Store Profile: Assyrian and Society of
America Thrift Store

Nothing like a little junk store popping up on the corner just a few blocks away from your house.  The Assyrian and Society of America Thrift Store is one of those tiny corner thrift stores with an ambiguous name, no hours posted, and a totally random assortment of plastic Burger King cups and promotional zip-up fleeces that you just know, know one day will part to yield a set of Herman Miller shell chairs in perfect condition priced at $5 each.

But right now it’s pretty much a bunch of junk.

But totally worth checking out.

Corner of Kedzie and Sunnyside in Albany Park.

Store Profile: Motz, Berlin

At least I’m assuming that’s what it was called.  If you think thrift store names are ambiguous in the States (I mean those indie thrift shops, run by one or two people), try identifying the names of thrift stores in another language.  So for all intents and purposes: MOTZ.

Motz is just such a thrift store.  It’s run by two guys who get really excited by recycled junk and like to joke with customers.  The first thing I noticed about this thrift store: it’s organized pretty much like an American thrift store and, if I didn’t know where I was and the prices weren’t in Euros (and the signs weren’t in German) I might have mistaken it for one.

Of course there were a few differences.

There was a lot of porcelain — a lot.  Complete sets of china.  Modern and antique-ish patterns.  And beer steins.  Lots of beer steins.

And here’s something you rarely see in the States:

Oh — and racy art!  Hitler would be so angry!

Had I not had to fly home on a plane I would have bought that “blue” painting.  Only 6 Euro!

Overall prices were very reasonable.

This shop was definitely worth a look — one of few, I’m told, thrift stores that carry stuff other than clothing.  And it’s not too far from Checkpoint Charlie.  And as an added bonus: it’s right next to a dollar store!

So skip all the tourist trap souvenir shops along the same road and save your Euro for authentic souvenirs discarded by real Berliners.  Here are my purchases:

Small West German pottery vase — now right at home next to my other West German vase!

And these dudes:

Store Profile: ShopGoodwill.com

I got an email from a reader this past weekend asking me if I’d ever used ShopGoodwill.com.

I had to sheepishly admit that, no — I had not.

Laura, the reader, pointed to the listing for this desk, which is available for local pickup in Ohio only.  What a steal!  So I was tempted to dig around on ShopGoodwill and find out what other items might be ripe for the online thrift store picking.

My favorite was this pair of Danish Modern-style tables in Indianapolis (again: local pick up… uh, Baz?)

But don’t worry: they ship, too.  So there’s plenty of stuff available to you even if it’s not in your particular driving radius.  Like this horse head clock (is that cool or not — I can’t tell!), a Rainbow Brite lunch box, or this Dazor desk lamp.

Most of the bidding on ShopGoodwill.com starts at a pretty reasonable price: $5 or $10.  The shipping, however, is what’ll get you — or at least keep you from simply buying stuff on ShopGoodwill for the purpose of reselling it later on Etsy (ahem: who, me?).  Still, it’s  fabulous resource for home decor on the cheap.

Check it out.  And thanks to reader Laura for the heads up.

Store Profile: Griffins and Gargoyles

Griffins and Gargoyles doesn’t look like an antique store in the middle of an urban area.  I walked by this antique mecca at 2140 W. Lawrence Avenue hundreds of times wondering what the building, which is set back from the street behind a cobblestone driveway, even was.

I finally ventured in with Jem one afternoon and the following day, serendipitously, owner Kelly Donovan invited me to come in for a shop tour.  So we returned a few weeks later for an official run through the place with Kelly, who, by the way, will be exhibiting at The Vintage Bazaar this February.

What was the evolution of Griffins & Gargoyles?  When and were did you start?

We began in the 1970s. Collectors gone mad.  This business was started by my parents.  They were resotring an old house in Uptown, looking for moldings, fixtures, etc., because the house was gutted — “modernized.”

They were trying to restore  the bones on the home while buying furniture.  Mom and Dad were born and raised in New York and always on cue with design.  We had a real fifties deocr back in the day.  Wish I had all those pieces now!

What made you want to do this for a living?

Right place-right time.I was at the right age when my parents began their business, grew to love it and have been here all these years.

What would you say has been the biggest challenge to you as a business owner?

Money.

What has been the biggest reward?

Freedom.

How many people work for G&G?

This is a small family business – big Irish family.

Where do you get most of your merchandise — and has that changed over the years?

We started with oak, mahogany 1920s furniture, but we have changed.  We still buy pieces with good looks. If a model was good back in the day it still holds its look todday.

If someone were looking to go in to a business like this what advice would you give them?

Have fun, buy good things, pack well — your bags — because it’s a traveling business.

Griffins & Gargoyles

2140 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 769-1255