You should know by now if you follow me on Instagram, read the blog or are a member of my Facebook Group that I love to find interesting and unique items at Thrift stores and Antique stores. Whenever I have extra time on my hands, I love to hunt for these unique items.

You should also know that I have two teens, Mallory age 15 and Gavin age 17. Truth be told, they love to go antiquing as well. This summer, we’ve been doing this once a week. You all…they ask me to go, not the other way around. One kid likes war memorabilia, historical artifacts and coins. He’s quite the collector, especially for a 17 yr old! My other kid likes unique vintage items for her bedroom, clothing and accessories. And I, of course, look for high end collectibles, china, lamps, some furniture, wall art and anything else home décor related.

We choose where we’re going and hit 4 or 5 of them for a few hours. We walk in the door sometimes recognized, and go our separate ways. You can hear us calling each other throughout the stores when we find something really amazing! Trust me when I say I know how blessed I am to be doing this with my teens. No, they don’t always like to be around me but this is so fun and I’m so grateful they enjoy doing it. I do sort of feel like we all get a mini history lesson every time we go. Sometimes we talk to booth owners about the items. We always love hearing a good story to go with an item!

We live in Northern Colorado. I wouldn’t say it’s anything like antiquing in the southern US, but we find the good places and stick with those. Here in Colorado, the antiques aren’t the same style or age as you may find elsewhere in older parts of the country but we do find some unique items. I’ve been doing this long enough, that I thought I would share some secrets if you’re a beginner.

10 Tips For Antiquing, Thrifting, FB Marketplace and Secondhand Stores

1. Antique stores are not always cheap! These places are all very different from one another. Do not expect to find dirt cheap items at antique stores. Sometimes, you get a good deal, but mostly you are going to find something unique with some history. Insider tip, if the owner of the booth is there, you can often times work out a deal.

2. The real deals for furniture are on Facebook Marketplace. Why? Because it’s super easy to list the item and someone else is picking it up. Usually people really want to get rid of these items. Always offer a little lower than the list price. If you need a reason to be on Facebook, this is it. You are missing out on a gold mine of items if you’re not utilizing this amazing tool!

3. For cheap frames, lamps, décor and books go to Goodwill or any other thrift stores. People literally gave the items away for one reason or another. Sometimes they don’t even know what they’re getting rid of. You can really find some diamonds in the rough here. Beware though, don’t buy something just because it’s cheap. This is easy to do. Be very picky about what you buy here.

4. Do your research before you buy. Lots of times I’ll take a photo of something and use the google lens app to search by photo and try to find a value on an item. I can also see if it’s rare or very common. Also note that just because something is in an antique store, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s old. It’s ok to buy new, just know what you’re buying. Don’t be fooled. Be a smart shopper.

5. I can’t see that a certain time or day of the week is better than another. We like to go in the middle of the week around 10 or 11 am. We just do this to avoid crowds because it’s difficult to really look when there are too many people.

6. Take your time at antique stores. Often there are lots and lots of items and you have to really take your time. Sometimes there are little gems hidden in between things or behind things.

7. Always ask for measurements and materials if you’re buying on Marketplace. Sometimes things look bigger and better in a photo than IRL.

8. Search Marketplace often and use the search engine for very specific items. Want to know some of my keywords? Join my Facebook Group for tips and tricks!

9. Save favorite items on Marketplace even if you don’t plan to buy. This is how the algorithm is set up and FB will show more items related to your saves.

10. Most importantly…DO NOT HOARD! You guys, a few weeks ago my husband called me a hoarder. He was exaggerating, but it still makes me stop and think, “Do I love this?”, “Will this be perfect for a client’s space?”, “Is this worth the price?”, “Do I have a space for this?”. Often I get really excited about something I find and I have to talk myself down. My rule is to get rid of something I don’t love in order to make room for something I do love.