T.

Periodically I am overcome by an urge
to wander the aisles of Value Village.
Yesterday afternoon was one of those days,
and I must say that VV doesn't seem to be
in danger from a recessional downturn in sales:
I bumped elbows, carts, shoulders, strollers,
possibly even hips with countless fellow shoppers
as we perused the color-coded long long racks
of clothing. All blue tags half price!!
I never fail to be astonished at the quantities
of stuff on the planet, and at least at VV,
the stuff is getting a second go-around.
My favorite aisles contain kitchen wares:
bins of forks, bins of mixer beaters,
wooden serving bowls shaped like pineapples,
mismatched cups and saucers, florist's vases,
baskets for 99 cents. I saw some exquisite
bone china espresso cups and saucers, hand-painted,
from Japan. Did I need these? Nope. (Although I regret
not buying them.) Did I need anything? Well, no.
Not even the decorative Nebraska plate, not the
Pat O'Brien's hurricane glasses, not the Evergreen
State geoduck mug. Not even! Damn!
I could've made a killing.
Gone are the days of cotton printed tablecloths
and handmade-rickrack-embellished aprons. Nearly
gone are any pre-1970's books -- those that remain
are labeled "vintage" and priced (seemingly randomly)
at $25. There's a new catch-word at VV these days:
Restyle. It's kind of hip sounding, very green.
I like it. If I felt the need, I could
restyle my kitchen. I could restyle my bedroom.
Hell, I could even restyle myself.
With any luck, I could do it for half-price.