Maria and I went shopping for fabric for her potholders and quilts. She is making five quilts for one customer in the next couple of months, so I volunteered to come along and capture the moment in pictures. I was glad to get out and around, and we always had fun on our excursions.

Maria chose the Second Hand Rose Thrift Shop in Schuylerville, N.Y., a half hour from our farm and one of the most exciting and popular thrift stores I’ve ever seen. The shop is all about doing good: they give thousands of dollars to local charities, from food pantries to rural volunteer and fire and rescue companies.

I’ve been there with Maria a half dozen times; seeing her focus and discipline is fantastic. This one, like all of the others, was a success.

She is all business when she comes in, grabbing a basket, studying the price carts, and navigating the aisles and corners, all of which are stuffed with fabrics, used clothes, toys, puzzles, glasses, jewelry, religious artifacts, tributes to the Blessed Mother, and a special children’s room and shoe department.

She doesn’t dally, talk, or lose her laser-like focus.

There’s no chit-chat or interruption for Maria. She knows precisely what she is looking for, never says more than 15 or 20 minutes and has excellent radar for the fabrics she wants and the right colors.

She has a sixth sense for a bargain or a special bit of fabric – they are in baskets all over the shop.

I’ve never seen her spend more than $10, and she always leaves with an array of materials and clothes that she can turn into quilts and potholders. She is also generous about taking my old shirts and jeans and weaving them into her creations. She likes the colors I choose. But she’s getting low on those, and her business is really picking up.

All of her fabric is used or vintage. It’s just past prom season, and the Second Hand Rose Windows are full of gowns for sale for very little money.

Every inch of space is taken up with donated things; it’s hard to turn around in some of the aisles.

The shop reeks of character and authenticity. It does feel like a throwback to another time.

It’s hard to imagine the gentrifying community of Schuyerville (it’s close to booming Saratoga)  permitting this wonderful place to survive. It has no paid staff, all dedicated volunteers.

. I hope the volunteers own it and avoid the skyrocketing rents; it’s a non-profit thrift store.

The volunteers and cashiers are just as colorful as the store.

 

The kid’s room enchanted me, crammed with books, toys, and puzzles, most checked and sealed to ensure they were in good shape and intact.

 

When we go in, Maria forgets I am there and is free to follow her and take a picture when it seems right.  She notices I’m here and smiles briefly every few minutes, but she pays no attention to me, which is a good thing for a photographer.

She is laser-like focused on Second Hand Rose and other thrift and consignment shops; she has been in all of them and has radar for good bargains and quality fabrics.

 

I call them “Blessed Mother Shelves,” I see them in almost every old thrift or consignment store we go to.

 

I took this photo as Maria checked out, holding the fabrics she bought for $10. I bought her a bracelet in the jewelry window for $1. She seemed to love it and is wearing it now.

After shopping, we had lunch at a funky diner next door and drove home.  We listened to music, took a nap, and started reading. It was just as good and rich a trip as I imagined and hoped. I’ll still getting over Surgery month, I’m getting stronger each day.