Antiquing and Thrifting home decor best thrift stores in Washington DC for decorating on a budget

Hey guys, welcome back! Welcome back to me. Welcome back to you. I'm excited for this video. If you're new around the channel, I like to share interior design stuff and other nonsense. Today we're gonna do a little bit of antique shopping. Specifically, I want to be getting some artwork and decor for my bedroom. You will notice we are in the bedroom. Is there a bedroom makeover in the works? I'll never say. I'm always moving artwork around in the house. I love experimenting with it. The best arrangements and like little vignettes you're gonna surprise yourself with by just experimenting with moving pieces around. Sometimes I will literally try an arrangement that I'm like, I'm 99% certain this looks bad. And often it does. And then sometimes it looks amazing. So, you know, I like to try to surprise myself. What a thrill. What a life I live. I'm looking for a variety of sizes of artworks. I would like to go and get some chapstick. First of all, as soon as I start talking, I can feel the extreme dryness of my mouth. Now I can live. I'll show you the main areas that I need them. Scan of the bedroom. Why can I not move a camera while I move? Wow. I've shown you nothing so far. Just a tiny bedroom. Four porches for bed. Mirror's probably gonna stay in the corner. Gotta paint these walls. Dresser. Something probably needs to go up there. Maybe a mirror. I would be open to a mirror or artwork. I don't know if I'm going to put anything right here yet. I just have like a lamp in my chair there. I'm thinking I want to do like a grid of art prints over the fireplace. And then over here, this is when you enter the room, the first thing you see. Don't focus on me. Focus on the wall. No, focus on the wall, please. Is Senor, who's my best friend. He scares a lot of people, but he takes care of me. I will probably need a large, some kind of large piece to go over the bed, I'm guessing. So there's going to be some experimentation. In general, I like to have a large mat, a good area of mat or just like negative space around the actual artwork. This one has a good mat as well. It gives the eye a break. It depends on the artwork, but in general, that's a very classic look to me to have a good sized mat. But then of course there are exceptions like this guy who doesn't have a mat at all. Everyone tells me, everybody tells me he's hung too high. First of all, let me say a few things. You don't know what I'm doing. Girl, you don't know what I'm doing. Maybe I want to put another artwork right below there. That won't be too high. That's going to be the perfect height. Maybe I want to use the entire height of the wall. That's not too high. That's the perfect height. Maybe it would look dumb as heck to have it the same height as the mirror. Maybe I thought about it. Huh? Maybe I did. Also, do you know how I know that this is the right height? Because it's my house. Because my house and I live here. That's why it's right height. I also do need to get probably one piece for the bedroom I made over in my mom's home and my dad's home. They both live there. And if you haven't watched that bedroom makeover, that's I think probably my favorite makeover that's on this channel. It's part one and there is a part two coming out, but because of COVID, like we are still waiting on furniture deliveries, but it is coming. I haven't forgot about it. So this is basically exactly what I need to go in my mom's bedroom above the bed. And it's a really small piece to put above the bed, but I want a small piece there because the bed is flanked by two giant mirrors. So I don't want it cluttered up there and the mirrors themselves kind of act as a frame for the center of the bed. So I just want like a little doodah on top. It's going to look, it's going to look adorable. Putting a small piece of artwork there is going to be a good use of negative space. It's going to make that negative space really like energetic. It'll make sense. It'll make sense. I promise. What else do I want to tell you about? Oh, I also have an artwork. Where is it? My friend is an amazing... Come out. My friend is an amazing artist, but she also just like wrote this poem about a breakup she went through and I thought it was so lovely. I asked her if she would give me a copy and she like hand wrote it on here. She's an amazing artist. I'll probably link her information if she'll let me. My friend, Sarah is so multi-talented, crazy talented. She's an amazing artist, but she was also my comedy partner for many years in New York and she's also the software engineer who got me into tech. She's one of my dearest friends. There's nothing better than having art in your home that's made by people you love. So I need a little square doodle guy for that. Yeah. Okay. Should we freaking kick it? Let's go. Before we hit it, you guys, this video is made possible by Green Chef. Green Chef is a CCOF certified organic meal kit company with options for every lifestyle, keto, paleo, vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, fast and fit, and Mediterranean. A meal kit is really the only way I will cook because Green Chef eliminates all the busyness and extra work of finding recipes, grocery shopping, measuring ingredients. I ain't got the time and I certainly don't have the attention span. So Green Chef lets me cut right to the good stuff, which is actually making a nutritious home cooked meal. You know, they save you time by taking care of the meal