Review: Value Village in Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island

As I mentioned in my last post, Mr. SixBalloons and I were out of town over last weekend for a wedding. Luckily, we squeezed in a bunch of thrifting - since we hit up ten stores, I think I'll have to break it up into two posts!

First up is the Value Village store, which was huge. It seemed like the racks went on forever, and best of all, the staff were constantly buzzing around the aisles, restocking!

I mostly bypassed the clothing and shoes due to time constraints, and focussed on housewares. There I found several pieces of Pyrex, including an Opal Divided Dish, Shenedoah Casserole with lid, and dishwashered Terra casserole.

The Opal and Shendoah pieces were in great shape, but I just don't think they were priced very well at $7.99!

There were also Pyrex carafes galore!

All shapes, sizes and patterns. But nothing that really tickled my fancy.

I did a double take when I saw this large set of Pyrex restaurant ware in the red and gold trim. They were in beautiful condition but the pricing was along the lines of $2.99 for a teacup, so I didn't think about it too long.

I was quite excited when I saw a pair of these Chaleur Starbucks mugs. I had read on the Recycle-ista's blog that these were collectible items, however, these were badly crazed on the bottom and yet still priced at $3.99 each. Grrr.

If you're sensing a theme here, I have a few more misses to show you. I spotted this yellow beauty which is just like my mint green Melitta. I noticed right away that the lid knob was chipped but even worse, it was very badly crazed on the bottom.

We made out alright at this Value Village as we purchased a bunch of Archie Comic Books for 80¢ a piece and picked up another book Mr. SixBalloons has been wanting to read. However, it was a bit disappointing that the other items didn't live up to their potential.

Here are the details on the store, in case you are ever on the Island:

Value Village
1810 Store Street at Fisgard
Victoria, BC  V8T 4R4
(250) 380-9422

More to follow later in the week, when I wrap up my Victoria thrift shops review and share the goodies I was able to buy!

Linking up to Flea Market Finds and Thrift Share Monday!

Sandra Boynton Cards and Mugs

I have read on some thrift reselling blogs about Sandra Boynton's whimsical cartoon drawings on products like greeting cards and mugs from the 80's. Over the last few months, I came upon a few items here and there.

At one particular thrift store that I go to, I have found unmarked, brand new Sandra Boynton greeting cards twice! Believe it or not, some vintage Boynton cards sell on ebay for $70.

Unfortunately, I have no idea why some sell for big bucks and some have less appeal. These Christmas cards I found recently show these little guys under a Santa Hat on the cover...

...and when you flip the card open, it reads "And Happy New Year from all of us!" under a party hat.

Then at my local MCC Thrift Store, I spotted this novelty Boynton travel mug labelled "Untippable Mug for: Car, Truck, Boat, Klutz".

I paid $2 for this and it is in perfect condition, along with its padded bottom. Again, not sure why, but some Boynton mugs are selling on ebay for $30. This one seems to go for about half that.

If anyone has any more information on why Sandra Boynton products are collectible, please share as I would love to know!

Linking up to Colorado Lady's Vintage Thingie Thursday!