How to Save Your Old School Kicks – Part 2

Written by Jess Burg:

In the previous edition of “How to Save Your Old School Kicks” I revealed some helpful restoration hints for making thrift store bought kicks look spic and span. Still, the question remains: Is there a way to prevent or restore the midsole damage? I’m going to go out on a limb to say that cracking and crumbling midsoles are the most frustrating affliction found in thrift store sneakers. I’ve been scouring blogs and web pages, trying to find one simple solution but have concluded nothing is fool-proof. Instead I have simply become a wiser thrifter.

Immediately, it became fairly obvious that this whole midsole problem has been an ongoing topic for sneakers geeks everywhere. Whether or not it can be fixed completely is debatable. If you dare try be prepared to give up your entire weekend. But here are a few different approaches should you attempt it:

First, the least time consuming operation. For sneakers where the midsole has become completely detached from the rest of the shoe try using a Canadian product called Parasol Rubber Bond. Barge glue is also recommended. Just know that you will have to come up with some sort of creative method to clamp the sucker down while it cures.

Cracked midsole restoration begins with stripping the paint on the area of the midsole that is damaged. You can use rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab or, highly potent acetone.

Get some DAP Caulk and make sure it’s the kind that can be sanded after it sets. Apply the Caulk into the cracks of the midsole. Let harden and sand down until it is smooth and has a likeness to the original shape. It is recommended to use 2 types of sand paper, starting with a more coarse grain and finish it with a smoother, higher grit grain sandpaper.

Next up, painting the midsole! Start by applying 2 coats of acrylic sealer. Next, use painter’s tape over the areas not being painted. It is unanimous amongst sneaker geeks that Angelus Leather paint is the way to go.

For best results, apply 2 to 3 coats of paint. Don’t forget to allow each coat to dry. Finish with two more coats of acrylic sealer and you’re done. For more explicit details you can find step by step videos on http://www.youtube.com

So now you have a seemingly restored midsole and you can’t wait to show off your fresh pair of old school kicks…Not so fast! All that time and effort doesn’t exactly make them street legal. Your kicks may hold up for a couple of weeks in moderate terrain but it won’t last.

Many sneakers made in 1980s and 90s have foamy midsoles. Without proper storing, foam midsoles will dry out over time. You can bet that if you come across such a pair at the thrift store, there is a good chance the midsoles have expired. Thanks to vintageheatt.blogspot.com I did find some hints to help determine if a pair of old school kicks are worth the purchase:

- Push your thumb into the foam and if it leaves a print, not worth it. Those shoes are dried out and likely to crack.

- If the shoe has an air bubble unit in the midsole, press on that. If it feels firm, that means there is still air inside and you should be good to go!

- If there is any sign of cracking around the air bubble unit, then forget it.

Shoes that have rubber midsoles like the 1985 Jordans will last.

Thanks and send us your pics (or restoration attempts), or your most prized pairs of kicks!

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Top 10 Things I Hate About Thrift Stores

So this blog is generally about how much I love thrift stores, junkin, and photos of the stuff we find. However, there are some aspects about thrifting that bug the crap out of me. You knew this was coming sooner or later. So I’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list with some examples of each. Feel free to comment or email me with any  that I may have overlooked. This list is an organic and growing thing. I’ll repost an updated version in a year or so and we’ll see what’s been added. It’ll  be fun. Help me out here!

1.) Drafters or “Clingons”

These are the people that use YOU as their browsing tool. This is a rare occurrence at a thrift shop but you’ve probably encountered one of these bastards at a record store or garage sale. They’ll lurk about a foot behind you in order to let you do their flipping or perusing of the rack of items. The simplest way (at least in the Midwest) is to give a courtesy glance over the shoulder just once. To let the drafter know you know what they’re doing and you don’t appreciate it. If the problem persists try a reversal technique and creep them out OR a simple “Backthefuckup” usually will get the point across. Don’t be a Clingon folks.

2.) Goo Goo Dolls (or similar) Music

This is a serious problem. I don’t hate their music, but I don’t exactly love it either. Somehow there seems to always be a Goo Goo Dolls song on in every thrift store I’ve ever patronized. That shit gets stuck in your head for hours if not days. Is there some “ALL GOO GOO DOLLS ALL THE TIME! on RADIO GOO 104!” station that I don’t know about? To all the thrift store owners – change the station, because your employees are about to revolt.

