+
Joy

People are sharing the weirdest, most unforgettable art they've found in thrift stores

As the old saying goes, one person's trash is another one's treasure.

thrift store art, thrift stores, bryan dickerson

A few of the rare finds at Thrift Store Art's Instagram page

As the old saying goes, one person's trash is another one's treasure.

Even though people can easily buy used items on eBay, the thrift store business thrives in America, bringing in an estimated $10 billion annually. At a time when the economy is shaky, thrift stores are a recession-proof business. When times are tough, people love to find a deal, and there's never any end to the fashionistas who roam thrift stores looking for a rare find.

San Francisco surfer and self-proclaimed thrift store junkie Bryan Dickerson has turned his passion for rare treasures into an Instagram page with over 246,000 followers. Thrift Store Art showcases the most bizarre things that thrifters find in stores and leans heavily into strange-looking works of art and clothing with questionable sayings. His crowds of followers send him countless strange finds every day, and he rewards them by calling them rude names in the comments.

But for Dickerson, it's all in fun.

He told Bored Panda that 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.” Dickerson's foray into thrift store content was a much-needed break from his job as the editor of a news website.


“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!'” he told Bored Panda.

Here are 13 of the best finds from Thrift Store Art and they cover everything from odd-looking rock stars to a truly epic portrait of a sad Barack Obama.

1.

This appears to be a work of art celebrating a kind-looking lady with three beautiful cats and a husband that loves to light up a Camel while sitting shirtless in his Lazy Boy.

thrift store art, bad art, paintings

Painting of a family

via Thrift Store Art

2.

It's either Elvis Presley after he went a few rounds with Muhammad Ali or an impersonator with a rather large nose.

thrift store art, bad art, elvis

The King (we think)

via Thrift Store Art

3.

"Chewy loves the little children. All of the children of the world."

thrift store art, bad art, chewbacca

Chewbacca scaring children

via Thrift Store Art

​4.

The Kennedy brothers as remembered by someone with some serious issues with depth perception.

thrift store art, bad art, jfk, rfk

John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy

via Thrift Store Art

5.

A pillow of former President George W. Bush admiring Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This probably helped a lot of people sleep easily in the early aughts.

thrift store art, bad art, george w. bush

George W. Bush and Jesus pillow

via Thrift Store Art

​6.

It's either a coffee mug of E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial or a monkey missing an arm. You decide.

thrift store art, bad art, et

E.T. in his teapot pose

via Thrift Store Art

7.

This is truly an impressive beehive. Priscilla Presley would totally be jealous.

thrift store art, bad art, big hair

A woman with an enormous beehive hairdo

via Thrift Store Art

8.

The artist took a big swing at capturing the majesty of Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, but the piece falls a little flat. It could be that it looks like the microphone is attached to an upright vacuum cleaner.

thrift store art, bad art, queen

Freddie Mercury on canvas

via Thrift Store Art

9.

David Bowie's French passport was located in a thrift store in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

thrift store art, bad art, david bowie

Ziggy Stardust sans Spiders from Mars

via Thrift Store Art

10.

The guy on top is clearly John Lennon and beneath him, Paul McCartney. But the other two don't resemble Beatles at all. It's more like John Oates from Hall and Oates and Sonny Bono. This must have been for some Monsters of Rock-themed Ice Capades show.

thrift store art, bad art, beatles

The Beatles on ice

via Thrift Store Art

11.

This is the look Willie Nelson gives people when they owe him money.

thrift store art, bad art,

A stern-looking Willie Nelson

via Thrift Store Art

12.

It's either former president Barack Obama or Moe Howard of "The Three Stooges" after a lousy round of golf.

thrift store art, bad art, obama

Obama looking super bummed out

via Thrift Store Art

13.

This painting appears to be a tribute to a dog that really needs some water.

thrift store art, bad art, dog painting

A painting of a dog panting

via Thrift Store Art

True

In a flurry of heavy headlines that constantly inundate our feeds, acts of good connect us back to our faith in humanity. Witnessing just one person go out of their way to make the world a better place is a powerful healing salve against apathy. It reminds us all of what we are collectively capable of creating. This is the philosophy that Upworthy wholeheartedly believes in, hence why we’re always sharing uplifting stories of people giving kindness, generosity and support to their fellow humans.

That’s also why we’re partnering with P&G, the maker of some of our favorite household products like Tide, Always and Pampers, to bring you the 2023 Acts of Good Awards, and celebrate the individuals who are giving back and strengthening their communities.

Think of it like the Oscars of kindness. Half as formal but twice as feel-good.

Besides providing the world with brands we know and trust, P&G is a company doing good acts, whether it’s supporting hygiene education, helping struggling communities gain access to basic necessities or delivering essentials for families impacted by disasters.

Keep ReadingShow less

Mariandrea Villegas dancing with Phil Wright at The Dance Awards.

Humans may not always recognize greatness right away, but sometimes it's so clear it simply can't be denied.

You don't have to be a dancer yourself to see when someone's got moves, and a viral video from choreographer Phil Wright spotlights a kid who's got moves. Like, wow.

