In times of high consumption, when companies are racing against each other to offer their customers choices of products at competitive prices, marketing tricks get into people’s heads, making them fall for it and buy stuff they don’t even need, just to stack them at home and eventually get rid of them. Some will simply dump these items to get some free space (and buy more gadgets). Alternatively, all these forgotten, often brand-new items may be donated to thrift stores. This is probably the best scenario, as many of these products can be upcycled and used by people who actually want and need them.

Let’s talk about thrift stores. Very often, they have a unique charm that attracts a diverse range of people. This is the place where you can find a wide variety of items, some more or less precious. Today we would like to highlight some of those “lucky findings”. We have selected the best images collected by the Instagram account ‘Thrift Store Art.’ Get ready to be left speechless and ask yourself, “What am I actually looking at?” You may also have a good laugh at goods offered for sale to the wider public. One way or another, be prepared to be entertained and, after all, let us know in the comments below what was the luckiest find you encountered during your thrift shopping.

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Image credits: thriftstoreart

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Image credits: thriftstoreart

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Image credits: thriftstoreart

In order to get more details about thrift stores and surprising items you may stumble upon while browsing for something you actually need, we have contacted a painter, Wesley Altena. The artist specializes in upcycling old paintings into unique, contemporary pieces of art. He tells about himself: “There’s an artist out there who has taken forgotten paintings from thrift stores and turned them into something truly special.” If you’re interested in Altena’s work, we highly recommend you check out the Bored Panda post featuring his paintings. This time we wanted to find out more about his passion for thrift shopping in particular. Scroll down to read more about what the artist shared with us.

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Image credits: thriftstoreart

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Image credits: thriftstoreart

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Image credits: thriftstoreart

First, we were wondering what the most surprising or unexpected painting Wesley has come across was, that later he turned into a remarkable piece of art. Altena said: “Together with my wife I was away for a weekend in Antwerp (Belgium). We woke up and walked out of the hotel, and then there was a market right in front of us. The whole sidewalk was covered with old paintings. It was a Valhalla for me, and I brought a number of them with me. One has been repainted into a work I’m most proud of to date. Since then we have visited many markets in that area!”

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Image credits: thriftstoreart

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Image credits: thriftstoreart

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Image credits: thriftstoreart

Asked to share a story of an artwork he initially overlooked but later realized its potential after a second visit to the thrift shop, Wesley Altena told us: “In fact, quite the opposite at first. Sometimes I take something with me, and I take a closer look at it at home, and then it just isn’t it. Would it then be a wrong purchase? No, some paintings are sometimes there for a year before I really start. There is always something to do with it! And if I see something with potential in the thrift store and don’t take it with me, it’s because I already have enough paintings in the car!”

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Image credits: thriftstoreart

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Image credits: thriftstoreart

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Image credits: thriftstoreart

Lastly, we were curious if the artist could tell us about any particularly funny, weird, or lucky discovery he made during his search for paintings to transform. We found out that: “The best location I’ve been to buy old paintings was here just across the border from the Netherlands in Belgium. There’s ‘Snuffelland’. Large corridors and halls were full of stalls. As if you’re going back in time… but worse. They sell stuff that we wouldn’t hesitate to throw away 20 years ago. Also, the power goes out every 5 minutes and you’re suddenly in the dark. Greasy snacks, and bad live performances by local artists. But… a cozy place with very friendly people. And a nice painting here and there for little money makes it a nice place to go!”