Thrift Store Find! :)

Last Friday, the unbelievable happened.  I actually found an almost brand-new American Girl doll at a local thrift store!  :D

If I believed in coincidences (which I don't), this would have been one of the biggest ones ever, at least for me!  It was the day I usually go into my daughter's first grade class to read to the kids.  Normally, I stay afterwards to help with craft time, but today I had an appointment at the chiropractor's.  I headed over, had my appointment, and found that I had 20 minutes left before I had to pick my daughter up from school.  The school was about 5 minutes away, and I didn't want to sit that long. 

As I sat there, trying to decide where to go for 10 minutes, I remembered "That Baby Store" (yes, that's really what it's called).  I'd been meaning to go in there and check it out for a while.  Even though I'm past the baby stage, they have toys and other things for children as well as baby things.  It was just up the street and a place that I never seemed to get to with my girls.  The timing would be just about right.  Why not go for it?

I actually took a wrong turn and almost debated going somewhere else, but figured, "No, I wanted to go there.  It's the perfect distance from the school..." and so on. :)  I climbed out of the car, walked over to the store, opened the door...and the first thing I saw was a beautiful Mattel Samantha looking down at me from a top shelf towards the middle of the store. 

Now, of course, every time I go into a store, I harbor a teeny weeny hope that something like this will happen to me.  I just never expected it to actually happen!  I walked (briskly) over to the shelf, pulled her down, and looked her over.  She was almost brand new:  tight limbs, no visible marks, original curl still in her hair, perfect eyes.  She was wearing the green and purple Jumper and Boots JLY set from 2008 (and no, I didn't actually know what it was called at the time...I'm not that good! ;)  I did recognize the outfit and see the AG tags on it).  She was marked at an unbelievable price...but still high enough that it didn't technically fit in the budget.  But what was I supposed to do?  There was no way I was going to walk out and leave that doll there!!

The only way I could justify it was deciding that I would re-sell her, or at least sell her clothes, or something.  Quite honestly, I was so dazed at the amazing discovery that I wasn't really thinking clearly.  The lady at the checkout mentioned that she had just been donated the day before.  Talk about perfect timing!

Before I knew it, I was walking to the car, holding her, and calling my mom to tell her the good news. :)  I'm surprised I didn't hyperventilate!!

So here she is:  beautiful Sam. 

Notice how nice and tight her arms are?

I'm still figuring out what her fate will be.  I sold the outfit, and boy, was that tough!  I purposely did not try the outfit on Emma.  I knew it would look great with her green eyes and then I would talk myself out of getting rid of it.  I had to at least partially reimburse myself for what I spent!  Right now, Sam's listed for sale on AG Playthings, but no one seems interested in a Samantha doll.  In some ways, it would be fun to keep her.  But the truth is, I don't have enough room to have an extensive collection.  I already have my Gotz Little Sisters Tess doll, who looks similar to a Samantha.  I also have a Pre-Mattel Samantha that my mom is going to let me have once I fix her up.  Quite honestly, I prefer the PM Samantha faces because they remind me of my childhood.  I could just make this Sam into a different character.  But do I really need 3 similar dolls when I'm looking at trying to stick to no more than 12 or 13?  

Truth be told, I was hoping this doll would be my "golden ticket" to get my hands on either a My AG #25 or a Rebecca doll.  I've decided I'd like to get a #25 to be a middle sister for Emma and Charlie.  I don't have real definite plans for Rebecca.  I just know that eventually I'd like her to be a part of my collection.  No one on AG Playthings seems interested in trading, either.

So, we'll just see what happens.  I may just end up keeping her.  EBay was going to be my next step after AG Playthings, but Samanthas haven't been selling real well recently on eBay.  If I can only sell her for a minimal amount, I'd rather just keep her.  I'll keep you guys posted on what I decide. :)

What was your most exciting thrift store find?