Mariandrea Villegas may be tiny, but she packs a mighty amount of energy, skill, coordination and x-factor into her dancing. Oh and joy. Did I mention joy?

Keep ReadingShow less
Sponsored

ACUVUE launches a new campaign to inspire Gen Z to put down their phones and follow their vision

What will you create on your social media break? Share it at #MyVisionMySight.

True

If you’ve always lived in a world with social media, it can be tough to truly understand how it affects your life. One of the best ways to grasp its impact is to take a break to see what life is like without being tethered to your phone and distracted by a constant stream of notifications.

Knowing when to disconnect is becoming increasingly important as younger people are becoming aware of the adverse effects screen time can have on their eyes. According to Eyesafe Nielsen, adults are now spending 13-plus hours a day on their digital devices, a 35% increase from 2019.1. Many of us now spend more time staring at screens on a given day than we do sleeping which can impact our eye health.

Normally, you blink around 15 times per minute, however, focusing your eyes on computer screens or other digital displays have been shown to reduce your blink rate by up to 60%.2 Reduced blinking can destabilize your eyes’ tear film, causing dry, tired eyes and blurred vision.3

Keep ReadingShow less
Canva

As long as there are people in the world, we will need to know how to communicate effectively.

Conversation etiquette varies between generations, cultures and platforms. Younger age groups might take words once thought to be insulting and use them in an opposite way as a form of reclamation. In some countries, talking about politics or religion is considered rude, while in others it’s completely acceptable. And certainly, there are quite a few things muttered online that (hopefully) someone would never actually say out loud. (Though it might be a good practice to not type it, either.)

And yet, despite all the nuance, there are a few key approaches that create a widely agreed upon golden standard, such as active listening, having a clear purpose in what’s being said and, ultimately, showing respect for who is being spoken to. These simple guidelines can help a person be more engaging and charismatic, which can obviously be useful traits whether you’re looking to change the world or just connect with new people.

Likewise, there are fairly universal things that can be said in a conversation that instantly come across as unlikeable. Redditor u/theevilempire asked folks to list certain words or phrases that elicited an overall negative reaction when heard, and commenters didn’t hold back.
Keep ReadingShow less
Science

Researchers dumped tons of coffee waste into a forest. This is what it looks like now.

30 dump truck loads and two years later, the forest looks totally different.

One of the biggest problems with coffee production is that it generates an incredible amount of waste. Once coffee beans are separated from cherries, about 45% of the entire biomass is discarded.

So for every pound of roasted coffee we enjoy, an equivalent amount of coffee pulp is discarded into massive landfills across the globe. That means that approximately 10 million tons of coffee pulp is discarded into the environment every year.

Keep ReadingShow less

Working moms are filing for divorce more often

Being a parent is a full time job but without the money and health benefits. Kissing scrapped knees, planning meals, scheduling doctor appointments, extracurricular activities, PTO meetings, the list could go on for days. But in today's society many women with children not only work inside the home but outside as well because a two income household is necessary in many cases. So why are moms leaving their marriages to do it all on their own?

Divorce attorney, Dennis Vetrano Jr. posted a video to TikTok that has over 7.4 million views, explaining the rise of working moms filing for divorce. The revelation came as no surprise to women or other divorce attorneys who commented under Vetrano's video but it may be surprising to some men.

You know how there's that saying that girls mature faster than boys, the initiation of divorce by working moms may be a continuation of that notion.

Keep ReadingShow less

Curvy and Confident: These stylish retro swimsuits empower every body type

Unleash your inner pinup with swimwear from Unique Vintage

Editor's Note: Upworthy earns revenue from the items shared in this story


Body positivity and empowerment have become essential aspects of the fashion world, and swimwear is no exception. Embracing your curves and feeling confident in your own skin should be a universal experience. Luckily, finding that confidence is easier than ever, thanks to Unique Vintage. With their stylish, retro-inspired swimsuits, everyone can unleash their inner pinup and feel fabulous at the beach or by the pool.


Sign up for texts or emails and
GET 20% OFF
unique vintage swimwear
Unique Vintage Swimwear
Prices start at $32


Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Turns out there's a scientific reason kids aren't cold when adults are freezing

Teens in shorts and hoodies while there's snow on the ground aren't as cold as parents think.

Photo by Darran Shen on Unsplash

Kids really aren't that cold in the winter and science proves it.

The argument to wear warm clothes when temperatures dip is a rite of passage in parenting. It never fails—you're either locked in a heated debate with a tiny human who just learned to speak a year ago or rolling your eyes as your teenager leaves the house in shorts when it's 30 degrees outside. Reasoning with your child to put on proper pants for the weather simply evolves as they get older.

Seemingly, once kids reach a certain age, parents stop trying to convince them that coats, hats and gloves are designed to be more than closet ornaments. But it turns out that kids might be on to something, or at least know their temperature comfort levels better than the adults around them. Recently, Vox explored why children seem to be unfazed by weather that sends most adults back inside the house to grab a wool hat and a winter coat.

Keep ReadingShow less