second hand stores

A person can go to the fancy/glitzy kitchen gadget stores and they have sooooooo many cool toys there...and I want/need absolutely all of them [drool, drool, drool]...well, most of the toys anyway-just because they are so cool. I can imagine all of the new things I can do, stuff that I can make, hours of labor that I will save myself...

me: "Wow! They carry the Technivorm Coffee maker! That would make the morning coffee absolutely perfect wouldn't it, especially if I had the Jura cup warmer to go with it."
reality: " You don't drink coffee." (However, I am absolutely ensnared by the aroma, it intoxicates my senses. If I could afford to, I would buy bags of coffee beans just to use as potpourri.)

me: "Look at these gorgeous pastel toned, accordian shape decorating bottles for frosting and decorating cakes-I think I need 10 of them."
reality:"Pain to clean and you simply don't doooo pastel colors."

me: "Wait, how about that Dualit toaster, it's on Special for only $300, imagine how good the toast would be..."
Actually, I can't imagine what a $300 toaster would do differently from my $15 toaster...maybe it also procures fresh artisanal butter from the Rogue Creamery, spreads on "Apricot with Attitude" jam on from Rose City Pepperheads (most excellent jam by the way), and then serves it to you whilst you lounge on your day bed?

Those places are nice to visit but some of my favorite places to shop are Second hand stores. Seriously. For home and especially the bakery.
If a person pays attention and is careful about what is being purchased, there are some really good deals at those places. There are all sorts of treasures just waiting to be discovered, and that's actually a good way to think about it-as a treasure hunt because you never know what you will come across.

A few years ago, we were again making huge batches of one of our seasonal bundt cakes and the standard day would go something akin to this.

Get the Bundt pans ready, make the batter, bake off 8 Bundts, after a few minutes cooling, pull the cakes out, run the pans through the dishwasher again so we could get the next batch into the ovens-several times a day.

It was driving our bakers crazy but heavy cast aluminum Bundt pans are expensive in the retail stores, $40 to $60, ouch! Then one day my business partner and I were wandering through a Goodwill just for the heck of it and lo and behold! On the shelf, a lonely heavy cast aluminum Bundt pan just pleading to be put to good use and for only $2.99. The Elation! The Thrill! The game was afoot, the hunt was on.
I now have picked up enough of those Bundt pans at local second hand shops that the bakery could actually use an extra oven -also, I've discovered that it's hard to stop buying them once you find them because it is such a good deal. All for around $2 to $5. Score! Besides you never know when you might just need that one extra one...

I have since done the same with mini muffin tins, mixing bowls, and measuring cups amongst other things. Sure, sometimes the things need a little extra cleaning and rarely would they be found on a retail display shelf due to a dent or two but everything is of good quality and they are getting used for the purpose they were designed for rather than just gathering dust.

It's reminds me of going to Garage sales but then not having to travel to them all day long which can get rather wearisome sometimes. One stop treasure hunting is more my speed.