There is an interesting phrase floating around right now:ย the "Golden Age of Thrifting."
And the more I think about it, the more I believe there may be something to it.
As older generations are downsizing, moving into smaller homes, or passing their belongings along, an enormous amount of household inventory is finding its way into estate sales, auctions, thrift stores, antique malls and resale shops.
We're talking about things that have been sitting in homes for decades, inherited from mom or grandma, and no one dared get rid of it! But much of the younger generation doesn't want it, or at least not ALL of it!
These are things like
Solid wood furniture. Glassware. China. Sterling silver. Original artwork. Linens. Lamps. Pottery. Barware. Holiday decorations. Jewelry.
The things people bought for their homes, and then actually kept.
For those of us who love vintage, that makes this a pretty exciting time to go treasure hunting.
Old Doesn't Automatically Mean Valuable
Here's the catch.
Just because something is old doesn't mean someone wants it.
And just because something was expensive when it was purchased doesn't mean it is valuable today.
That's always been one of the fascinating things about the vintage market.
Styles change. Homes change. Generations change.
The giant china cabinet that was once the centerpiece of a dining room is very difficult to give away today.
But the colorful glasses that were stored inside that cabinet?
Someone is excited to find those.
That's what makes treasure hunting so much fun.
We're Buying Our Memories
I've been buying and selling vintage for a long time, and one of the patterns I've watched over the years is how nostalgia moves through the market.
People reach a point in life where they have a little disposable income and suddenly start wanting the things they remember.
It isn't always about recreating our own childhood.
Sometimes we're recreating Grandma's house.
The dishes she used at Thanksgiving.
The candy dish that sat on the coffee table.
The Pyrex in her kitchen.
The funny mushroom canisters.
The colorful glassware.
The ceramic Christmas tree.
The lamp you weren't supposed to touch.
Things that may have seemed terribly old-fashioned when we were kids suddenly feel warm and familiar.
And sometimes we want them back.
Yesterday's "Outdated" Can Become Tomorrow's Hot Vintage
That's why I'm always cautious when someone tells me a category of vintage is "dead."
I've watched too many things come back. Years ago Ohio Pottery was HOT! Now? Not much value. But Fairy lamps, colored glassware, butter pats (weird)? Those are hot, and are 'back'. They were hot in the early 2000's too.ย
Styles disappear for years, and then suddenly a new generation discovers them.
Mid-century modern had its resurgence. The 1970s came roaring back. We're now seeing plenty of interest in pieces from the 1980s and 1990s that many of us don't even want to admit that these items qualify as vintage yet. ๐
And that's part of what could make the next several years particularly interesting.
We're seeing decades' worth of household goods moving from their original homes into the secondary market at the same time younger buyers are discovering older styles for the first time, but in smaller quantity, and mixed with modern
That's a pretty wonderful combination if you love the hunt.
The Treasure Hunt Has Changed
Of course, the way we hunt has changed too.
Thirty years ago, treasure hunting meant getting in the car and driving from thrift store to thrift store, estate sale to estate sale.
We still do that.
But now the treasure hunt also happens online.
You can find vintage at an estate auction from your couch. You can browse an antique seller's website at midnight. You can watch someone sell pieces live online. You can find something you've been hunting for years from a seller hundreds of miles away, or just down the street.
The marketplace is enormous now.
And that means something that isn't particularly desirable in one town can find the person who has been desperately searching for it somewhere else.
That's one of my favorite things about selling vintage online.
The right piece just needs to find the right person.
Maybe This Really Is a Golden Age
I don't know that every thrift store is suddenly going to be overflowing with priceless treasures.
Probably not. ๐
But I do think we're entering an interesting period for people who love old things.
More collections are changing hands.
More forgotten pieces are being rediscovered.
New generations are deciding what deserves another turn.
And things that could have ended up forgotten, or in a landfill, are finding homes with people who genuinely love them.
That's really what BackRoadPicking has always been about for me.
Finding something someone no longer wants and helping it find the person who does.
So maybe this really is a Golden Age of Thrifting.
Either way, I'll keep looking.
Because you never know what's waiting around the next corner.
See you on the Backroad.