cool stuff, weird things

So I may have mentioned before that I have work for sale at a shop here in Nashville, formerly known as the Crystal Dragon it is now known as Cool Stuff, Weird Things (new website coming soon) a name which conveniently came pre-painted on the side of the building! Located in an older (and some like myself would say charming) shopping district, this shop is a great source for funky stuff, affordable finer thrift and art. (if you're an artist, stop by the shop with some work and see what shakes out) You can't miss the fiberglass Elvi (Elvises?) that flank the door as you drive down Charlotte and that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the strange and unusual you can find here. Vintage & antique furniture, home decor, art, kitschy collectibles, garden decor, vintage clothing and so much funky stuff I would wear out the keyboard on my laptop listing it all, you get the point. Just check out the pics below to see what I am talking about.


The large birdbath & the companion urns are not for sale, but it is a welcoming little vignette as you walk in.















There are several of these round, tiered tables FULL of treasures like cookie jar cottages and Godzilla!

















A vintage chalk piggy bank (although it is spelled "pigy bank" on the pig's belly) carnival prize makes me grin every time I see it. And that golden nekkid lady is sure to class up your joint should you decide to adopt her.












A wood & metal glider swing makes a comfy spot to sit back and admire Elvis #1.

Matched set of vintage lawn furniture with a beautiful spade leaf design is sure to please, but I am more intrigued by the cardboard Bluto peeking out from behind it.


Cool Stuff, Weird Things is located at:
4900 Charlotte Avenue
on the corner of 49th & Charlotte
Nashville, TN 37209
If there is no parking to be had on the street, feel free to park across the street at the park, there is always plenty of room and there's a crosswalk with a traffic light right at the corner they're on.

Hey, you should join their Facebook fan page!

OK, I didn't make this, but I wish I had!

These are from the fine ladies at The Junk Gypsy Co. who are a little bit country, a little bit rock-n-roll deep in the heart of Texas. They bring cowboy, Mexican and bohemian/gypsy aesthetics together into a shop that makes me flip my lid every time I go there.





Check out these jugs here.














and these bowls here.















Oh & while you're at it check these & these out, too. You know, just go through the whole site, it is chock full of stuff that I want, that I need, that I MUST HAVE!!! And you'll love it, too! These ladies truly uphold the meretricious lifestyle!

Oh Goodwill Outlet Store, where have you been all my life

I went to my local Goodwill Outlet Store and let
me tell you, I am in LOVE! L-O-V-E! I can't wait to get paid again and go back!
I was so moved by the experience, I wrote an "ode":

Oh Goodwill Outlet Store, how I love thee, let me count the ways:
1 is for random plastic heads
2 is for antique lookin', mirror-covered jewelry boxes
3 is for bizarre ceramic African sculpture
4 is for the massive amounts of roller blades that
I didn't buy but made me giggle when I imagined Lady Fury (of the Nashville Roller Girls) calling them "Fruit Boots"
5 is for the various and sundry bizarre metal objects that I DID buy
6 is for the plastic (decent) recorder I found right after telling someone I could play one
7 is for the Muppet Movie & Great Muppet Caper soundtracks I bought
8 is for the dozen, groovy, nautical themed apertif glasses
9 is for the surly cashier in the wheelchair that couldn't bring me down with his bad attitude
10 is for the Bald Man's Grooming Kit novelty in its original box
11 is for all the awesome stuff I had to throw back
12 is for JUNK BY THE POUND!!!


w00t!
Man I had to walk away after going through only 6 of the dozen or so miscellaneous item bins (not to mention not even getting to clothes & linens). That place could become a habit, a bad habit. If I were more of a clothes horse it could get even worse!! Buying junk by the pound is a glorious and highly addictive activity. The people-watching is good there, too. It's funny to me the things that people are there after (and will knock you down to get!). There were half a dozen mothers with children in tow (kids clothes, blankets and decent toys), a fellow in a medical mask (because of the dust? swine flu? SARS?!?!) who obviously had his own thrift shop (or something similar) somewhere and was a regular (sports equipment, radios, clocks), the lady who obviously had a semi-fancy antique & gift shop (fancy wicker, wrought iron, wine glasses, candle sticks) and so many more characters elbow deep in the discards of others' lives. I love to watch what other people buy, it's almost as fun as shopping for myself...
I also discovered that "hey, hey, HEY!!" is the same in every language. There was a very zealous Latina woman next to me how didn't so much rummage as THROW things from one bin to another trying to race to the bottom, I guess. (if I had known we were racing I would have made a better showing) After I got hit with a rain of plastic toys and kitchen sundries, my cries of displeasure were heard and she moved to a bin further away to toss stuff about.
A "heads up" to any potential cart poachers out there, please be ready with a better excuse than "I didn't know this was your stuff" when I catch you taking things out of my cart. If you are going to flagrantly swipe stuff that other people have already dredged up for themselves, show a little initiative. (I guess if initiative was your style, you would have dug this stuff up yourself) Yeah I know how it could be confusing, the bins being huge, blue, plastic things longer than a person & 3 feet deep and my cart being this small, grey, mesh thing on wheels, they do look alike. I can also see how my standing right next to it with MY HAND ON THE CART might lead you to believe everything inside is fair game, but it's totally not. Why is it strangers think I'm a push-over? Is it the glasses? The chub? The lack of desire to make eye contact? Because believe me I am not shy and I will let you know, in no uncertain terms, when you are taking my stuff/skipping me in line/being rude in any number of ridiculous ways.
A word of warning to those who would swim with the sharks at the Goodwill Outlet, heavy gloves are recommended, glass items are randomly mixed in (I think mostly through people picking them from another glass only bin and deciding later they don't want them) and due to people like the Latina Loot Lobber stuff gets shifted, crushed, tossed and broken, so don't cut yourself! Nothing ruins a good day of thrifting like a trip to the emergency room & stitches!

My local Goodwill Outlet:
Goodwill Outlet Store
780 Berry Road
Nashville TN 37204

find yours at:
Goodwill Store Locator