Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 575 Comments

Our (Completely Unofficial) Macklemore Thrift Shop Challenge

Psst- We’re bouncing around the West Coast this weekend with a talk and signing in Portland on Saturday at Rejuvenation at noon (for more info call 503-238-1900). Then on Sunday we’ll be in Palo Alto at 11am at the West Elm on 180 University Avenue (RSVP here). Parking isn’t enforced on Sundays so you can park anywhere, or you can purchase a visitors pass at Palo Alto Civic Center and park in any of their lots all day.

There are two irrefutable facts about me. 1) I tend to fall in love with rappers and 2) I’m a fool for a good thrift shop. So when those two passions collided in the form of this Macklemore & Ryan Lewis song called Thrift Shop, the Internet at large was quick to clue me into its awesomeness, which started around the fall of last year and continues well into 2013. So to anyone who commented/tweeted me the link, thank you for giving me my official jam of 2012 and 2013. The clip below is the clean radio edit of the song (if you’re on a smart phone click here to watch it) but here’s a link to the official non-clean video (warning: it’s a bit, um, saltier).

And now that the song is starting to get some radio play (seriously, they’ve started playing it here in Richmond!) it gave us an idea. As J-Boom and I pulled into a thrift store while it played, I was like “Ooh look at this, it’s so meta, a song about thrifting is playing while we’re going thrifting.” And then John turned to me and said “We should do a Macklemore Thrift Shop Challenge.” And boom. Just like that I fell more in love with my husband.

Macklemore Challenge

Here’s the deal. This “Challenge” is basically an excuse to all (virtually) go thrift shopping together and share our spoils, plus there’s a scavenger-hunt-ish element tossed in for good measure. So it’s meant to be a nice low pressure Friday fun-fest. And just like our little Pinterest Challenges, if you’d like to partake and blog about it, we’ll do a little linky thing next Friday so everyone can share their favorite finds. There are just THREE things you gotta do to play along (well, four if you count blogging about it later, although of course you can play along even if you don’t have a blog).

Step #1. Go to a thrift shop with – just as the chorus of the song says – “$20 in your pocket” and take a picture.

Macklemore Twenty

Step #2. Spend that $20 any way you’d like and photograph your spoils. They can be home related, fashion oriented, kid focused, anything. And you don’t necessarily need to make them over or repurpose them at all (although that’s totally allowed too!). It’s just an adventure in seeing what people all across the country (the world?) can score with a twenty at a thrift shop. And if you don’t find enough items to spend the whole twenty, there’s no pressure to buy weird things to meet that number, so it’s more of a cap than a you-must-hit-this-exact-number thing. This isn’t The Price Is Right.

Oh yeah, and we’ll reveal our spoils with everyone else next week…

Macklemore Dolls

Step #3. Find one item (or more) referenced in the song and snap a pic. Here’s the scaveger-hunt-ish element that we tossed in because we’re weirdos. And you get bonus points for doing something ridiculous with the item in the photo. After all, Macklemore has some pretty great confidence when he’s rocking those footy pajamas.

Macklemore Keyboad

If you’re like John and have a terrible time deciphering rap lyrics, we’ve listed some of the items you could hunt for here: clothing with fringe, an all pink outfit, moccasins, a velour jumpsuit, house slippers, a brown leather jacket, a keyboard, a kneeboard, shoes with velcro, luggage, a plaid button up shirt, flannel zebra jammies, PJs with built-in socks, a telescope, and of course… a big a$$ coat.

Macklemore Coat

Feel free to interpret the scavenger hunt items as literally or as loosely as you’d like. The point is just to have some good clean thrift shop fun. Happy hunting! We’ll be back next Friday with a rundown of what we found, and we can’t wait to see what you guys score as well.

Viva la thrift shop!

Comments

  1. Olivia says

    didn’t think you guys to get cooler, but you just did. the cherry on top is if you told us clara knows the lyrics (of the clean version obviously)?!!

    Reply

  4. Stephanie C. says

    Macklemore is AMAZING. We just saw him in concert a few months ago (way to go cville for being hip with the new rappers) and EVERYONE died when they started thrift shop…(and had on some awesome digs).

    Anyway, I digress. Just wanted to pass along that I found the mecca of thrift stores in Orange County (if you guys are ever in the area/road tripping). It’s called D&J Thrift store off of Constitution Highway. I died when I went inside. It’s so flush with finds that I could barely walk through the aisles.

    Reply

  5. morgan smith says

    hahahaha was just in MD last weekend & this song was all over the radio! hasn’t hit the soundwaves yet in SC.
    A favorite line: “Probably shoulda washed this, smells like R. Kelly’s sheets, But shhh, it was ninety-nine cents!”
    Can’t wait to thrift with this blasting my ipod this weekend :)

    Reply

  6. Michelle V says

    Hahaha, this is so fun! I love you guys. :’) Too bad I wasn’t doing this challenge last weekend–I hit the thrift jackpot and got so many goodies! No joke–I even found a velour jumpsuit. Purple. Skin tight. AMAZING. Needless to say, it came home with mama. ;)

    Reply

  7. Kara says

    OMG. You guys are awesome. My husband sent me the link to the video on youtube a few months ago because I’m an avid thrifter. Now, I’m trying to rope him and my BFF in to doing the challenge this weekend!

