Approximately 85% of the items in my closet are from
secondhand stores. We have three of these shops in Kemptville: The Salvation
Army Thrift Store, To Be Continued Consignment, and The Score. One of my
favourite things to do when I have time between appointments is to browse the
new weekly arrivals. You never know what you will find.
Many times you will find clothes in these shops that haven’t
even been worn. The Score, in particular, carries clothing that I saw just last
week on the tables at Costco in Barrhaven. This week they are hanging just as
you walk in the front door, with the tags and size stickers still on them. For
about half the original price.
One hot summer day last year I was flipping through the
items in the “new” section of the store when I came across a brightly coloured
patchwork cotton skirt with the face of a Japanese woman and a dragon in bright
emerald green and silver on the front. It reminded me of a crazy patchwork
skirt I once owned from Asia. I looked at the price tag. The original $129.00
had been covered over with an orange sticker reading $21.99. A deal in any
country for a never-worn designer skirt by the Spanish brand Desigual.
The stores have all done their seasonal turnover now, and
they are giving great deals on cool weather items that they need to clear out.
I decided to have a quick look the other day, and I found quite a few things in
my size. As I was cashing out, I looked up on the wall where the handbags are
displayed. (By the way – if you buy a handbag in a thrift store and it is a bit
grimy inside, take one of those germ-killing wet wipes and give it a good
swipe. Don’t forget the inner corners and pockets. You can also leave it out on
the porch overnight with the wet wipe still inside. This will disinfect your
bag and leave it smelling fresh as new).
I saw a cute little leather purse. It was two-toned in
shades of brown, a classic vintage style. It looked like something from the 60’s.
I’m not much of a purse person - I lug most of my things around in a huge tote
bag that stays in my car. But when I stepped closer and read the label, I
received a bit of a shock. Prada. Price tag? $14.99. I grabbed the purse off
the hook and placed it discreetly in front of the cashier.
“Did you see this?!” I asked her in a hushed voice.
“Yeah! You never know what you will find…” she smiled and
calmly rang up my purchases.
I grabbed my bag and hustled out of the store.
At home, I Googled “small leather Prada bag”. I scrolled
through the photos but couldn’t find an image of the one I was holding. The
average price of a Prada bag appeared to be $2,000. About the price of a week
in Mexico…or a small secondhand car. I was pretty sure my bag was a fake. After
all – I had lived in Taiwan for three years. I own a pair of knockoff Puma
sneakers that could easily pass for originals but they cost me ten bucks on the
night market. I’ve seen the back alley pop up shops and the dingy warehouses
full of “Coach” and “Louis Vuitton” purses. The chances of the purse I bought
for fifteen dollars being a real designer bag were pretty slim.
But then…what if someone was doing their spring cleaning and
accidentally threw the purse in the donation bin? I decided to put the bag in
the closet instead of posting the image on social media like I normally do when
I find something awesome. I was afraid that post would prompt an immediate
response: “Hey! Where did you get that?! That’s my $2,000 Prada bag that I lost
last year!!”
Finally, I turned to YouTube and searched “Prada bags: real
vs. fake.” I watched three videos that all confirmed, my bag is not real. It’s
a really nice-looking copy. I might give it to Mom for Mother’s Day – after
all, I inherited my appreciation of great thrift store finds from her. You
probably won’t catch me out in public with it, though. I don’t want people to
think I spent $2,000 on a tiny handbag that doesn’t even hold a book and water
bottle!
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Email: dianafisher1@gmail.com
www.theaccidentalfarmwife.blogspot.com
