ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — The weather is getting warmer and that means more yard sale signs will be popping up in neighborhoods.
Thrifting is seeing a surge in popularity, with projections of it hitting $74 billion by the year 2029, but it can be challenging to know what's valuable vs. junk.
We caught up with Ali and Jordan Virden, twin sisters and the owners of Twin Thrift Vintage in Ellicott City, to get tips on how to know how to know if something you have is valuable, whether you're selling or buying.
The Yard Sale Kit
Ali and Jordan hit up a lot of yard and estate sales to find items for their vintage store, or themselves, and they always come with their yard sale kit in hand:
- Tape measure - this one is pretty self explanatory. "Multiple times I've bought something and let's just say it's a little too big for the car," Ali admitted. It also helps to measure if you're looking for something for your house, like a piece of furniture.
- Black light - this is to identify glassware that is made out uranium or vaseline, which is very valuable. If you hold the black light up to uranium, it will glow green. With vaseline glass, it will glow a yellow/green color.
- Magnet - silver is not magnetic, so if you come across something that may look like silver but you're not sure, Ali and Jordan say use the magnet to test it. If the magnet sticks, it's metal.
Glass vs. Crystal
It can be tough to tell what is crystal vs. glass so Jordan suggests using the tapping trick. "Crystal sings so if you have a nail, you can tap it and it'll make a really pretty sound, whereas glass does not sound, it sounds nice, but not as nice."
Jordan said to also looks for seams in glassware, which usually indicates its made of glass and not crystal. She said the cut of glass may also look a little dull, whereas crystal will have a crisper look to it.
What's Hot in Thrifting
"Vintage O's gear... vintage uniforms, vintage bags, cups. They sell really, really well at our shop," said Ali. "Mid-century modern is always a favorite around Maryland. It's very popular for glassware or furniture."
"I think also looking for pieces that speak to you that are beautiful and that you like and would love in your home," said Jordan. "That's kind of what we like to look for as well. If we like it in our home, we usually will put it in the shop."