3.) Intimates or Underwear

We’ve all seen it so this one is pretty much self-explanatory. The tighty-whiteys on the wire clip hanger. I don’t know who is buying these or why stores really even bother to sell them. If they’re in the package fine, but I’m still not buying them. How much is a packet of new underwear anyways? It can’t be THAT much more expensive to rest assured knowing that your drawers didn’t touch some other persons naynay or heehee, right? CAN I GET AN AMEN!

4.) Mis-categorization of Goods

Put that stuff where it belongs – or at least try.  Everything can be categorized and everything should be in the section that makes the most logical sense. You should know this unless you never had a mom.

5.) Helter-Skelter Stores

I love a good hunt as much as the next guy, but some stores are so helter-skelter that your eyes hurt after a few minutes of looking, because its so much to take in. I shouldn’t have to pass through an aisle 4-5 times just to feel like I’ve perused it comfortably enough to move one to the next one. These are usually the stores that do a ton of volume per day. Loosely clumped zones of semi-similar items works the best.

6.) Inconsistent pricing

This shit just kills me. Sometimes identical items will be side by side on the shelf and one will be insanely higher priced. It’s also why I don’t frequent certain stores as much as I’d like to. There is an upside to this in that most stores will let you have the item you want for the lower or same price should you want both. If not, just peel the tag off of something else and stick it onto the item you want. Ethical? No. But neither is paying $4.99 for a blank t-shirt because Margie hadn’t had her coffee and half a pack of Misty Slims yet.

7.) Overly Organized Stores

These stores remove all element of hunt and search, which is a major factor in why I love to thrift. If  a store is too organized it gives the impression that nothing will be a bargain or mislabeled  and that’s going to  make me leave ASAP.

8.) People haggling for hangers, or haggling in general.

It’s a thrift store. Pretty much nothing over $10. Don’t be that guy.

9.) Fitting Rooms.

These are usually an afterthought by employees. People understandably leave garments they don’t want in there (I’m guilty of it) and sometimes they can build up. Oh yea, and Jess said she saw human poop once on the floor of one. Just sayin.

10.) Missing objects.

This one ranked high in the furious category with the ladies. Nothing worse than finding 1 great shoe with no match or a puzzle or game with a missing piece. It has to be all or nothing, no gray zone. My personal suggestion is to just have an employee dedicated to checking them as best they can. Google the game’s name and you can usually find out  the instructions which list the number of pieces and stuff that’s supposed to be included in the box. Then just  rubberband/tape them and assure the people that they’re all there or they can have their money back. Simple as that.

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How To Save Your Old School Kicks

Written by Jess Burg:

The lovely Jess Burg comes at us with another excellent guest post. How to save your old school kicks. I know that I didn’t know any of these tricks aside from tossing them in the washing machine (which can yield mixed and unwanted results.) Enjoy and show Jess some love!

Thrifting is the cheapest way to find one-of-a-kind old school sneakers. The only problem is that typically they don’t hold up as long. It’s always a sad day when you come to terms with letting go of a pair of beloved kicks. In my days of purchasing old sneakers made in the 80’s and 90’s many of the same terminal issues seem to occur. In one case, the sole of the shoe had fallen off entirely. With many older shoes, the foamy midsole begins to crack and fall apart a little bit at a time. This is why I have done some internet research in an effort to learn any tricks to salvaging and restoring sneakers.

If you find an old pair of Nikes or New Balances that look like they were an awesome pair of shoes it may not be inconceivable to bring them back. It is possible to restore sneakers to an almost “good as new” condition.

Look at how this sneaker head was able to transform these Newbies from “beater” to “beast”. If you are willing to put in the effort you must have patients and be willing to think outside the box.

In case you need some help thinking outside the box, there is a sneaker restoration kit that comes in a box. JGoods Sneaker Restoration Kits, equipped with most of the tools you will need to restore old kicks on a superficial level. It comes with a restoration guide, which I know I would love to page through. This kit is priced at $35.

