Finder’s Fi Secondhand serendipity

Instead of busily tracking down your next vintage purchase, see what happens when you let things find you

Usually in this column I write about actively hunting out secondhand items by visiting vintage shops and searching online. But I’m also open to things finding me. Some of the best finds have come that way, from street-side furniture (free to a good home) to hand-me-downs from friends and items spotted while idly window shopping.

Once people know you like to reuse things, they often offer you their cast-offs.

I’ve received some wonderful homeware and artworks this way. Obviously you don’t have to take everything offered, but often friends, colleagues and family members will know your style, and give you things you’ll like.

I’ve got a whole gallery wall of gifted art in my hallway from a friend who needed to declutter, a comfy couch passed on by family, and a sideboard full of inherited cups and saucers. I like the idea of keeping a reminder of these special people at home.

Similarly, family heirlooms can be some of the most meaningful ‘finds’. An inherited object may not be in your usual style, but the sentimental value renders it worth keeping. By incorporating just a small number of heirlooms into your decor, you won’t need to worry about your house becoming too cluttered or old-fashioned-looking. (Note to self: declutter house!)

Auckland Council recently changed its inorganic rubbish collection from a curbside pick-up to a booking system. Although the old format saw the streets become a mess of broken objects, they were also a finder’s feast. When I lived on Waiheke Island, almost every second house tossed a perfectly good barbecue out, and we had our pick of the bunch – we just had to get our prize home, wheeling it down a steep island path and back up the hill to our house (no big deal).

Although I miss the treasure hunting, I do support the new collection format – it’s less

hazardous, less wasteful, and items are more effectively repurposed as they are donated to recycling centres and charities.

It’s not just inanimate objects that find you, though. While filming a Finder’s Fi segment for TV show The Project last year, to promote Buy Nothing New Month, the host asked what my best secondhand find had been. Without thinking, I said, “My cat.” I quickly added a more practical answer: my wedding dress, which was $50 on Trade Me. The cat comment was edited out, but it was true.

As my husband is allergic to cats, we were not in the market for one. But, as pets often do, Bruce chose us. This unremarkablelooking neighbourhood cat, who had a lot of love to give and no one to love him, showed us that gems can be found in the most unlikely places.

Houses can find you, too. We didn’t have to search for our current home; it appeared at the perfect time, suggested by a family member. Jobs: ditto. Those things you don’t go looking for can turn out to be some of the best, and sometimes when you stop searching, everything falls into place. You just have to be open to the unexpected. •