I abide by strict expenditure limits while thrifting. Size, condition, usefulness–these things matter less than low price. To spare myself the agony of seeing things I desire that are marked beyond my limits, I don’t often hit thrifts with better goods at better prices. But I stopped in the White Elephant anyhow, seduced by two blond mink throw pillows in the window.
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I knew they’d be over my limit, but I just had to know for sure. Once inside, I was quickly distracted by an enormous item propped up in the back room. Five-and-a-half-feet wide and four feet tall, here was a heavily framed, professionally painted map of the United States. A few dozen towns were identified, and thick, colored lines ran between them like a connect-the-dots drawing. All roads originated from Springfield, Illinois, and a key below Texas identified each one as a campaign trail of 1952 presidential hopeful Governor Adlai Stevenson.
Store quirk: Though the staff is happy to discuss them, none of the elephant tchotchkes behind the counter are for sale.
