How To Thrift Like A Pro with Addison Edge

Addison Edge is an Evansville native who just celebrated her 8th year as a cosmetic tattooer specializing in micro blading and permanent makeup. She’s one of the areas most sought after artists, with a long waitlist for new and current clients. But as much as she’s known for her next-level tattooing skills, she is also considered an all-star thrifter. Just step inside her space at The Beauty Room and you’ll see!

She was raised by artists and creatives; her mom a painter and her dad an outdoor enthusiast. Her boyfriend, Shane, is a musician and long-time tattoo artist at Crescent City Tattoo. When she’s not at work, Addison enjoys creating art (painting and mixed media), watching horror movies, painting her nails, and… thrifting. 

The hobby began at a young age when she decided to collect coffee mugs, and once she got her drivers license, her quest began to find the weirdest coffee mug in existence. The very first thrift store she stepped foot in was Goodwill on First Avenue. No one knows how many times she’s visited since! Addison says what she loves about thrifting is that the possibilities are endless, and so often she thinks to herself, “how does this even exist?” There’s nothing quite like the thrill of finally finding a specific item you’ve been searching for, and how fun it is to think about the history of those things and their sentimental value. Her favorite items are on the unusual side, like her blow mold Mr. T coin bank, which she says brings her so much joy, and even more so when she thinks that it once brought joy to someone else, too. 

So, what’s her thrifting process look like? According to Addison, there are two phases: hunting and sorting. First, she grabs a cart and finds a trail that will take her through the entire store. As she makes her way around, she tosses anything that catches her eye in the cart and doesn’t waste time trying to decide if she really wants it. She saves that for the very end when she finds a place out of the way to go through her pile. Inevitably, she puts at least half of what she grabbed back where she found it. 

Here are her top tips for thrifting like a pro:

1. Don’t get discouraged! So often people say, “dude, you find all the best stuff” and I promise it’s because I go all of the time. My rule is if I’m driving by a thrift store and have time, I pop in. I don’t even know how many times I’ve gone and found absolutely nothing.
2. Bring hand sanitizer! 
3. If you can’t decide if you love something or not, take it away from that area of the store and reevaluate. Often times if I find an article of clothing I think I love and look at it in another location, I realize I just liked it next to the color or pattern of the shirts it was next to on the rack. 
4. Don’t over spend. It’s very easy to feel like a treasure hunter and want to take home everything you touch. Make sure that you really love it and don’t just buy something because you know it’s expensive or sought after. Leave those things for people who will really love them.
5. Have fun, and always be respectful! Take pictures of the items that made you happy but you dont need, and leave it for others to find, especially those who might not be able to afford it if it wasn’t at a thrift store. Get joy out of knowing that item will give someone else the best day ever.

Finally, here are a few of her favorite finds. 

“Very Rare Fur Bearing Trout”

This is an antique gaff taxidermy piece, which is a mythical animal that they create by using parts from multiple animals. I was in a flea market at the register paying when a man walked in with items to sell at his booth. I saw the side profile of this baby on the top of his pile and stopped my transaction to ask if I could buy it. Now it’s in my living room forever. 

“Hand Tufted Van Gogh Sunflowers & Trucker Jesus”

I’m a sucker for texture! Trucker Jesus is a velvet painting and the Van Gogh is hand tufted yarn. Yes, there is a tiny rubber duck hanging in the center. My BFF Chelsea hid 200 tiny ducks in my house the last time she was in town and unsupervised.

“Mr. T Blow Mold Coin Bank”

I didn’t make that up earlier!