Vent: That old man at the thrift store who schooled me on wool

I was digging through a rack at Goodwill in Portland last weekend, holding up a blazer with some nasty shoulder stains. This guy, maybe 70 years old, just says "that's moth damage, not dirt, kid." He spent 10 minutes showing me how to check the lining and feel for brittle fabric. He even pulled a vintage Pendleton off the rack and pointed out why the tags mean something. I ended up buying the Pendleton for $12 and it cleaned up perfect. Has anyone else had a stranger save you from a bad buy or teach you something you missed?

2 comments

2 Comments

james9951mo ago

Funny how that guy basically ran a free masterclass in vintage shopping. He probably learned all that from trial and error back when wool was just regular clothing instead of this premium label thing it is now. The real lesson is that older folks walking around thrift stores often know way more than any TikTok video could teach you about fabrics.

torres.elizabeth1mo ago

Right?? That grinds my gears how TikTokkers act like they invented thrifting. You can tell he's been doing this for decades, just quietly living his best life. People that age have the real secrets, not some algorithm.