planning, grocery shopping, and most of the prep week after week. So I ain't got to. Green Chef is the most sustainable meal kit offsetting a hundred percent of the plastic in every box and a hundred percent of their carbon footprint and emissions. I also love Green Chef because it has so many lighter and healthier options than a lot of other meal kits. For example, like half of my family eats gluten-free. So that's something that I really appreciate having the option for. Use my code CAROLINE130 to get $130 off plus free shipping on your first box. Go to greenchef.com for more details. Thanks to Green Chef. Okay, going to, this is the deal. I have on the docket three thrift thrift stores. Goodwill, Value City, and Second Avenue Thrift, which I guess is a chain, and then four antique stores. A bunch of them were recommended to me by viewers who messaged me about it or commented. So I really haven't had a lot of time to explore in the D.C. area thrift and antiquing. Like some of the big hitters in the D.C. area proper are Goodwood, Miss Pixies, 1830 Vintage. But those ones, they're fun and they're great, but dude are they overpriced. I can't buy all my art from there. Alexandria is right over in Virginia and they are like known for a lot of their antique stores and stuff. So I'm really excited to go over there. First we're going to go to our thrift stores. That's enough talking. I'm exhausted by the sound of my own voice. Oh, you know what I'm supposed to be saying all the time and I never say? Subscribe, like, and subscribe, and hit the bell thing. These are the things I'm supposed to be saying and I forget to say them. That's what I'm supposed to say I guess. YouTube is weird. I don't like making demands of people. You know, subscribe if you want to and if you don't, I empower you not to. Yeah, I don't like telling people what to do, you know. If you want to subscribe, I support it. And if you don't, then, well, only you can know what's best for you and I support that as well. So, but if you want to subscribe, ultimately that does support me. Here we are. What an impasse. Can y'all move through the intersection, please? Like, subscribe, and hit the bell. Or, you know what? Live your life to the fullest and care for the ones you love and the rest really doesn't matter that much, I guess. But, you know, if you have time, like and subscribe. Okay, we're here. I just tried to turn into a sidewalk. I tried to pull into a sidewalk. I don't know why. It was obviously a sidewalk. Sometimes my brain, like I've seen roads before. I know how to tell a road from a sidewalk. Oh, well. The Goodwill did not have a huge home goods section, but it had some good dishes and glassware, which I always love. I love browsing books at thrift stores. They only had a tiny collection of frames and artwork and one was almost large enough for a print I ordered online, but not quite. Do you work here? Huh? I don't work here, no. Sorry. Okay, so I didn't find any frames, which is really what I needed, but I found some glassware for flowers. Surprise. I love, like, the straight lines. I like that it doesn't, like, taper or it's not rounded or anything. I'm into, like, really simple shapes right now. What a stupid sentence, but I'm into just, like, very simple simplicity. I don't know if I can use this as a vase, but I kind of want to on my coffee table. I need a much lower vase because otherwise it, like, blocks the TV and stuff and I'm thinking of doing, like, I could do, like, a low floof of flowers here, so I think that's cool. They had cute purses and stuff. It's, like, my go-to clutch is from, I think, Goodwill. They really didn't have very many frames or anything. I found one. I need a 24 by 30 inch frame for a print I ordered online and this this frame was so close. It was 24 by 31, so really close. I almost got it. I just feel like there's a chance I won't find a frame that actual size, but that doesn't mean I need to buy a frame that's the wrong size. So, I'm walking into Second Avenue Thrift Superstore, which appears, based on my Google searches, to be, like, a chain in D.C. I haven't been. I don't like any kind of superstore, I'll tell you that. This place was huge and it was mostly clothing, but it had a bigger home goods section. I thought these would make really neat statement vases. They did have a larger selection of frames, plus whatever this dude is. I didn't get anything. They had a lot of frames, not any of the right size, and then the ones that were almost the right size were, like, too heavy of a frame. A thicker frame. It's gonna look dated. It's kind of a 90s look, which is not inherently good or bad, but it's not the look that I'm going for. So, I want a really, like, thin, simple frame. Ideally, a pretty thin frame. That's what's gonna make it look more light and, like, fresh. So, 0 for 2 frame-wise. I mean, this is the thing with thrifting. It's, like, it takes time and patience and emotional stability. This is what money buys you. If you're willing to buy something new and pay the money or pay someone else to do it, that's what money buys you. It buys you the time and the energy that you're saving. Can I get over, please? But the thing that money can't buy you is adventure. You know, a frame I can get anywhere. Apparently not at a Goodwill, but pretty much anywhere. That's a Burger King. That's not a thrift store. Where the heck am I? Why did it say clothes and shoes at the Burger King? I'm gonna say that's false advertising. A frame I can get anywhere, but a journey? Journey