#dumpster values

Playing this pretty unreal show at the neighborhood thrift store in Olympia, WA this weekend: Hurry Up / Collate / gSp

More information here.

this is really creepy to me... i did not make this...

I recently got to see new favorites Broken Water play in Portland with Defaceman and Havania Whaal. Aside from being a magical, mellow, hard hitting flavor of music that hits just the spot that my northwest nostalgia prone ears have missed for for well over a decade, this band is a real treat to see because their singer Kanako Pooknyw is someone who I owe heaps and heaps of gratitude to for making my life as a kid fucking rad. I’m happy to see that 15 years down the line she is still in the world rocking, recording in the greatest studios of the northwest, and having her records sold at the sub pop store in the SeaTac airport —howevever silly that seems—, but mostly just rocking.

Kanako is the genius behind downtown Olympia’s favorite and longest running thrift store / community space, Dumpster Values, which opened when I was 12— just about the same season that my punk ass started finding itself downtown all the time. I could always finding rad clothes and good company at Dumpster Values and never paid more than $5 for anything (never had more than $5 for anything). After a few months at 321 4th ave at Adams, it moved over to Washington and State street and was the basis for a whole punk mall, where there was a funky furniture store owned by Cindy Wolfe, a skateboard shop which closed and became Radio’s Guitars (electronic fix-its and music gear blessed by the crafty hands of local genius Radio Tragedy), a record store started by some guys really nice guys that played in Witchy Poo, an all ages show space where for $2 a pop I saw many many indie bands from the 90s play, and the office of Donna Dresch’s Chainsaw Records, among some other things. Nearly every single person I met who kept me alive and well when I was a homeless 14 year old runaway I met somewhere in that complex. Kanako pulled some amazing shenanigans herself to keep me from sleeping in freezing alleyways during that time. I can’t wait to publish comic adventures about them, in fact, because these stories are better than any fiction you could possibly dream of, but I need to check with her first cause I’m pretty sure she could get in some sort of trouble for them….making them all the more awesome in my book! She gave me my first paint markers and my first new school skateboard, too, one night after keeping me out at Burnside until at least 3:30am. Point being: this lady is a true gem and remains relevant almost 20 years later. (And yes, Dumpster Values is still open in downtown Olympia. Shop there.)

Broken Water is the purest form of DIY punk music played by grown ups, crafted specially between grey skyes and mossy fervent of the Pacific Northwest. It will take you back to the days of yore when record label execs were flocking to the puget sound to wine and dine bands, except in Olympia they’d just get told to fuck off and musicians would crunch guitars and roll around on the backstage of the Capitol Theater regardless. It’s rock and roll music free of hype and overproduction, teetering between soothing your weary heart and cleaning it off with a gritty metal file. It wont blast your eardrums, but it will loosen the crud that gets stuck on your insides when you’ve conformed to your conservative family and your day job for too long. Songs like Wasted will definitely recall memories of Sonic Youth, but I don’t think Broken Water is too worried about it, because they’re doing their thing and they’re doing it well and… they don’t give a fuck what you think, either way. As the video for Love and Poverty shows, it’s all just a bunch of semi-broke friends in Oly making art and supporting each other for the love of it.

Huge applause for this band going all out and having Steve Fisk produce it at AVAST! That’s big time. And thanks for running an extremely limited edition of screen printed LP sleeves to go with your new album Wrought. I was able to pick one up and the show and I know very well I’m not going to regret it.  

The limited edition test-run cover:

The official cover:

vintage accordion skirt, thrifted from Dumpster Values (Olympia, WA)

theory beige button down: thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co (Brooklyn, NY)

plastic rose ring: $1 from a street vendor in SoHo

Kork-Ease ‘Ava’ wedges in natural cork

backpack: Target

geek eyewear glasses: Luxeye

To be completely cliche and trite for a sec, where the fuck is summer going? I last wore this outfit on Guided by Voices day, almost 2 months ago. Over this time period, there has been a lot of working, making friends, roommate hunting, seeing people off to opposite coasts, life, death, shopping, bed-sharing, and feasts. Basically, enough happened in-between wears.

This is also a sickening realization of how expansive my closet has become. Or, maybe I'm just seeing it in a new light. This outfit isn't the best example, but there are some things that I've had for years that I hadn't pulled out until recently. It's making this trying-not-to-spend-money thing a little bit easier. I'm not quite at pre-autumnal cardigan dreaming yet, but we're just about there. Soaking up August while it lasts, you know?

