Goodwill, Badwill, Questionable-will — Mrs. Butterworth, Crazy Hats & A Groovy Mod Chair

by Katy on March 18, 2013 · 30 comments

It’s time again for Goodwill, Badwill Questionable-will, where I share some of the rather spectacular things I come across during my thrifting adventures.

Remember how I said that every Goodwill has a painted Mrs Butterworth bottle? (HERE and HERE) I was not kidding. I really like how this one is holding an artfully painted cat.

A sticky cat. A happy sticky cat.

Mrs. Butterworth cat

And for those who say that my Goodwills must be better than their Goodwill, I present to a very special haberdasher-ed cat:

Habidasher-ed Cat

And yes, that is real fur. Thank you for asking.

And not to be underdressed at the fancy-hat ball is this lamp:

Spiritual Lamp

It’s such a weird lamp/shade combination. Like there was a spiritual retreat, but it was crashed by beer swilling frat boys who then put lampshades on their heads. Which happens. Seriously. All the time.

I did see a $9.99 chair that I liked, but my son’s incessant whining of “C’mon mom, let’s go!” made me leave empty handed. (Not actually empty handed, as I bought an enormous $5 basket to store soccer balls and a $7 new-but-still-from-Goodwill shower curtain.)

Here’s the chair, which is modern groovy and would have been perfect to replace the broken chair in my son’s room:

Groovy Chair

And guess what? I looked up the chair when I came home and found this:

Groovy Woven Chair

And the cost to buy it new? $168.30!!!!!!! (On sale, normally $198.) So yes, I will be at that Goodwill at 9 A.M. to snag my chair. I thought it looked suspiciously high quality.

Stupid me for not trusting my instincts.

Update: I went back to the store this morning and the chair was still there!!!! I’m debating between keeping it and selling it.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }

Kate March 18, 2013 at 7:07 am

This really makes me want to hop on over to my local Good Will and scout out a Mrs. Butterworth container (or other cool stuff). They just opened a new one 15 minutes away, I am so excited. It is also across the street from a Salvation Army. Thrift storetopia. 🙂

Kate

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Katy March 18, 2013 at 7:28 am

I love shopping districts like that!

Katy

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Sharon March 18, 2013 at 7:25 am

Did you get the chair???

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Katy March 18, 2013 at 7:28 am

Not yet. Goodwill doesn’t open until 9 A.M. However, I made of special point of writing my blog last night instead of this morning to make it happen.

Katy

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Amy March 18, 2013 at 8:16 am

I hope it’s still there waiting for you!! Don’t forget to give us an update!!

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Katy March 18, 2013 at 8:57 am

I just did!

Katy

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Cheapchick March 18, 2013 at 9:04 am

Just my two cents – the chair is totally cool, but if you can get a good resell $ amount for it I would sell it and hunt for another cheap chair for son (that way if he breaks it/wrecks it/spills ink on it you don’t have to think about the things you would like to do to him ). Cheers!

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Katy March 18, 2013 at 9:18 am

I’m way ahead of you here. 😉

Katy

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Belleln March 18, 2013 at 10:30 am

In the mid to late 70s a calendar was available from the Mrs. Butterworth people, free probably or I wouldn’t have had it, that had a monthly make-over for the glass containers. The best one, in my opinion, was the Mrs. Claus. Don’t understand why it’s taken this long for them all to reach the Goodwill 🙂 And no, I never did any of the projects even back then they were just ‘too cute’ for me.

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Su Mama March 18, 2013 at 10:36 pm

Katy’s ma here. My extensive Mrs. B. collection includes a nun with closed eyes, holding a Bible, one of the three wise men, John and Yoko, Cleopatra and Carmen Miranda. The last four were bought on eBay from a wonderful artist in the deep, deep South whose day job was working in a Jesus t-shirt factory. Her description, not mine.

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Anna March 19, 2013 at 5:45 am

That is hilarious! I had no idea that painted Mrs. B bottles existed! And I am from the Deep South as well…..I’ve been missing out! Similarly, my mother collects the McCoy black “Mamie” cookie jars. She says that they remind her of her beloved nanny, Josie, who basically raised her while my grandparents worked. Josie was “the boss” in their home and was highly respected and loved dearly. She tragically died when Mother was 11, and Mother, age 59, still misses her to this day, so her Mamies line her kitchen counters and make her smile as she cooks. 🙂

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Maureen March 18, 2013 at 11:23 am

I belonged to an organization where a bunch of us women sewed new uniforms one year. We spent hours and hours and hours and hours at this one woman’s house and she had a Mrs. Butterworth. And yes, by the time all the uniforms were made, Mrs. Butterworth had a uniform too.

