Friday night, Reise and Allison discovered Ticktocker Thrift Shop in San Pedro, CA — about six decades late. Yes, the downtown store has been in business for an astounding 60 years, run entirely by volunteers from the Peninsula chapter of National Charity League, a mother-daughter national philanthropy. We were there to give an after-hours presentation and sign our book.
What a store! Well-organized, great inventory and very reasonable prices. We gave ourselves 40 minutes before the talk, and pulled a rack of items to talk about.
One find was this fluffy fake fur topper — exactly the look that Harpers Bazaar just featured.
Volunteers alerted us to this butter-soft pair of Stuart Weitzman riding-esque boots that looked like they had never been worn. They would have been more than $500 at retail, but at Ticktocker: $45!
On our list of thrift shopping do’s and don’ts, one “do” is to look for items in sections other than the expected ones. If you are a woman, check out the men’s department. Look at the lingerie and nightgown selection to catch the “nightwear as daywear” trend. If you are petite, browse the children’s racks. We have found beautiful hand knit children’s sweaters that looked smashing on a size 2 adult. Here’s a military jacket we found in the men’s department that brought a smile to Michele Dee’s face. If memory serves us right, it was $8.
Among many other finds, we made note of silk scarves, a gorgeous Faconnable plaid cashmere sport coat, a tweed Dana Buchman blazer in perfect fall colors, Miu Miu leather pumps from Italy and a beautifully-tailored men’s XL shirt in a fabric that was new to us — cupro. (It’s a cellulose fiber with a soft, silk-like hand.)
Allison couldn’t pass up this chunky choker from Los Angeles jewelry designer Tarina Tarentino sporting a bargain $5 price tag.
The shop put on quite a spread in the back room, and we got to hear a little about its operation from merchandise manager Natalie Walker (at front, in white blouse). It has hours that are kind to its volunteer moms, closing at 1:30 p.m. on weekdays so the volunteers can pick up children from school. Last year, the NCL chapter donated $175,000 to local charities – proceeds from the shop.
We had a wonderful time. As a bonus, we got to reconnect with our friend and fellow USC Trojan, Diane Krieger, shown talking to Allison in this selfie below taken by Reise.
Thank you, Adventures by the Book for organizing this. And thank you, Ticktocker. This won’t be our last visit. (Thrifters: you can find the store at 353 W. Sixth St., San Pedro, CA 90731. 310/547-1602. Open weekdays 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) 
ThriftStyle 