Bay Area Thrift Stores

San Leandro. Thrift Town 16160 East 14th St. San Leandro, CA I absolutely loved this thrift store. It was huge, well organized, and packed full of fabulous items. I had a hard time finding much clothes that I liked or that were not outrageously priced. I did find some great slips here, so it could have just been an off day for the clothes I looked at. They had a wonderful selection of books, household items, vintage shoes, and luggage. I definitely, definitely am going back next time I make my rounds up North!

Berkeley Goodwill 2058 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA This is a nice big store. Unfortunately we were on our way to lunch and I only had a chance to look through a small portion of their clothes. The prices are about the same as most shops in the area, and though I didn’t find anything spectacular, I think it could have just been an off day. I will probably go back if I happen to be in that area again.

Oakland Clausen House Thrift 4834 Telegraph Ave Oakland, CA I went to this thrift store a while back with my mom and had some pretty good luck finding good items. This time around, the whole store looked different, and while more organized, I didn’t see a single thing in this tiny store that so much as caught my eye. I would only go back if I were walking by and needing to kill a few minutes.

Saint Vincent de Paul Outlet Store 9235 San Leandro St. Oakland, CA This was a funny store, and one that would be incredibly easy to miss. I’m not sure how my mom found it, seeing that the outlet is in back of another store, which you have to walk through to get to. They had a fair selection of clothes, were very well organized, and not too overpriced. There was a huge selection of furniture, and only one other shopper in the store, which was kind of strange, but we had lots of room to look!

I have composed a listing of Thrift Stores in the Bay Area.... Oakland, San Leandro, El Ceritto, San Francisco, etc. Go here to see our Bay Area Thrift Store guide.

Big Brother is Watching!!

All License Plates to be Photographed in Arzona.
Michael Ferraresi The Arizona Republic November 23, 2008
Officer David Callister parks his patrol car under a shady interstate overpass, angling his cameras to target a flurry of passing traffic. Then he waits.

Infrared units mounted to the front of Callister’s vehicle scan the license plates of a Casa Grande firefighter, an Ohio State football fan and everyone else who drives past as he hunts for stolen vehicles.

Every plate is photographed, time-stamped, labeled on a GPS map and automatically logged into an Arizona Department of Public Safety database. An electronic voice alerts Callister to stolen vehicles within seconds after they pass, giving him the ability to make quick arrests.

Callister is among the growing number of Arizona officers who use cameras to scan thousands of plates on a daily basis, sweeping parking lots and highways to recover stolen vehicles faster than ever before. Read article

What to Watch: Oregon is using this same technology to track the number of miles motorists drive on Oregon roads so citizens can be tracked [and TAXED] by the mile. STORY HERE

Canopies for events (EZups, Caravan, etc)

ADDED ON 01/06/09 I just received my canopy and opened it up and it was broken. I am through with these cheap COSTCO canopies...like I said last week, mentioning that they are cheaply made. The PLASTIC PIECE ON ONE OF THE CORNERS was broken and the canopy is useless. I called COSTCO and had to wait half an hour and they told me to call the individual stores and that I did. Hayward Business Center....no canopy. San Leandro, no canopy. Fremont... no canopy and I was told that the COSTCO's no longer carry them in their stores, you have to order them. I explained that I needed it by Tuesday and it was tough turkey for me. He said that I could bring my canopy to any store and get a refund. Wow. What a burn. Did I ever get screwed on this piece of junk. DO NOT BUY COSTCO CANOPIES.

I doubt that UPS damaaged it in shipping because there were no frayed edges on the box. No sign of damage on it. Additionally there's a round thing that goes on top of the canopy and it was attached to the middle pole that extends upward. Broken. So it looks like I have to use an old CARAVAN canopy of mine that has a big tear on the side of the top piece and I have to tie a couple pieces together to hold them in place. My 'better' canopy has patched up holes on top and a couple connectors snapped. Both covers sag terribly and I hope that we don't have rain. I am sure that either of those two canopie would win the 'Ugliest Canopy Contest'.

I will never ever buy another COSTCO CANOPY again. Usually I get to use them 2 or 3 times at least before they start breaking, cover tearing or pieces snapping off. Pay the money... GET YOURSELF a decent EZ-UP or something similar, but do not buy COSTCO CANOPIES. Piece of trash.

This is what I said last week, before I received the canopy.

I just came across a website that has a wide selection of canopies for A&C Shows, festivals, street fairs or whatever you wish to one for. I just bought my 4th Caravan Canopy from COSTCO and they are half-way decent. Kind of light though and not made of steel like some of the better quality one's out there. Covers are fair and the sides of these are cheaply made.

If you want somewhat better quality canopies, such as the E-Z Up's here is a website that you can take a look at. They have a nice selection and the website is nicely designed. Large pictures of various canopies along with the features of each. They have The ENTERPRISE II, HUT, & ECLIPSE II. Also DOME II. They have accessories for the canopies; sidewalls, etc

http://www.craftcanopy.com/ezup.htm