TREASURE HUNTING: As Is

Every week I drop off boxes of things from my client’s homes to various charities throughout Vancouver and very often the Salvation Army (better known as the Sally Ann). After today's drop-off, I decided to venture in to see what I could find. If you’ve never been before, it’s very organized and categorized (love it) into the various groups – furniture, books, clothing, etc. I made my way around the main floor and within 15 minutes I was holding a brand new design book and a black beaded cashmere vintage cardigan. I have heard talk of the “As Is” department but I had never made the trek down the stairs before. I now know what happens to all those boxes I drop off filled with the ‘this and thats’ of people’s homes - the single coffee mug, the few steak knives, the standard flower vase, etc. In the basement are tables and shelves filled with these boxes and items. I made my way around cautiously and shyly at first but finally dug into a few boxes. From the bottom of one of the boxes I emerged with a beautiful, simple glass soap dish from England – the perfect thing to hold my watches in my top drawer. A stop at the cash register told me my new soap dish/watch holder was being sold today for 50¢. The nice man rang up my three treasures and totalled them to a mere $8.99! Life ‘as is’ was fun, inexpensive and certainly worth the dig.