is priceless. Please don't hit me. Thank you. That's bright. Again, mostly clothes at this place, but a huge section for frames and artwork. That's what I'm talking about. Okay. Highly recommend for frames. There are also several pieces that I like just for the artwork themselves. A couple of modern pieces. Sometimes I like to get pieces that are just a weird shape to use in an interesting way in a gallery wall. I did find some cool and kind of evil-seeming glassware as well. Pretty good this guy. Nice mirror selection. Some large mirrors. Yeah, I'd go back. That was some success. I got a couple things. Kind of like as backups. Okay, so first of all, for the poem that my friend wrote, it's a square. And it's really, it's so much harder to find a square frame. And the dimensions of this are perfect for the poem. I don't love this like plasticky wood look, but I really want to be able to frame her lovely piece of art. Worst case scenario, I have a frame for it, even if it's not perfect. Then we got this guy, who I love everything about it. I will hang this exactly as is. Just like a sweet little watercolor. I love that really light little frame. Like that's beautiful. I'm probably gonna put that in my bedroom. And then I got a giant frame, which is not legit. Like I'm not for the artwork, but for the frame for the art print that I ordered online. So I have my backups for the frames I needed. And I found one little artwork so far. I would say that was pretty successful. That was the, what was this, Value Village. All of these are mostly clothes, but I found like a handful of things. So far, I would give this trip an A. I would give myself an A. A plus. Actually, now we're doing the exciting part. We're doing antiquing. So I'm gonna drive over to Alexandria. Car's not on. It's hard to remember to turn the car on. Wowza! So I just parked in Alexandria, and I'm just like blown away. It's super cute, but I'm blown away by how busy it is. It's the middle of a Monday. I'm here on a Monday at 2 p.m., and it's like bumper-to-bumper traffic. God, I just am so overwhelmed by crowds and people. Yeah, I'm not stoked about a crowd. All right, let's go breathe on some people. Let's freaking do this. Loved this place. Great variety of antique furniture, original artworks, as well as prints. The shop owner, Paul, restores the pieces, so a lot of them had really beautiful frames. I thought this would be great for holding jewelry, and things in general were just like very reasonably priced. I loved this place. So successful. I actually got two different art pieces for my mom's bedroom. I'll let her choose. One is like a sketch of a square in Vienna, which is where my grandfather is from, and so that would be a nice one to hang up. I mean, it's nice to get pieces that have like you have some real connection to, and then I found another piece that was just like very pretty and had a pretty frame. I highly recommend Henry Street Antiques. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. He only takes cash, though, so I need to go get some cash, and in the meantime, I'm gonna walk over to another shop. Very successful. Wow, I'm impressed at my success. Good for me. God, I love the smell of antiques. It smells like my grandparents' attic, and I love that smell. This place had so much artwork, a lot more contemporary art pieces, which I loved, and I wish I could get more. It was just a bit out of my price range. Lots of different trinkets and stuff here. You know I love a good tea set. Slightly more clown art than I needed personally, but probably, you know, for someone else, it's exactly as much clown art as they need. That place had some beautiful pieces, but it's just out of my price range. Most of those artworks, they were large, too. They're like beautiful original paintings. They're like $350, which is a good price for that kind of thing, but it's still like out of my price range. So I'm gonna go over. There's two more that are still on my list, but really, really beautiful work that was B&W Antiques. Okay, so this place was not on my list, but it's called The Hour. They're closed right now, but it says vintage glassware. Dang. When I die, that's the heaven I want to go to. Look at me assuming I'm going to heaven. This place had many beautiful desks and dressers, but it mostly was jam-packed with artwork. Oh my gosh, I don't know if I could ever sift through it all. Huge variety of artwork, classical work, sketches, lots of original oil paintings, and contemporary pieces as well. My wall art collection right now is mostly older classical pieces, and I want to mix in more contemporary art, but again, these prices were just beyond my budget. Maybe one day when I'm an adult. I love a beautiful decanter for a bar, and these frame tiles I think would make a really neat set all together. Okay, JK. That place was just even more expensive. I moved in the wrong direction. I don't got that kind of money, but I mean, art is expensive, you know? I get it. I ain't angry about it. The thing about art, too, is just the materials, just the oil used to create an entire like oil painting. It was extremely expensive. Forget the labor, you know? You're not even factoring in the labor and the hours, so that's why it costs money. That's okay. I just, I just can't have it right now. JK, La Brocante is open by appointment. Ain't nobody got time for that. Ain't nobody got time for that. That is asking a certain level of organization that is never gonna happen from me. I had to go back to Henry Street Antiques because I had to go pick up cash, and you know what? Now that I've seen how well-priced his stuff is, I'm gonna go back and do a little more shopping, I think. Girl, I'm ready to buy. Yeah, everything else is way out of my price range. Or by appointment. No, no. I am by impulse only. That's the only way I shop, so appointment is not gonna happen. I'm sorry. Yo, what is the magic of car lighting? As soon as I'm in the car, I'm like the dewiest angel face, you know? It's nice. I'm not complaining, but the physics of it confuses me, I guess. I don't shine like this all day. I'm in the middle of a crosswalk. That's not good. My bad. My bad, dude. Sorry. Sorry, y'all. I will try and back up and not hit you. You'll survive. You're fine. God. I think I like people, and I think I want to help them, and then they give me a weird look, and I'm like, you know what? Never mind. Y'all are on your own. What was I talking about? How I'm a dewy angel? False. I also wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all the kind words and support I received on my previous video, the YouTuber Confessions. I was really nervous to share some of the things I said in that video. For you guys to comment and tell me that it's okay for me to do less was basically the most selfless gift I could ever receive, because I know that me doing less benefits you in almost no way, so that truly felt like such a touching and beautiful thing to receive from you, and I just wanted to say how much that meant to me. Whoa. Went back to pay Paul, who owns the Henry Street Antiques, and then he loaded me up with a bunch more. Oh, my gosh. He gave me four beautiful prints for $10 each. That's how much I paid for one of the frames at Goodwill. A lot of pieces, some maps. They're not all originals. I got one oil painting. One original oil painting gave me for $40. What? I don't know what that was about. Henry Street Antiques. Amazing. Wow. What a find. I feel proud of myself. I'll have to show you guys them all later, because my car is loaded up. I'm going to get them home, and I'll show them all. I was just sitting here riddled with guilt, because this man charged me so little for all that stuff. I'm sitting here feeling guilty, like I did something wrong. I told him he should charge me more. But you know what? If I'd spent a lot of money, I'd be sitting feeling guilty about that, too. I do like weird moralizing sometimes with money, and then I realize, oh, I'd be feeling guilty either way. I got a guilt problem, possibly. It's possible. This is why when I talked about that guy in the last video, when I talked about that guy I met on Hinge, who was like kept putting me down and questioning my character and stuff. It's triggering for me. It's a complex I have, for sure. Please don't use that information against me. That is privileged information. Please don't use that information against me. These are all the different pieces I got from Henry Street Antiques. This guy is probably going above the bed in my mom's bedroom. I love maps. I think maps are fun, and they bring a different texture. This guy, I'll say, I'm not obsessed with this print. I don't really even know what's happening in it. I really got it for the mat, because the matting is going to match the color scheme in my bedroom, I think. Then this guy is a big old oil painting. You can see the actual texture of it. It's pretty large. I don't know if you can tell how large it is. I wouldn't say it knocks my socks off, but he gave it to me for $40. I usually can't afford original oil paintings because they're too expensive, so $40. It's a big boy. Hell yeah, I'll take it. Yeah, I'll take it. Honestly, I give this whole day an A+. I give Henry's Antiques an A+. That's my big find of the day. I give my driving skills an A+. I give my attitude A. A-. Alexandria traffic, C. Although Paul told me the reason for that was it was 2.30 and all of the government people were leaving DC and commuting home, which they're leaving at 2.30. Maybe that's why things are a mess in the country right now. All the government workers are going home at 2.30. It's okay, I'm sure they're doing their jobs. Always afraid to offend someone. Why am I so afraid to offend people? I love offending people. That's really why I started a YouTube channel. I should really be offending people more on here. That's a personal goal of mine. I'm going to try to give less disclaimers, less apologies for the things I say. I'm really like so much ruder in person, I would say. I'm so much bolder and ruder and funnier, but also probably less likable. And you get on YouTube and I'm suddenly so afraid. You open yourself up to all these criticisms and all these people who can be offended, but I've never really before cared about offending people. So I think I just need to keep getting used to YouTube. It's all still so new. So I'm gonna work on that. That's a personal goal, I guess, is I would like to offend everyone more because that's really who I am at my core. Alright guys, don't forget to like and subscribe and click the bell. Those are the things I'm supposed to tell you to do. You know, whatever. Do them if you want. I'm not gonna tell on you. If you're new around here, I do lots of interior design content, but also just like vlogging and ranting. An appropriate balance, I would call it a healthy balance of introspection and fury. So it's both. You know, we've got both. We're looking inward, we're screaming outward. So if that's that feels good to you, then let's hang out. Alright, see you later.