Gotta Tell you about.......

  I just have to tell you about my very favorite ah, what shall I call it?  Thrift outlet?  That picking place?  The cheap, cheap, cheap place to shop?  Actually, it is a Goodwill Store.  But not just any Goodwill store.  This one does not have shelves filled with china and crystal; no racks and racks of cool clothes; no stacks of books....well, maybe the book thing.  But nothing neat or highly organized.
  First, I'm telling you about shopping on the cheap in Phoenix, AZ.  At a Goodwill not highly advertised, more a word of mouth place.  And NOT a place you want to take your mother-in-law or friend who looks down on thrift store shopping.   Instead, what you find is a warehouse like room filled with rows and rows of bins.  That's right; large 4' by 8' by 2' bins filled to over flowing with "stuff".   And by stuff I mean books, clothing, shoes, electrical gadgets, and STUFF. 
  Little or no furniture; not much in the way of pots 'n pans or complete sets of china.  But beyond that, finding about anything is possible in that large room. 
  Working air conditioners; most of a set of encyclopedias, clothes, christmas ornaments, cowboy boots, kitchen utensils, board games, vases, clothes, back issue magazines, tools, clothes,,,,,are you getting the idea?  Bins filled with stuff.  AND, to make it a bit better, they sell the stuff by the pound!  The more you buy, the cheaper it is.
  I like to call 'my' store EOTR or End Of The Road (store), because it the very last place stuff goes before it goes to the dump or the recyclers.  The VERY last-get it now- store.  I have seen folks grabbing out of well picked over bins, walking along beside the bins as they disappear into the back room.  Now or never.
 Yesterday, as an example, I picked up a Bible.  Not much to crow about there and Bibles not being a hot salable item.  But this is special.  It is a leather bound Navajo Bible, entirely translated into Navajo, well tabbed and well careful for.  Which is another ah, plus, as by the time 'stuff' gets to EOTR, the condition of said item is not always wonderful. 
  On another day I found Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking, fifty cents, (as it was hardbound, not paperback), and again in great condition.  That sold for $20 within a week. 
  I've found vintage (and complete) board games; I've picked up just the board (from the game) by the handfuls to resell as wall decor.  I buy a lot of needlework related books and magazines; even find needlework kits and patterns.  And yarn.  Chenille, acrylic, silk ribbon....
  Better stop now....I hear my 'stuff' calling.  Now that it's at hand, it needs a good home.  Not mine; this is just a stop over to someone who will dearly love what I have so carefully rescued from the end of the road. 
  Anyone looking to shop at this particular Goodwill can find it by looking on the Goodwill website or by driving to 51st Ave just north of Van Buren in  the southwest corner of Phoenix.  I caution women that not taking a purse is a great idea.  You will need both hands free to 'pick'.   Use a fanny pack or stick money and an ATM card in your pocket.    A bottle of water in Arizona is a given. 
  When you enter, grab a shopping cart, (as you will see all others do), find a place to park that cart, rather then haul it with you.  This store can get very crowded at times.  They store personnel "rotate" the bins about every two to three hours, which means, an entire row of picked over bins goes out one door, while another row comes in.  Good luck hunting....this place can become addictive