If you've ever set foot into a thrift shop, you know what an uncharted territory it is. Treasure hunting gets a whole new meaning there.
And there’s one Instagram account that celebrates beyond weird findings from the land of second-hand. “Thrift Store Art” collects the trashiest art and design-themed objects that fall out of any normal category. From puffy “The A-Team” stickers to the backpack shrouded with Nicolas Cage’s face to the point that it resembles a pinkish egg, the stuff is both eccentric and an inspiration to hold on to the bold side of life.
163K Instagram followers must be loving the weird vibes, and even if the description of “The Best Art. Ever.” sounds like a tiny bit of an exaggeration, we forgive it. Scroll down for Bored Panda's interview with Bryan Dickerson, the man behind the miscellaneous Instagram account, to find out more about the project.
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A Message From God
Hagrid Ant The Sorting Hat
Its a riff on Burt Reynolds Play Girl centerfold, down to the body hair and the bear rug
this is absolutely horrible but yet i would 100% hang this up in my house
I really don't need to know the kinky stuff Hagrid gets up with his girlfriend.
Really, some people should see the doctor about the medication they are taking
I NEED THIS!!! That's what happens when a child fan base grows up reading about magical weirdos x-D
Bear Chase
In the past decades, thrift store hunting has become a trendy thing to do, with millennials flocking to the second-hands to browse for unique and budget-friendly items. Thrift shops became popular in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis when cash-short people opted for affordable wear. According to a report by IBISWorld, the size of the thrift store market is estimated at a whopping $10 billion.
Shopping Liszt
"liszt" in Hungarian actually means flour...Sooo I guess this fits perfectly. 🙃
Chonky Cat
Disco Attack
Bored Panda contacted Bryan Dickerson to find out more about the project. It turns out, Bryan is a freelance content creator from San Francisco who combines two of his favorite things—surfing and the thrift scene. Today, he runs the miscellaneous Instagram page and the “Wave Pool Mag” platform.
After Bryan got tired of running a news website as editor-in-chief, he decided to go against all journalistic training, and that’s how “Thrift Store Art” came about. “I wanted a space where I could post fan art of Tom Selleck and say that it’s Pat Sajak or claim that every post is our 'first post ever and still our favorite!'”
The idea of Thrift Store Art is “not to bash art but to expand what can be considered as art—clothing, album art, book graphics, vacation souvenirs,” Bryan explained. Plus, it celebrates “some truly WTF projects like finding a clock with each minute marked with photos of Leonardo DiCaprio.”
The Sower
Mud Globe?
Cowboy Roller Skates
The absurdity level of these thrift items is what inspires Bryan: “It is something I would never make. But someone out there thought it was the best idea in the world and spent the time to see it through.” That’s a way to walk in “someone else’s shoes” and “experience what they feel is important in a benign and non-politically-charged way,” he explained.
It turns out, Bryan used to be a big thrift store fan himself. “Before punk rock moved to the shopping malls, all we had were thrift stores to find and create a look, decorate the apartment, or construct some kind of aesthetic,” he told us. “Table cloths became fashion ponchos, Ronco food dehydrators became wall art, and crocheted doggie pants became beer koozies,” Bryan recounted the creative days.
Hot Legs
Male Sounds
Ooh what a day... let's put on something nice to listen to: 'Ugh, yeah, Hard Hat!, Die - Slice-, Juuueeeeaaahhh!!, More Beeer!! Footbaaaalllll!! Me Mates!! Honey where are my shoes? Fart-sounds, Burb sounds, snort sounds etc. Throwing away the trash sound, 'Honey i'm off to the pub!', Loud snoring sounds for 5 hours...'
Jazzy Dragon
Do you ever look at something and think: How was this thing made? Someone had to design this, pitch this to the bosses, get it mass produced, molded, painted and for what market exactly the crossover between fantasy and jazz enthusiasts?
Now his Instagram page runs on reader submissions. “We get about 50 per day during non-pandemics so it’s all community fed and not mine.” Some of the posts, though, aren’t liked by the Instagram algorithms. “Inexplicably, a salt-and-pepper shaker of a boy and his dog got nixed, while an oil-on-canvas of a well-hung Jesus made it through.” But it’s definitely “the most awkward virtual thrift store find,” said Bryan.
Psychic Pets
He's Everywhere
Snail Baby
Devotionals For Teens
Leave Me Be
Help Me Lord
If you need a god to help you love your own child, u need serious help yourself.
Ugly Sweater
Get In Your Pants
Fluffy Pink Cat
Grandma Lassie
Sign Language Tutorial
This is when I decided to teach my daughter about sex. She came up to me and said “I know what this means” whilst doing the action that is pictured.
Wonky Jesus
Jesus warned them not to sin, but he was too righteous to say "I told you so"
Made From Grapes?
Faceless Cat
Loin King
Fallen Angel
Bad Taxidermy
Still Stripping
Eleanor Burns is a master quilter. "Strip piecing is a patchwork quilt-making technique that is accomplished by sewing multiple fabrics together to create a "strip set" that looks just like a portion of a quilt block. The strip set is cut apart to yield segments that replace two or more pieces of fabric." https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/strip-piecing-tips-and-techniques-2821620
Note: this post originally had 87 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
You make it, and there will always be someone to buy it no matter what. Some people have too much money.
#11. I have heard other sounds like, "get the H*** outta my way!", "where's my..?", "honey, have you seen my..?" Yes, some weird stuff!
So many of these are wild, wild things.......but not really in the art category.
You make it, and there will always be someone to buy it no matter what. Some people have too much money.
#11. I have heard other sounds like, "get the H*** outta my way!", "where's my..?", "honey, have you seen my..?" Yes, some weird stuff!
So many of these are wild, wild things.......but not really in the art category.