    Reply

  8. Emily says

    HA! This might be my favorite challenge yet. I’ve never jumped in on any blogger challenges, but you bet your big a$$ coast I’m going to do this one!

    Reply

  16. Josie says

    Maybe you need to stop in CO on your way back east and see him headline at the second annual Winter on the Rocks at Red Rocks 2/01! I am going and wearing my big a$$ “Narnia” sheepskin coat I got for $20 at… well, you know.

    Reply

  18. Donna says

    This post left me crying from laughing so hard! You guys are friggin’ nuts! Never stop, and $herdog, you ROCKED that big-a$$ coat!

    Reply

  20. Kim Wethe Rily says

    I know I’ve heard that song a bunch of times. However, never realized he was talking abotu shopping at the goodwill. :) Gotta say, I hate those bleeped songs, because even when they bleep it, you know what they’re saying. All they did was take out the Fuc I think we all know what ***king is. And half the time they only take out the “uc”. Kinda crazy what they can get away with.

    Right up there with Yippee-Ki-ay, Mr. Falcon.

    Reply

  21. Sarah @ The Ugly Duckling House says

    One of my readers just posted that you guys blogged about Mackelmore today. Because I did too. Guess without even realizing it, I participated in your challenge (and only demonstrates how *awesome* this song is for thrifting)! I didn’t find a broken keyboard though… I was looking! From one “cold a$$ honkey” to another, love it!

    Reply

  23. Lorilyn says

    Oh my goodness – I think the coat Sherry is wearing is the same one as my dearly deceased grandmother used to own. Word to my grandmother.

    Just yesterday my husband gave me a lecture about all these items I made him take to Goodwill, that I had previously 2 years earlier bought at Goodwill… Needless to say I’ll have to skip the challenge this time – but am excited to see everyone else’s goodies.

    Reply

  26. Abby J. says

    OMG, I heard this song on the radio yesterday (in KY) and it came on in the middle of the song. It didn’t make any sense to me until now!

    Reply

  27. Megan says

    I am in love with this song. My fave running tune for sure! Might try to convince my hubs to join me in this challenge!

    Reply

  28. Jessica J. says

    I’m a little disappointed that there wasn’t a tie-in to Seattle in this post. You post this the same day you’re here for the book signing, Macklemore is from Seattle, and the city doesn’t event get a shout-out? ;)

    Reply

  31. Keri C says

    I love this song! I saw these guys at Sasquatch last year and I always bust out this song when I’m on my way to a thrift shop!

    Are you really going to be I Portland? I have a baby shower to go to at 2:00…but really want to go to your signing! Tried to RSVP, but the link doesn’t seem to be working. : /

    Far too much going on this weekend to do this thrift challenge…but next week…oh it’s on!

    Reply

  35. Melinda says

    Yesssssss! I’m busting out my white girl rapper name from college to take on this challenge – watch out 50% off Salvation Army day! Mo-niqua and Andrew J. are about to blow you up! Please, dear thrift store gods, let me find a ceramic animal for $her-dog to sign for me in Palo Alto!

    Reply

  37. Talia says

    Love this idea! I actually live in Seattle where Macklemore and Ryan Lewis live and shop at the same thrift stores that are in the video! P.S. Seattle is just a quick drive up from Tacoma! Just saying! :)

    Reply

  40. LeslieV says

    LOVE this song and challenge! You guys are awesome. Thrift Shop is one of my favorite songs to run to! Now I’ll just have to run to the thrift store…

    Reply

  43. Jesse says

    Oh wow! You guys are coming to my area on Sunday (Bay Area, palo alto) That’s awesome, I’ll try to make it over – I’ve wanted to meet you both forever. Unless of course you have a stop in Santa Cruz planned – hehehe…

    Reply

  44. Brookelyn says

    This is classic and I fully support! The bf recently had a birthday and his one request for the party was in order to attend the adult bowling/arcade you had to first stop at the thrift store and buy a Macklemore inspired outfit.

    Reply

  45. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    HAHAHA! I love the challenge and I accept the challenge. Just remind everyone that you don’t endorse poppin’ tags (switching the prices) so that no “I got arrested” posts start popping up next Friday. ;o) Have a great and safe weekend guys! *Forrest Gump wave*

    My best, Lynn

    Reply

  46. Spring says

    Darn, I went thrifting yesterday. Went in with $10 and came out with one kid’s dress. That only cost 53¢ (it was half off).

    Reply

  47. Heather says

    I play this song on repeat. I even got my 61 year old dad singing (um…rapping?) it too. He always says “I have a 20 dolla bill in my pocket!” We’re working on it…

    Y’all are now my new favorite people. Obsessed.

    Reply

  49. N Shirley says

    Great idea- unfortunately I stopped at the thrift store on my way HOME today and didn’t get the challenge until I arrived HOME! Loved the video! On a related theme, my husband works for an aviation company and his union members were trying to get the company to buy them cold weather gear since they are often out on the flight field at night and in very cold weather during the day. The company refused until two guys went to Goodwill- one bought a camel ladies’ coat with a raccoon collar and the other guy bought a mink coat. They wore them on the flight field parking planes, a customer of this multimillion dollar company saw them, complained, and they got their cold weather gear.(And the two guys did not lose their jobs!)

    Reply

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *