Photo: Elena Veselova (Shutterstock)
If you have a gravy boat, you probably use it once a year. Maybe twice. If you don’t have a gravy boat, it has probably never occurred to you that you need one. And if you aren’t hosting Thanksgiving, you don’t: You don’t need a gravy boat. You don’t need a big serving platter from which to dish out turkey. You don’t need a pie server. But it you are hosting Thanksgiving? Well, you need those things, and your local thrift store is the best place to find them. Go right now.
I love the restaurant supply store for knives, cutting boards, and storage containers, but Goodwill is my favorite place to shop for “pieces.” Within its walls, I’ve found enamel-coated cast iron dutch ovens (around $14), many beautiful serving spoons ($1 each), cute barware, and a beautiful piece of Belgian Descoware for eight whole American dollars. (I saw the same piece a few days later at a “proper” vintage store for five times the price).
Platters, salad spoons, serving spoons, salad bowls, casserole dishes, appetizer serving dishes, bread baskets, wine glasses, gravy boats—all of these treasures can be found at a thrift store for cheap—a price point that is important to me, especially for items that won’t be getting daily use. It’s also a good place to snag flatware, extra plates, and coffee mugs (so you can serve everyone coffee with their pie).
Obviously you do run the risk of not finding exactly what you want. If you are a person who needs everything to match (I struggle with this impulse), the thrift store may not be the place for you. It’s also possible you may have to go to more than one thrift store to find everything you need in the quantities you need them, but the thrill is in the hunt.
Due to the unpredictable nature of thrift store stock, you should hit yours up sooner rather than later. Most moms already know Goodwill is the spot for kitchenware (no matter the season), and they snap up stuff quickly. My stepmom has already grabbed a festive tablecloth for Thanksgiving dinner and slipped several Goodwill-purchased serving spoons into my cutlery drawer (she didn’t think I had “enough,” and she was right). Go now, is what I’m saying. Go now, and get your platter, your spoons, your gravy boat. Go now before my stepmom gets there. She will take all of the good stuff.
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