A Saturday at Savers

I can tell you that if there's one thing I miss about Columbus, it's the thrifting. While Chicago has so many resale, thrift, consignment, and vintage stores to boot, I find that it's the lack of having a car that discourages me from venturing out. That's why when I got the invitation to attend the Savers grand opening in Orland Park, I jumped on it!


I had never been to a Savers before. Since I follow the 'thrift' tag on Tumblr, I do see the name thrown around here and there. Again, not having a car has prevented me from checking them out. My overall impression was that the stores are similar to Ohio Thrift in reference to size and organization. I like their price tag system better than that of other thrift stores (they're actually print tags with barcodes, sizes, etc, that are tagged to merchandise rather than stapled — a HUGE pet peeve of mine!). With these things comes a catch, though. Some of the merchandise is noticably higher-priced than some other stores. I wouldn't say it was a bad thing, though, since the store was extremely clean, well-lit, open, and organized by size, it was an enjoyable experience.

Oh and the staff? Easily the friendliest thrift staff I've ever encountered.


I couldn't help but giggle at the fact that we were picked up in a party bus. I mean, it had a stripper pole in it. I do love that Savers offered the transportation to Orland Park because it gave me a good chance to get to know the other bloggers, some I was familiar with and others were new to me. We also got to have talks with Eric Himel, a celebrity fashion stylist. He was kind enough to give us some of his thrift and styling tips and answer our questions about his profession. Very cool!

Photo courtesy @sazzou's Intagram

Photo courtesy of @sazzou's Intagram

After stopping for some wine and cheese and a gift bag (complete with heart sunnies, a red Swatch, an adorable emergency kit, and MAC matte red lipstick!), we were off! We had about an hour or so to shop around and I came home with so many goodies.

My favorites?



This trench is easily at the top of my list. It was my splurge item at $30. Originally it had a cloth black belt, but I replaced it with this leather skinny belt with gold hardware that has been living in my closet quite some time. I'm considering putting some cone studs on the shoulders to give it a bit of an edgier look.


I love this skirt from J. Crew. Okay, it isn't vintage, but it was three or four dollars and has a great pattern. I love that it plays on the fine line of animal print but still keeps it monochromatic. I'm rally into skirts for the fall and this will be fun to play with some pattern mixing!


This cropped Pendleton blazer. Now, I know that it's absolutely hideous. I love it. I try to nab up Pendleton pieces when I can. They are normally made with great fabrics and this one appears to have never been worn. It has shoulder pads under the lining, but I'm going to do some surgery and make it a bit more modern. I can definitely say that my Clueless style post came to mind when I picked this out!


And finally, this is probably he best graphic tee I've ever thrifted. Sarah from Zzouzi Vintage & Handmade found it and gave it to me, so I owe her a big ol' THANK YOU! It's the first yellow piece in my closet and I think it'll be really fun to play with.

I know that Leilani over at Thrifaholic will be sharing more images soon — there were lots of cute ones snapped while we were out shopping. I also have a fun giveaway coming up, so keep your peepers on Mini Penny!

A bit thanks to Bridget, Eric Himel and the Savers team for such a fun Saturday! This has been one of my favorite events to be a part of. Mini Penny started as a thrifting blog and it felt so good to dedicate a day back to it! And if you get the chance, please check out the other bloggers involved — Jag Lever, Zzouzi Vintage & Handmade, Thriftaholic, Halfstack, The Girls of Lincoln Park, A-Line Style Services and Examiner.