Don T Call The Thrift Shop

When it's time for a move to a retirement home, a smaller home, or there's a death in the family, how should you manage a lifetime of family heirlooms and cherished possessions? Should that old chest go to the rummage sale, or is it a rare antique? What about jewelry, coins, stamp collections, china, silver, glass, memorabilia, baseball cards and toys? Are they valuable? How can we tell? Who will buy them? What are they really worth? This book is your key to finding the value of everything from diamonds to Teddy Bears, as well as tips about estate planning and appraisals. Find out all about: *the hottest collectibles markets and why some items skyrocket in price *how experts spot a valuable antique *where to get information used by professionals *selling at auctions, estate sales, and on eBay

This “gentle, humorous novel” follows a young Japanese woman as she yearns for the love of a reluctant coworker (The Wall Street Journal). The objects for sale at the Nakano Thrift Shop appear as commonplace as the staff and customers who handle them. But like those staff and customers, they hold many secrets. If examined carefully, they show the signs of innumerable extravagances, of immeasurable pleasure and pain, and of the deep mysteries of the human heart. Hitomi, the inexperienced young woman who works the register, has fallen for her coworker, the oddly reserved Takeo. Unsure of how to attract his attention, she seeks advice from her employer’s sister, Masayo, whose sentimental entanglements make her a somewhat unconventional guide. But thanks in part to Masayo, Hitomi will come to realize that love, desire, and intimacy require acceptance not only of idiosyncrasies but also of the delicate waltz between open and hidden secrets, in this novel from the author of Strange Weather in Tokyo that “captures an untranslatable Japanese mood” (The New York Times). “Uses a series of vignettes to chronicle a girl’s time working at Mr. Nakano’s secondhand store in Tokyo . . . Pleasant, leisurely prose.” —Publishers Weekly “Hiromi Kawakami’s charming novel illuminates moments of kindness, love and friendship that pop up like the unexpected treasures amid the shop’s dusty collection of pretty mismatched bowls and plates, castoff eyeglasses, task lamps and old electric fans.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune

This “ridiculous” religious thinking—that when we help the poor, they end up helping us—is at the heart of the 30 stories that Jane Knuth shares in Thrift Store Graces, the sequel to her popular Thrift Store Saints. Similar to the first book, Thrift Store Graces contains personal accounts of Knuth’s experiences serving as a once reluctant, now enthusiastic volunteer at a thrift store in Kalamazoo, Michigan. What sets Thrift Store Graces apart from her first book is that Knuth introduces us to some far more challenging personal situations that emerge as a result of her volunteer work. Additionally, she invites us to join her as she hesitantly embarks on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in war-ravaged Bosnia. Through it all, her delightful sense of humor keeps her going, along with her conviction that some of God’s greatest gifts come disguised as difficulties. Witty, inspiring, and thought-provoking all at once, the stories in Thrift Store Graces subtly compel us to redefine what it means to volunteer and to rethink why it is that we volunteer in the first place.

Danny Silverman, a gay Jewish novelist, is invited to give a speech on humanism at a church college in Minnesota, where he gets snowed in with a hostile audience of Christian fundamentalists.

If you have ever considered opening a used bookstore, here is your chance to learn from someone who knows first-hand what it takes. Author Stephanie Chandler is the owner of Book Lovers Bookstore in Sacramento, CA. Features in this workbook include: *Worksheets: Budget planning, evaluating competition, forecasting, and more. *Business Basics: What you need to get started. *Inventory: Twelve sources for acquiring used books. *Suppliers: Library supplies, printed goods, retail supplies and more. *Shop Setup: Store layout, book categories, bookseller software and tools. *Operations Procedures: Trade policies, overstock, and a sample operations manual. *Marketing: Low-cost and no-cost tactics for maximizing exposure. *Website: Steps for setting up a website and selling books online. *Resources: Dozens of useful website links. *Business Plan: Sample business plan (actual plan used for Book Lovers Bookstore).

Boston writer and humorist Kris Frieswick gives sound advice on how to live the good life in Beantown, for peanuts. Thrifty readers will discover where to have all kinds of fun, experience the city's culture, and fortify themselves with grub and brew, all for a pittance. Also includes tips on how to break into Boston's social network, a great source of free parties and events!

Feel like you’re trying to dig out from under a mountain of debt without a shovel? Tired of working your tail off just to break even? Is the high cost of living taking all the joy out of life? Unless you’re one of the top two percent of wealthiest Americans, all of the above should sound painfully familiar. While they’re trying to decide between the ski lodge in Telluride and the Tuscan villa, for the rest of us, it’s an endless litany of corporate lay-offs, stagnant wages, crushing credit card debt, skyrocketing medical costs, exorbitant utility bills, the high cost of higher education.... And they call this “the good life.” Is there a better way to live? Can you get what you need and what you want without killing yourself to get it? “Absolutely,” says frugal-living guru Deborah Taylor-Hough, and in Frugal Living For Dummies, she shows you how. In this warmhearted guide to living the good life on less, Deborah shows you how to live within your means and enjoy doing it. Among other things, she shows you how to: Eat like a king on a peasant’s budget Take the sting out of gift-giving Dress well on a shoestring Save big bucks on family expenses Slash household expenses Save on medical expenses Involve the whole family in saving money Save more for the things you want From basement to attic, cradle to grave, Frugal Living For Dummies covers all areas of life with common sense advice and guidance on: Working with your partner to achieve financial goals Going to the grocery without being taken to the cleaners Quick and thrifty cooking techniques Providing kids the basics on a tight budget Putting kids through school without going broke Looking good and feeling good on a tight budget Frugal holiday fun year round Saving money around the house and driveway Finding quality in pre-owned merchandise Packed with tried-and-true techniques for cutting costs and stopping the insanity, Frugal Living For Dummies is the ultimate financial survival guide for the rest of us.

A thrifty offering for the prospective thrift-store owner . . . In economic times like these, thrift stores have seen a 35% increase in sales in 2008; so what better time to start one? While fairly cheap, it is complicated, however. Here, two experts cover the entire process, including such vital topics as how to: set up the store on a nonprofit basis; choose a location; get funding; get the word about donations of saleable items; recruit and manage volunteer staff; sort, price and recycle donations. • Practical, step-by-step approach to the process • Troubleshooting tips and best practices that really work • Funding by and partnering with community organizations