Love Junk? We Checked out Downtown Billings’ Latest Thrift Shop
Earlier this week some co-workers and I went to grab lunch from the Mac Shack food truck. The truck was parked near the Montana Women's Prison and we debated on if we should walk (it's about 7 blocks from our office) or drive. We opted to drive since it was about 100 degrees outside. The four of us piled into Rachel's Subaru and headed south on 27th Street. My eyes were drawn to a new junk store, aka "thrift shop", that I'd never noticed before.
I like junk.
The shop is located near the corner of S 27th St and 1st Ave South and they've been in this location for about a month. I confess that I really enjoy thrift stores. I rarely buy anything, but I like browsing the vast selection of oddities and unique things. The musty smell of old stuff and stacks of completely random items are irresistible. Here's a look at some of what I found when I stopped in on Thursday afternoon (8/4).
Retro red trunk.
Old suitcases always grab my eye. This medium-sized wooden box was probably some sort of tool case at one time.
Back to school with Tweety Bird.
Remember when lunch boxes were made out of metal and came with a matching thermos bottle inside? This Tweety Bird lunch box isn't particularly old, but it's pretty cute.
Miniature lathe.
Back in the tool corner of the shop, I found this mini lathe sitting on the floor. It's perfect if you want to make tiny little legs for tiny little tables and chairs.
Game night!
This well-constructed game board table reminds me of something you would totally find at grandpa's house. Flip the top for backgammon or checkers/chess or break out the cards for some poker.
Fun reproduction western poster.
This poster is obviously not an antique, but it would look pretty cool in a Western-themed man cave or on your home theater wall.
I really wanted to buy Hungry Bear.
"With SOUND!" "Shoots up to 20 FEET!" Who wouldn't want to shoot little foam balls into a bear's mouth?
HD tables.
The shop has a handful of Harley Davidson-themed tables and other items. Some appeared handmade and perhaps have questionable "officially licensed product" status, but I won't tell if you don't.
Movies and memorabilia.
Does this box of Disney VHS movies contain one of the rare versions worth thousands of dollars? Probably not. I'm not a Disney nut, so I have no idea. The framed Indiana Jones poster (with broken glass) is kind of cool though.
Antique cameras.
Would I ever go back to film? Probably not, but old cameras are so much more interesting than a cell phone.
Train set.
Half assembled on this old dining room table I found what appears to most of the parts for model train set.
Shoe shine kit.
The shoe care butler provided everything you needed to keep your wingtips or oxfords looking fresh. Back when people wore wingtips and oxfords.
Ozzy Osborne & his family!
Well, most of the Osborne Family. The famous ones, anyway. Ozzy, Sharon, Jack, and Kelly figurines are here for the taking.
The first VR headset.
Kids these days, with their fancy Oculus VR headsets and Zuckerberg trying to cram his stupid Metaverse down our throats. The Viewmaster was the OG of mass-produced, inexpensive 3D images on your eyeballs. Read More: Treasures in Billings Trash? Think Twice Before Dumpster Diving