The kit includes:

The JGoods™ Guide to Sneaker Restoration

• 12” by 12” white towel
• Stiff Poly Scrub Brush
• Melamine Foam Pad
• JGoods Finish Remover
• White and Black JGoods Leather Paint
• One High Quality Paint Brush
• Cotton Swabs
• Scourer Sponge

Check out this pair of Jordans from niketalk.yuku.com. This guy restored them using some unconventional sneaker cleaning methods.

Before: Notice the Yellow tint the mesh and soles. After: Wow!

He used Barkeeper’s Friend on the tongue and upper mesh. Black Magic Tire Wet was used to bring out a little more shine on the patent leather. Armor All was used on the rest of the shoe to remove any spots of dirt and maintain plastic material. Finally, Sea Glow with the special blue coloration was used to make dull, yellowed (supposedly ‘white’) plastics snow-white again on the soles.

Cost: $5                                     Cost: $6            Cost: 4 Oz MiniPack (with scuff pad) $15.95

Hopefully this will help you restore some of those thrift treasure finds to as-good-as-new. Us here in the upper-Midwest understand how bad of a beating our kicks can take from the snow, slush, and salty conditions.

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Hoarders vs. Thrifters

So for the past year or so I’ve been obsessed with A&E’s show Hoarders. Now, I realize that the main focus of the show is to address the problem situations that these people have come full on with and then showing how the specialists and professional organizers manage each situation, but there’s something that always bothers me about the show. Each episode a 1-800-GOT-JUNK truck pulls up (whom I’m sure has an exclusive contract with the show) and then the house in most episodes is purged of all it’s crap that has built up, then the stuff is hauled away to some undisclosed location. What I don’t understand is in the houses where there’s not poop smeared on the walls and where it’s just a lot of new/unused/volumes of stuff – why don’t they have a garage or estate sale?

About 50% of the episodes the underlying reason is that the people feel the need to hold on to their items due to financial constraints, fearing that  if they get rid of an item, that they’d need to spend the money to purchase a new one eventually. In the most recent episode the hoarder confided to the camera that she wanted to keep a pair of (in my opinion what looked to be shitty cheap K-mart lamps) “because they were a pair”. She went on to state that she “could go find a tacky lamp at a thrift store for cheap” but wanted to keep the ugly ones…because they were a pair. This pissed me off because of some peoples’ reputation of thrift stores is that there is nothing good in them. Which isn’t true of course, it’s people like that who have no imagination, no artistic inklings to realize that there is good stuff and not all stuff is even old or tacky in thrift stores. That very reason alone is what separates a hoarder from a thrifter. Thrifters can think on their feet, their savvy, they’re resourceful, they like stuff that just works.

What these folks don’t realize is that if they had a garage sale just once a year or every couple of years, it not only helps thin down all of your belongings but also can make you some serious cash. See my tips for having a garage sale post from a while back here. I know that this is a bit idealistic and that this might come off as insensitive. Most of the cases are people who have pretty harsh mental issues and it boils down to just needing to get the volume of stuff out of their premise. My mother’s garage sale alone made over $2000 (yes THREE zeros) last year! *I should note that her sale is usually combined with a neighbor or two and usually some friends decide to put some items on her sale as well. It’s win-win. The larger the sale the more people show up. Her garage sale has built up a reputation for being big – and having a great variety of good stuff. She has a garage sale twice a year in the spring and the fall. Come hell or high water – tons of people show up in droves.

Here’s my idea: Not too unlike a couple of shows on HGTV or Discovery, I wish (in the cases where it’s plausible) that they’d have the hoarders pick and choose what items they want to sell and then have massive garage sale. Simple as that, have a sale, then the crap that doesn’t sell – they donate or toss. Readers of this blog probably think I have items everywhere in my house, but I don’t. I mostly re-sell what I buy or it’s something I needed. I just think it’s a missed opportunity by the show to address cases where American consumerism has run rampant, and to show the viewing public a great way to help themselves by making some cash or even just taking a long hard look at what they purchase and accrue. My personal “I can re-sell this”  mentality was acquired from growing up and watching my mother turn our seemingly useless piles of junk that slowly built up every year into some serious cash. It’s what helps me maintain a fine balance of the stuff I buy. The show sometimes leaves me depressed and unfulfilled because I feel sorry for the folks that aren’t quick enough to realize that they can change their situation or because they were just never taught how to keep their stuff clean and tidy. It all boils down to parenting in some respect.

