Tomorrow (Nov. 20, 2010), they're celebrating their charitable-giving milestone by offering the public a free seminar with ideas on how to turn thrift shop furniture finds into pieces that look like they've come from a designer showroom.
Impact Thrift's Jo Greenawalt explains the idea came from some of the stores' customers.
"We have a lot of dealers that come in, purchase items and sell them the way they are or change them in some way into an artistic piece and get a lot of money for it," Greenawalt says.
Artist June Moon of Poppy Cottage Studio will give tips on how to pick out promising thrift-store furniture pieces, and then how to use different painting techniques to give them a whole new look.
She sells her remade items on Etsy.com, an online craft site.
"One of the most wonderful pieces I picked up here was an old Victrola cabinet that I turned into a liquor cabinet," Moon says. "I did it in many different colors and faux finishes: red inside, a lovely green with gold on the outside. Made it look really new. "
Moon says she prefers furniture pieces built in the '50s, '60s and '70s because they're well built and have what she calls "good lines." But she says just about any piece that you like can be fixed up.
"It's a way to get really great style with not putting a lot of money into it," she says. "You put a little of yourself into it. You get that unique style in your home."
For more information on Impact Thrift Stores and on tomorrow's furniture event, click here.