June 18th was a typical toasty and beautiful Saturday day in Williamsburg, but for me, it will forever be known as Guided by Voices day. After a gallivanting around the waterfront and collecting my friends, I attended the highly anticipated Babies, Surfer Blood, Wavves, and GBV show at the Northside festival - the L Magazine's massive music to-do that takes over the north side (get it?) of Brooklyn each summer. This year I got all the writing leg work done before the shows, so I've been swilling coffee and beer, relaxing, and catching up with music/blogging cohorts. I wanted to wear an outfit that reflected the attitude of the festival - breezy, fun, amplified - and I REALLY wanted to find an excuse to wear this accordion skirt I procured in Olympia. It looks kinda like grandma's medieval wallpaper, and I feared the longer length would throw off my proportions, so I wore tan wedges to ensure maximum tallness levels. I stand at about 5'10 with those on. Good concert height.

vintage accordion skirt, thrifted from dumpster values

white eyelet button-down shirt: thrifted from painted bird vintage

shades: thrifted from painted bird vintage

Kork-Ease ‘Ava’ wedges in natural cork: Urban Outfitters

dandelion locket necklace: bday gift from Meghan (one of my awesome photographers for the day, pictured after the jump)

my photographers for the day, Rachel and Meghan, showing off their colorful weekend getups. when I promise an MS Paint job, I deliver.

I don't have a Phd in anything, but it's safe to assume that a healthy shopping addiction is a common affliction for young Brooklynites. With this mental issue comes the very palpable, physical issue of supply and demand.

I demand that you supply me with awesome vintage clothes. One-of-a-kind second-hand gems. These clothes need to fit, and I need to find them in Williamsburg or Bushwick because I hate waiting for the G train/ transfers in general.

Well, fuck.

Selecting the thrift locale is either overly calculated or completely arbitrary. To guarantee the size wildcard, I am left with two options. 1) Hit up the ever-amazing Re/Dress NYC in Cobble Hill. 2) Leave Brooklyn.

So I recently went on a shopping pilgrimage to San Francisco for 5 days, Seattle for 6.

floral print dress: thrifted from brooklyn flea

denim vest: thrifted from salvation army

black HUE tights: Lord & Taylor

vintage Esprit hiking boots: free from mom

shades: thrifted from painted bird vintage

backpack (not shown): target

Above is my initial perception of a PacNW-y outfit, worn to Dolores Park on the first day of my trip. This photo was taken by my friend Clara who guided me around the Mission district and supplied me with sidesplitting quantities of burritos and coffee. Inspired by a city that oozes joy and sunlight, my first purchases included shades and a summery cropped shirt - both from Painted Bird Vintage. Day two was spent gorging delicious po'boy sandwiches with Erin (calivintage) and Samantha, an old friend from back home in New Jersey. Sam coincidentally shares a ModCloth office space with Erin, solidifying my notions that the world is creepily/beautifully/bicoastally small. My last full day in San Francisco was led by Maddy, who sent me on a walking tour around Haight-Ashbury. Maddy meets Clara below.

Despite falling in love with several 1950's era dresses at La Rosa and piles of vinyl at Amoeba, I ultimately purchased nothing at these stores. At Wasteland and Dollhouse Bettie, however, I satisfied a new-found lust for pinup gear and bought a sweet vintage slip. Onward up north, I had a field day at Dumpster Values in Olympia, an eclectic neighborhood staple with ridiculously low prices. My last stop, Crossroads Trading Co in Seattle's U-District, had higher tags but immeasurable quality: 2 out of 3 pieces I nabbed at Crossroads appeared to be brand new, and the the last item was a gently used designer steal. Really, the state of Washington supplied a lot of autumnal digs that I can't wait to parade around come September.

The amalgamated thrifted bounty from all 3 cities:

cropped white eyelet shirt, Painted Bird - $7

sunglasses, Painted Bird - $10

NEW pinup bra and unds, Dollhouse Bettie - $63

sheer cream slip, Wasteland - $20

nautical romper, Dumpster Values - $5

red accordion skirt, Dumpster Values - $8

hunter green winter coat with fur-lined hood, Dumpster Values - $16

double breasted button up mini dress, Dumpster Values - $7

white 50's dress, Dumpster Values - free!

NEW wool dress, Crossroads Trading Co - $32

NEW wingtip black leather oxfords, Crossroads Trading Co - $20

vintage burberry trench coat, Crossroads Trading Co - $41

TOTAL: $229