Always remember a favorite quote of mine: “he who dies with the most toys is still dead” right?

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When Cabin Fever Strikes Hard – Go Junkin.

The winter blues are strong with this Midwestern “Junk Jedi”. Every year of it makes me question why the !@#$ do I live here? I can tell it’s late January because it takes a couple cold months for my hands and knees to become closer to lizard scales than human epidermis. All the hi-tech frou frou lotion in the world would have no effect on these mitts. I’m really, really looking forward to spring. I don’t wear shorts often, but I like the idea of shorts. Warm breezy days, t-shirts, sunglasses, sun tans, fishing, rainy nights, drinking on screen porches and shouting obscenities at hipsters. There’s something to be said for that spring scent too, sweet , pungent reminder that it does get better. Frozen dog turds from lazy, cold, dog owners defrosting on the sidewalks, funny how something so gross can make me smile. Enough with this ramble, on with the show!

So it’s been a while since I’ve posted some more THINGS I FOUND at the Thrift Store! So here goes nothing:

First off, I scored a ton of vinyl. I think I’ll do an upcoming separate post JUST on the vinyl I’ve found, since there’s so much to show you. Get ready for some extreme jealousy, chumps.

Second, I found some really great art. I picked up that little John “The Duke” Wayne picture for my Grandpa Rollie’s “Man Room” up at the lake ($.99 cents). Nothing more manly than “The Duke” right cowpoke? Next, I almost pooped when I came across a that original Bill Wheeler print. It’s incredible, the colors, the oranges and yellows, those rich abstract shapes. I get gleefully lost just staring at it for minutes on end. Can’t wait t0 get her all framed up and find the right spot for it. The Bill Wheeler print was ($2.99). Next in the art findings I found an old photograph from 1966. What originally attracted me to it was the gorgeous vintage frame, but upon closer inspection it’s an old and slightly crackled picture of  Hawley Lake, in White Mountains, Arizona ($2.95). I didn’t even know there was lakes in Arizona. Lastly, I picked up an awesome little circular needlepoint design. I’m not going to lie this was purchased to immediately sell on Etsy as well. BTW, my Esty seller name is “theoddsmaker” check out my stuff.

My thrift buddy Tamara found a cute little artsy soup mug. She’s modeling it and testing it out with some soup in those pics, mmm soup! I think it was around ($.99) I’m pictured above holding a sickle. When it’s not near the month of Halloween, those props quickly become commie fun fodder. If you squint hard enough at the photo you can see Dick Cheney peeking out from behind a garment rack, jotting my name down on the Commie watch list.

In keeping with the ceramic items theme I also found two great mugs. One is presumably a pharmacy in the UK(?) or some anti-drug campaign that says “Knock Out Drugs”. Either way, it’s a rad mug. The other just has a cool hippie pattern that caught my eye. The hippie mug will promptly be listed on Etsy for sale. Each mug set us back .99 cents. I also, found a couple decor items I couldn’t resist. One is a little hand-made clay sculpture made in Peru ($1.99). The others are owl themed. The set is a cute little salt & pepper shaker, the other is what I believe to be an old incense dispenser. Since it’s open on the bottom I plan to set it on top of a small planter and let herbs grow out of the holes. I saw the idea once on one of my all time favorite blogs Design*Sponge.

With all these great finds, it should keep you all motivated to not only donate stuff to the thrift stores, but to get out of the house and go junkin. See you out there!

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Top Things To Donate To A Thrift Store

It takes a horrible disaster like Haiti’s earthquake for us to witness and process the heart-wrenching images of people who had very little before – and now have nothing. It’s been blasted in our face for the past 2 weeks, but please also consider donating money to any of the worthy aid organizations that are active in Haiti. Here are a couple of my favorites: http://www.acumenfund.org/ http://www.redcross.org/ or text “Haiti” to 90999.

So ever since I’ve been a thrifter, every January/February/March I’ve always noticed that the thrift stores are super picked over and empty. Be it the cold weather or just that lull before everyone cracks in on their spring cleaning/purging regimen, I’d like to remind everyone that mid-Winter to early-Spring is the slowest season for thrift stores. Your donations are the lifeblood of their business. With that said, please consider digging around your house and making a carpool trip to donate some of those unwanted holiday gifts, and stuff that you don’t need anymore. Who knows, you may even find something you need or have been hunting for.

If you’re just too lazy or unable to transport your goods yourself, there are places that will come and get the donations from your curbside or home at no charge. Here are just a few of the many:

Salvation Army

Lions Club International

Lupus Foundation

Easter Seals

HERE’S A GREAT LIST OF THINGS THRIFT STORES ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR:

- Clothing

- Misc. household items

- Cookware

- Unopened first aid supplies

- Educational Textbooks

- Camping supplies

* Special thanks to Alyssa at the Elk River, MN Salvation Army (one of my favorite thrift joints) for her insider help and info!

Real Quick: How To Re-purpose Old T-Shirts

Just wanted to check in and say THAT WE’RE STILL ALIVE! We’ve been pretty quiet the past couple of weeks out digging up treasures from my secret thrift spots and working on some really great upcoming posts. I came across this great post on re-purposing old t-shirts this morning and just had to share it with all you thrifters (how cute is she?!). Stay tuned!

http://www.generation-t.com/more-fun/from-our-readers-emily/

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Why I Do It by Jess Burg

AS I PROMISED TO ALL YOU JACKALS. Here is second installment from Jess Burg. She spits some truth on why she thrifts and we reveal some of her most recent footwear (AND a kitty mug!) findings. Now that the holidays are almost over we can all take a big sigh of relief. Get out there and get diggin!

I’d say I began getting serious about thrifting in 2006. It’s never been a source of income. On the contrary, I’ve been known to drop up to $50 – $75 in a day. At best there have been instances where I buy shoes for $10, where them out once in six months, then sell them to Buffalo Exchange for $18. Even then I only get a percentage. I do it for two reasons:

Relaxation. It’s a Sunday afternoon and I have money to spare. So I throw some bones at the gas pump and head out on a thrift mission. I follow a mental treasure map of different suburban regions. Typically I only follow routes that have two or more promising thrift destinations. Somehow, this has become one of my favorite things to do. My quality alone time, my escape. I’ve begun needing it on a regular basis.

The thrill of finding shit. My forte’ is retro fashion, particularly boots and sneakers. But I’ll buy almost anything that is a true representation of its fashion era. I also do some of my own altering. Boys and girls, if you thrift hard and you don’t own a sewing machine, you’re missing out. It will open up your world. I don’t even know how to do anything too technical. Mostly making shirts smaller or transforming them into tank tops, or turning a pair of high-waisted Lees into skinny jeans. Simple things that with a little trial and error anyone can figure out. Cute jeans today, as we all know – come at a high price. I’d rather not pay for the cost of the label and just do it myself. In truth, they won’t last as long and may require some unexpected tune-ups, but that is something I can live with.

- Jess Burg

- – - -

SORT OF RELATED: That’s not Jess pictured above, but it’s a pic from a great fashion-inspiring site called Hel-Looks. It’s basically some people walking around the urban streets of Helsinki, Finland snapping pics of all the various fashion going on there. Check out the site. HEL-YEA.

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Thrift Gifts – What To Give and What Not To Give.

The holidays are upon us and for some people that pesky recession is still in full effect. Whether you have the means or not, most folks are probably going to be conscious of their spending this holiday season – or until the economy completely “recovers”. With that said Jess and I have been working on a post to divulge the best thriftable holiday gifts to give. Jess sums it up best below:

So here we are at another holiday crossroads. I know for me Christmas lost its sentiment a few years ago. Reason being, time and money. The idea of dedicating my weekends driving around to different malls or shops searching for the perfect gift seems torturous. Especially since holiday shopping has turned into the latest extreme sport. The obvious answer… thrifting for holiday gifts.

MAKE A LIST, CHECK IT TWICE: Before you start you may want to make a list of the people you are shopping for to ensure no one is left out. Even Santa has a list. Plus, last minute holiday shopping is no bueno.

PLAN YOUR ROUTE, ALLOW FOR SURPRISES: If you’re like me you’ll want to get it all done in one day. Google maps is the best way to map out an attack strategy. Simply pick your general destination and search for thrift stores. Even if you have a regular set route, you may discover another store not too far out of the way.

