jacksonville: a vintage coach bag

Well, I got to go thrifting a grand total of one time since I've been out for spring break. My family and i visited Williamsburg, VA, my future home, and then moved on to Jacksonville, FL. I had to practically drag my father to take me to the thrift store-- not everyone in my house shares my love of thrift. Actually, no one else in my house loves thrift outside myself. My family has always been very frugal, but since my family started with nothing (as they immigrated to the US) they've tried very hard to get away from buying from thrift stores. And I must say they've done a great job at providing for my sister and i. I doubt I will be able to get as far as they have, especially with this economy.

Anyway, despite their reluctance, I did get to go thrifting. The Jacksonville area is FULL of thrift stores. It is an area where it seems that thrift stores would serve the community well. The Florida economy seems to be very depressed, and I'm glad that thrift stores have appeared to meet the needs of the people as well as to serve charities.

I visited the VVA (Vietnam Veterans of America) Thrift Store on  Atlantic Boulevard. It was huge, clean, and organized. I'd definitely go again if I had the chance. Even the purses were organized by color.

It was fairly priced-- a bit more expensive than what I was used to, but it was well worth it. Typically you'll see purses of every designer priced similarly, but the VVA clearly screened the merchandise they got. I'm not complaining though since I got a vintage Coach purse out of it.

photo from bonanza

This bag is a twenty-ish years old (I've had a hard time researching). It is a Devon handbag from the late eighties or early nineties. It's authentic-- also, check out this handy-dandy guide to fake Coach bags. It also features a guide on care and repair!

My new bag is in decent condition. The interior is clean apart from a tiny dot of nail polish and there's no damage to the outside.

I picked this baby up for $15 at the VVA. I'm quite satisfied with the purchase. It sells for as high as $50, but in the condition mine is in, I'd place it closer to $35 since it's obviously been a bit broken in-- it doesn't have that crispy unused leather feel and there is some wear on the hardware as well as the aforementioned spot.

I really like this bag for a few reasons.

my actual bag

First, I like it because it's quality. Coach is a fine maker. I'm not a fan of their newer stuff because i don't like the current wave of their designs, but even the most hideous Coach bag is quality. My mother has Coach bags that have lasted decades. Coach isn't the kind of stuff that breaks after a year. And even when it does break, Coach bags have a lifetime warrantee. I just bring it into the store and they ship it off to be fixed. No charge for repair, but maybe a $20.00 fee for shipping. Pretty good deal right?

Second, it's classic. This isn't one of those trendy bags that I will regret later. Its vintage and it's classic, from the shape to the honey-chestnut color. This has a lot of mileage.

Third, It's a good size. I have a thing for large bags. I tend to carry a lot in my bag-- wallet, phone, lipgloss, emergency Disney bandaids, notebook, pencil case, pens, a book, a camera, and my emergency medicine stash (typically some advils, allergy medicine, tylenol, and a few vitamins). But recently, I'm trying to pare down what I carry since it all gets heavy, especially when I'm out and about all day and can't leave my purse somewhere. This bag is just the right size for my wallet, phone, camera, a few pens, a small notebook, and a few other small essentials.

Fourthly, I like that this bag looks a bit like the satchel in Tangled. I know it sounds stupid but I'm a huge Disney fan and it's been pretty much every Disney girl's dream to snag a Flynn-like satchel. (Disney people, if you're reading this, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. There is a very large segment of viewers who are teen or young adult women who would love to buy an officially licensed Flynn Satchel.)

Anyway, I had a great time. If you're ever in the JAX hit up VVA Thrift. I also recommend Neptune Beach-- not touristy but not dead either. Great sea shells and good food. Especially at Sliders.It's cute. Anyway, I hope you guys have great thrifting adventures as well!

--Harper