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By MARY JANE PARK
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 22, 2001
Call them the ultimate in recycling: Garage sales, flea markets, swap meets. Someone else's gently worn goods can become treasures in your own home. Serious hunters will prepare themselves with tools of their trade.
-- MARY JANE PARK, Times staff writer
A collapsible cart or fold-up dolly, even a wheeled luggage carrier, can be a shopper's best friend for carrying lots of small items through flea market grounds. Shopping cart. $19.99. Kmart.
Old quilts, towels, bedspreads, even professional moving pads are equivalent to bubble wrap for protecting fragile items and large purchases such as furniture. If you haven't any such thing around the house, search thrift stores for clean merchandise. Twin bedspreads. $8.98. Salvation Army store.
A retractable measuring tape is a helpful resource for figuring out whether a chest of drawers will fit into the space allotted, or whether vintage fabric will cover your dining room table. Measuring tape. About $6. Hardware, home supply stores.
For carrying large items on top of a car or in the trunk, bungee cords help secure your treasure plus provide flexible hold. Bungee cords. About $3 each. Hardware, home supply, discount stores.
Worn is one thing; damage is another. A magnifying glass can give a better view of flaws that might detract from an item's value or make it downright dangerous. Magnifying glass. About $8. Stationery, drug, discount stores.
Dark corners can hide a multitude of problems: Insects on plants, stains on fabrics, termite damage on wood. A flashlight properly aimed can point to serious trouble. Flashlight. About $3. Grocery, drug, hardware, discount stores.
A chest of drawers sliding all over the back of a pickup will incur damage and might pose a safety hazard. Take along some rope to steady your bargain buy. Polypropylene rope, 50 feet. About $3. Hardware, sporting goods, discount, drug stores.
A chaise longue isn't likely to fit into a tiny bedroom, and cafe curtains almost certainly won't work in the parlor. Make a list of wanted items, measure windows and other available spaces in your home. Know the dimensions of pieces such as beds and tables. Record all that vital information in a little notebook and keep it with you at all times, along with fabric samples and paint chips. 3- by 5-inch spiral notebook. About $1. Office, grocery, drug, discount stores.