HUNT IN THE DOWNTIMES: Obviously weekends are going to be a circus. If you are lucky enough to dedicate a weekday, don’t think twice, just do it. If you’re really feeling adventurous, make a day trip out of it and drive into the unknown countryside. Just make sure you call beforehand to assure the locations are open.

HIT EM WITH THE WARM & FUZZY: Which brings us to what to get. Thrift store holiday shopping is a bit of a challenge for one reason. You don’t want to give people junk. Put your gift ideas into perspective for the individual recipient. You don’t want to be like my uncle Dan, who notoriously dishes out useless crap at Christmas, such as “used flash lights” and “marine biology periodicals.”

These are our top thrift store holiday gift ideas:

• T-Shirts & Cardigans. I fall back on thrift store t shirts for many occasions. The more funny and random the better. Try to find shirts that are a poly-cotton blend. They are the most comfortable.

• Mexican Woven Blankets. They are vibrant and warm. Just make sure it’s in good condition, no stains.

• Needle Point package. There are some pretty rad needle point patterns out there. You can choose to either give the gift away in the package for your crafty friends, or do the work yourself and frame it. You can find some really neat vintage ones on Etsy too.

• Books. These are usually pretty easy to come by if you know the person’s literature preferences well enough. Any book you can usually find in a used book store or a Half Price Books – you can usually find it eventually in a thrift store, for half the used price.

• Mugs. The funny and ironic, the ones with states, countries or kittens on them are always a safe bet.

• Vintage Decanters. With a recent spike in interest from shows like Mad Men and Wine Library.TV I’ve started noticing that thrift stores are brimming with vintage decanters. Some of them are truly unique and beautiful. They can be used for red wine(s), and/or any hard liquor. Classy.

• Board games. This is a new favorite of mine. I love hunting for a particular board game and then eventually finding it all in tact. Some recent favorites of mine are Apples to Apples, and Rummikub. These also provide a post-meal/post-present opening fun time with your family. NOTE: Heavy drinking makes any board game that much more fun with family…

That should be quite enough to encourage you all to get out there and get thrifting for some of your gifts this year. Time is running out! We’d also like to know what you all think would make a great thrift gift. Comment or email in. Have you ever given or received a thrifted gift? MERRY THRIFTSMAS TO ALL.

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Ugly Gem Sweater Holiday Cash

BUY LOW, SELL HIGH: So in keeping with the theme of finding and selling thrifted stuff for CASH, I’ll let you guys in on a little secret. IT’S UGLY XMAS SWEATER WEEK! That’s right, for a couple years now I’ve been slowly buying amazingly awesome/hideous ugly holiday sweaters for reselling. This is the best week to list and sell those babies, you’ve got a few days left to hunt and find some of these in the thrift stores. Desperate, uncreative, drones will pay top dollar off of eBay and Craigslist to try and out-tacky their peers and co-workers at their holiday parties. The best time to pick them up is in the off months, summer and spring when the holidays are off of people’s radars and the thrift stores aren’t gouging the prices just before the holidays. Pictured above are 3 “gems” that I’m selling this year. The one with santa and reindeer (which I picked up for $2.99) already sold on eBay for $64 – can you believe that?! Someone’s going to make it rain this Christmas. Anyways, I initially felt apprehensive about even telling you lovelies this secret lil cash niche – but I love you all… well, most of you. So happy holidays and get out there and get diggin.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: The ones with “bedazzlement” and “rhinestone gem jewels” like Leslie and the LY’s rocks in most of her videos. These are the most desirable and fetch the most cash. Anyone remember this video she did with Space150 in 2005 for Gem Sweaters, pure gold. Another thing to look for is the general tackiness of the garment. The more tassles, and  bells and stuff hanging off of it, the better. Finally, a big secret is to find the more general ones (not everyone celebrates Christmas). The ones with bells, or holly, or gingerbread men on them. These ones make them more overall appealing to people of all faiths. Go buy a few packets of gems and puffy balls and some Aleene’s fabric glue from Wal-Mart’s craft section and gem them up yourself. In the stack photo above you can peek a couple more generally ugly one’s that I plan to gem up while watching TV or listening to records. Here’s a great Flickr set showcasing some brutally awesome holiday sweaters.

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