Shopper stunned after realizing true value of thrift store purchase: 'Felt like I was driving a getaway car'

One shopper was in disbelief after they snagged an antique Ethan Allen heirloom bookcase from 1996 for just $20. The brand usually retails for thousands of dollars and retails on vintage websites like Etsy for hundreds.

"Didn't notice it was Ethan Allen until I was loading it up," the shopper said in the subreddit r/ThriftStoreHauls. "Felt like I was driving a getaway car after realizing," they continued.

The holy grail find is another success story from thrifters gaining epic, high-quality finds for a fraction of a product's original price. While these finds seem like exceptions, they are becoming the rule in thrift spaces.

Exceptional furniture by renowned brands has been left out on curbsides for free, found for cheap on resale websites, and even spotted at dump yard stores. The circular economy enables shoppers to snag valuable items that they may not be able to afford, and the circular market is growing, projected to reach over $4.5 trillion by 2030 — proof that more shoppers are likely to stumble across high-grade items by simply popping to their local thrift store.

Beyond just the value that these finds are offering consumers, valuable thrifted finds are making great strides in lowering air, water, and soil pollution. They reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills, mitigate the endless chain of production, and slow down resource depletion.

The furniture industry is estimated to contribute about 12% of all polluting emissions globally. This comes from the fast furniture market, which relies on deforestation and supply-chain pollution. One report found that producing just one piece of 'fast furniture' can emit as much as 47 kg of polluting emissions, the same amount emitted from burning about 5.3 gallons of gasoline.

Fast furniture has also been linked to hazardous chemicals entering the home. Many of the furniture pieces are treated with harmful chemicals, leading to "negative impacts on both your health and the environment."

To combat the high amount of pollutants that make their way into the air, water, and soil, in addition to your home, sourcing finds from thrift stores, curbsides, or dump yards can make a great impact.

Redditors were enthralled by the OP's find.

"Love it," wrote one. "Would buy. Well done."

Another praised the Redditors' find, "Beautiful piece! Great catch!"

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