Welcome to Throw Back Thrift in Willow Grove, PA.
My family has a longstanding tradition of baking Christmas cookies via recipes passed down from my great grandmother, Nunny. My mom and I get together each year around the holidays to have a marathon baking extravaganza, resulting in enough butter and nut cookies to feed a small country. This year, however, she bowed out and I was left to my own devices. Which was fine, until I realized she has all the edible paints we use to make our pretty little butters.
So, we picked a meeting spot about halfway between our houses landing us in Willow Grove, PA. I don't find myself out there often, so of course I needed to consult maps on whether there were any little shops in the vicinity. Enter Throw Back Thrift - which I did. I was happy to see both a ramp and steps (because accommodations are cool) and had a seriously good feeling about this place. The entrance is in the rear and there are a couple other businesses on the same strip.
I am going to let the photos speak for themselves on this one, because it really was a visual delight. You pass some jewelry in the case under the cash register on your right with housewares, more jewelry and decor to your left, before a skinny hallway brings you to the clothing. I'm a fan of visual cacophony, so I love a place where you need to look everywhere because there is stuff, literally, everywhere. It's the type of thrift shop where the owner is clearly a collector, but not someone looking to bleed you dry. Even the most precious items were reasonably priced. And there are little vignettes along the way.
There is even a dollar rack, which you should know is a hot and limited commodity these days.
Everything is well organized, making digging at Throw Back Thrift a very pleasant experience. You can find vintage Christmas sweaters...
...this utterly AHmazing robe...
...and genuine 80s patchwork and puffy paint.
And this was all on one small rack. Yes, it's that kind of dream in this place. Adding to the experience is that the shopkeepers were present, but not intrusive. And tags listed things as retro, modern or vintage so you did not have to guess or consult Google image.
Throw Back Thrift is packed to the gills, well-organized, and truly charming, which is an incredible feat in my opinion. I planned to spend twenty minutes and was in there for more than an hour. Head to my instagram at https://www.instagram.com/_driftingthrifter/ for a little compilation video.
I was accompanied by a few shoppers that day, including a lovely elder couple in red plaid and big, puffy coats. She browsed carefully through the racks and he followed dutifully behind her. When I moved to let him pass, he commented that every time they pass this shop his wife insists on stopping in. I could definitely understand her motivation. I'm not even going to write about the MOST amazing thing I found there, because I think I'll end up going back and getting it, and THEN, I shall dish.
I ended up grabbing just a few of the things I coveted, including a long dangly earring from their singletons rack, which is the first time I have ever seen a thrift store sell single earrings. As a short hair girlie raised in the 1980s, I love a single earring moment. When I commented I "needed it", the cashier gazed knowingly at me over her wire-framed bifocals and quipped "Need?...". Thus, giving me the perfect snarky ending to a spontaneous little holiday thrift shopping spree.