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dusty March 18, 2013 at 12:37 pm

ok, the cat is really creepy but what about the guy next to it, what is that? A generic FedEx guy? Very strange. Also, my advice, go get the chair and sell it. You’ll find another.

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Diane C March 18, 2013 at 1:32 pm

Uh, US Postal Service?

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dusty March 19, 2013 at 2:22 am

i didn’t know the usps had dolls. maybe i should get one since they’ll probably be a collectors item some day.

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Trish March 18, 2013 at 2:29 pm

the clown next to Mrs Butterworth is creepy too! I can see a weird creepy display of figurines, with Mrs Butterworth, clown, and Ken-like postal delivery guy! ah, too much time on my hands…

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Lilypad March 18, 2013 at 2:44 pm

Did you know the Seattle Times did a thrift store fashion contest? They just published the results yesterday: http://o.seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2020561368_thriftwinnersxml.html
it made me immediately think of you!

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Katy March 18, 2013 at 5:18 pm

But I am infinitely unfashionable. I hardly have any clothing, and what I do have is schlumpy.

Katy

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Lilypad March 20, 2013 at 1:28 pm

I’m the same way, I gave up caring about fashion years ago and just go for comfort. So I just say I’m on the lam from the fashion police.

If I ever win the HGTV Dream Home or some other contest that I’ve entered, and they come to my door to surprise me—they’re going to be surprised to see a grown woman wearing holey pajama pants in the middle of the day. 😉

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Paul N March 18, 2013 at 4:24 pm

My opinion…sell the chair! I doubt very much if my bottom (or anyone else’s for that matter) would notice the difference between a $10 butt-holder and a $200 one.

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AFS March 18, 2013 at 4:28 pm

and if the chair is gone in the morning you can take the $168.30 out of your son’s allowance 🙂
I have yet to see my first painted Mrs. Butterworths bottle.

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Kris-ND March 18, 2013 at 6:58 pm

Ugh, my 21 yo daughter would LOVE that lamp…and I would hate it every-time I saw it 😉

Glad she is a) from ND so not near that lamp and b) in basic training in TX VERY FAR away from that lamp 😉 lol

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Deniseathome March 18, 2013 at 8:27 pm

I love the lamp. It is goofy chic. I like goofy chic.

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Shannon March 19, 2013 at 5:58 am

Behind the cat and the postal guy, Marge Simpson is dancing for the happy buddha! If those figurines could talk, imagine what those figurines would say to each other after the store closes!

Okay, I’ll be quiet…I’m quite sleep-deprived today.

Great chair, by the way.

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dusty March 19, 2013 at 6:56 am

I glad to see I’m not the only person who thinks that way!!!

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Lois March 19, 2013 at 6:01 am

I too would sell the chair and then get something else cheap and pocket the difference. I wonder if any of those creepy things ever sell, and what happens to thing that don’t sell are they trashed after a while?

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Katy March 19, 2013 at 7:30 am

What doesn’t sell in the regular stores eventually goes to the pay-by-the-pound “Outlet” stores. What doesn’t sell there? Not sure what happen to that stuff.

And I have a Craigslist post going, asking $100 for the chair. I actually really like the chair and will only sell it if I can get a lot of money for it. Otherwise I’m happy to give it a home!

Katy

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jacki March 19, 2013 at 3:43 pm

Um…no brainer …Sell! If it doesn’t sell…..Keep it! Win/Win!

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Katy March 19, 2013 at 5:30 pm

That’s what I’m doing. We’re keeping it in my son’s room until someone wants to give me way too much money for it. He really likes it.

Katy

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Rowen G. March 19, 2013 at 6:26 pm

They don’t seem to have done the painted Mrs. Butterworths in Colorado – I have yet to see one. I don’t actually mind the lamp, but the shade is sort of, um, “early bordello.” 🙂

My own thrift shop find today was a 16″ tall vintage carved wooden barley-twist candlestick with an amazing amount of grubby multi-color wax dripped over it. ($3) Once I get all that wax off, I can add it to the collection.

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