Funky Junque Chronicles 2009 Special Back-to-School Edition - Three Chicks Vintage

As you know I scour the web for the best vintage finds. Not only must they be unique, but affordable. Buying vintage is a way of going green - keeping the items out of landfills. Recycling used goods is the wave of the future.

This special back-to-school issues features the words of Three Chicks Vintage. This Etsy store is out of Bremen, Ohio, a small town with three very special ladies who find lots of vintage goodies!

Deb Berry explains. "Three Chicks Vintage is an effort shared with my youngest daughter, Katie (now 15) and my sister Diana. My sister and I have loved 'going junking' for years and we've toted little Katie along from the time she was a babe in arms. Being passed from hip-to-hip, Katie learned to spot a piece of Dragonware 10 yards away by the time she was three years-old."

Deb tells me that her shop started in September 2008, conceivably an effort to clean out the stash of cool junque and vintage goodies that the three lassies had been accumulating (and not to mention Deb admits hiding from the hubby!). She says, "We slowed down our junking because we were simply running out of places to stow our treasures. We reached the point that we were hiding our finds in our trunks until the hubbies went to work just to avoid their groans and complaints! Finally we admitted that the hunt was just as fun as the acquisition and decided to make our passion work for us by selling online."

In the Three Chicks Vintage shop you will find small wares, accessories, glassware, ceramics, porcelain, dolls, toys, books and linens. Perhaps the best bargain is the never-ending supply of vintage and costume jewelry. You can find great finds in the range of $10-$12, and my favorite is now a rhinestone telephone brooch for only $10. I picked up a great pair of flamingo inlaid vintage earrings for only $12 (see the photos!)

For your teenager going back to school, an antique pin would look great adorning their favorite jacket or sweater. Perhaps dress up a regular blouse with a costume jewelry necklace! There are plenty other good uses for costume jewelry! With the holidays approaching, I've even given homemade cookies, cooking baskets or wines at the holidays and decorated my gift basket handle or bag top with old jewelry. Add a one of a kind accent to the front of your scrapbook or hang from rearview mirror for a dash of sparkle and bling!

As most of you know, when buying online larger, bulkier items can sometimes be costly to ship. Deb prides herself on finding smaller wares and items that are affordable to ship, so that she may pass that savings onto you. She explains, "We're working on phasing out larger, more difficult to ship items. Our favorite thing to sell is jewelry - there's nothing like picking up a wonderful old piece for 50-cents at a yard sale and selling it for considerably more (yet still selling it reasonably!). My favorite things to sell are the brooches; there are so many different styles and price ranges that I can find something for just about anyone. My sister's favorite was a group of beautiful 1950s sundresses she acquired for a song from a nice little old lady who sewed them herself. Katie has fun finding strands of beads - she is known for having the coolest jewelry at school and often struggles with the decision to sell or keep her finds."

Deb is part of the Etsy Vintage Street Team, where vintage sellers share their knowledge with each other and have at least 75% authentically vintage goods. She says, "We three chicks get a real tickle when we actually know enough about an item to share our knowledge. We have learned that Vintage is not just a business, but a passion, a lifestyle and a sub-culture and we love every minute of it!"

In addition to this store, Deb also runs The Happy Hoarder on Etsy, which features the best in vintage sewing notions, paper ephemera, crafting and scrapbooking supplies and altered art for affordable prices.

Thank you Three Chicks Vintage for keepin' it real, keepin' it bargain-tainable and keepin' it green!