchandise that's not always al-ways well-laundered, but prices are reasonable and in non-wearables you can often unearth real finds. Value |