To some extent, Thriftstorm misrepresents thrift stores. In my first eight months of writing essays here, the oldest thing I reviewed was from the 1910s, and the newest was from the 1990s. But I used to work at a thrift store, sorting incoming donations, and about half that stuff was from the last five years. Continue reading Thriftstorm #16 – We’re Looking Into the Future, Chuck

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. Artifact: Mulligan Stew comic book, no issue number. Description: Color, printed on impressively cheap paper. Water damaged. … Continue reading Thriftstorm #15 – You Will Have Good Nutrition if It Kills You

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. Artifact: My American Cousin VHS tape Description: 94 minutes, color, monophonic sound. Packaged in a plastic shell case … Continue reading Thriftstorm #14: My American Cousin Goes There

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. In early October, I took a 10-day trip around the Maritimes, an immersive experience that left … Continue reading Thriftstorm #13 – Thrift Stores of Nova Scotia

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. Artifact: Bob Dole: An American Hero VHS tape Description: 13 minutes long, mostly in color Source: Thrift store … Continue reading Thriftstorm #12 – Bob Dole ’96 Election Day Spectacular

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. Artifact: Practical Up-To-Date Plumbing, by George B. Clow Description: Hardcover book with linen binding. “OVER 180 ILLUSTRATIONS.” … Continue reading Thriftstorm #11: Yesterday’s Plumbing Today

I had trouble writing this one. That happens sometimes. I’ll sit down with a subject and try to unpack it. Sometimes there’s more than I expected. Sometimes it’s not what I expected at all. In this case, I ran into … Continue reading Thriftstorm #10: The Long Estate Sale

Artifact: Hawksbill Station, by Robert Silverberg, 1968. Description: Hardcover book with stamps saying it belonged to a college library, and another stamp that says it is no longer the property of said library. It still has the plastic cover protector … Continue reading Thriftstorm #9: Trapped in Time, Low on Morale

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. Artifact: Assorted old photographs. Description: Black and white photographic prints of unclear age. Source: Junk store. I … Continue reading Thriftstorm #8: An Adopted Family

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. Artifact: Organized Obsessions: 1,001 Offbeat Associations, Fan Clubs and Microsocieties You Can Join, by Deborah M. … Continue reading Thriftstorm #7: People You Could Get To Know

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. Artifact: The Armour Oval, Vol. XV, No. 5, dated October 1933. Description: Sub-tabloid-size 12-page newspaper, printed … Continue reading Thriftstorm #6: News and Views of Armour Crews

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. Artifact: Desktop globe. Description: Per the text panel in the North Pacific, this is Cram’s Earth … Continue reading Thriftstorm #5: And Crawling on the Planet’s Face, Some Insects Called the Human Race

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. Artifact: Lucky! by the Whammadiddle Dingbats, 1989. Description: Audio cassette, with various markings on its case … Continue reading Thriftstorm #4: Now That Middle Age Has Got You by the Hand

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. Artifact: Brochure for the 1994 Dodge Caravan. Description: Glossy, magazine-style printing on pages too big to … Continue reading Thriftstorm #3: Top Speed 100 mph

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. Artifact: Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1971), 1990 home video release. Description: High fidelity VHS tape (with … Continue reading Thriftstorm #2: Cheat To Win at Easter

Thriftstorm is Captain Video’s secondhand anthropology project. Follow @Thriftstorm on Twitter for the latest news on things people were just going to throw away. Artifact: The Square Dancing Encyclopedia, by Bill Burleson. Revised June 1977. Description: Softcover book made of … Continue reading Thriftstorm #1: The Land of 2,542 Dances