The Difference Between Vintage and Thrift Stores

Good morning! Welcome to my brief tutorial about Vintage versus Thrift shops. I know that since we took over this consignment store in December of 2012, we have received many questions pertaining to the cost of our items, where we get them, how our policy works, etc. In this blog, I have decided to give a brief Q&A session on what makes us tick.

Consignment shops are stores that hand pick items that individuals bring in and then they price them accordingly. As they sell, the amount is split between the consignor and consignee. It's usually 50/50 split unless repairs or cleaning has to be done.  RCMoore Unique/The Good Buy Girls consign only furs and couture items that are very expensive. 

Vintage items are from specific periods of time. Usually they are rare and unusual. Prices range from 10.00 to $500 or even more. RCMoore Unique/The Good Buy Girls search all over the world for items that are unique rare and funky. We are priced according to market demands and we are well known in the theater groups for being the 'go-to' place for costuming. We also make our own costumes if a group needs something. 

Thrift is usually lower priced items that you can find anywhere. Thrift stores usually sell things that are donated. The proceeds usually go to a charity. RCMoore Unique/The Good Buy Girls is NOT a thrift store. We do not sell donated items. We have paid for the items we sell and also, we cater to the UNIQUE. 

We also sell NEW items that are unusual. We have a wide variety of clientele. We support women owned businesses which is where we get some of the crazy jewelry we provide. I hand pick every single item that comes in this shop. It's here because I like it, it's unusual and funky. Sometimes we repurpose it to make it even more unique. Don't be afraid to stop in and try us.  I promise you will like it here, and you may not ever want to leave!

See you soon!

Rose Ellen Moore
www.rcmooreunique.com

So what exactly is beautiful? Is it a woman or man with a perfect form? Is it the smile of child? Is it a garden full of flowers or a perfect sunset? I learned long ago from my grandmother that beauty is class. By class I mean respect for oneself. Respect for others. A beautiful heart and a smile for everyone. So, with that being said, I am starting a blog for the women who feel less than beautiful for whatever reason. For the woman who is badgered on a daily basis from her husband, boyfriend or family members and feels worthless. For the woman who has cancer and learns that she must lose whatever part of her body due to this illness. For the woman who feels she has failed as a parent because her children did not make the wisest choices and now have to pay the consequences of their choices. For the woman who feels rejected by society because she is too many sizes bigger than the 'normal' woman.  For the woman who feels as Pink says, "Less than perfect".  I am here to give women hope, confidence, and to make them feel beautiful at any age and at any size. No matter what is going on in their lives, I GET IT! I've been there and I've cried the buckets of tears, punished my body and mind and now at 51 I am here to say, approval from anyone is not important .  Approval from your Creator and from your inner self is all that's needed. Like a dinner at a beautiful restaurant, presentation is key. Imagine yourself as a beautiful decadent desert...chocolate, with whipped cream, complete with a cherry on top. Sitting on a plate of confidence and served with a dose of positivity and love. 
     Lets start with the desert itself. A woman needs to present herself at her best every day. That's hard, but start with a litany of gratitude every morning to put your mind in the right perspective. Choose an outfit that reflects the inner you. Don't choose something to HIDE rather choose something to ENHANCE. Then, make up, jewelry, hair....(I can hear some of you...I DON"T WEAR MAKE UP>>>I DON"T LIKE TO DO MY HAIR) ok ok!  lets try a hat...lets try a wig...how about a beautiful head wrap....we have options. No make up? ok..how about just some moisturizer and a complexion cream that will even out your skin tone. that's it!   wearing a dress? Don't forget your hose!!! and if you say it's too hot? well....make sure your skirt is to the knee or below. Nothing screams ' no class low class '  than a woman with a short short dress and no stockings~ Proper undergarments are important as well. Make sure your bra actually performs a function which is LIFTING UP! If your 'sisters' are not in the right place..get a new bra! got a tummy? I do too. Try some spanx or some support hose to get everything smooth and tucked in. Ok..we are all together. Desert is complete. Now for our plate. Whatever you have on....LOVE IT! OWN IT! Walk with a purpose, head up, back straight ....there you go! Do you have to walk passed a group of men on the sidewalk to get to your job? are they harassing you? Just keep in your head...they are not the fashion police. If a man does not tip his hat, or his head, or give you a kind word or a simple hello, he is not worth a look or a gesture. They simply do not exist. It only takes a minute to walk passed, you blessed them with your presence, now they are gone. Simple. 
        If women at work are talking about you? great! that means you are doing something right. Because usually other women who have low self esteem HATE women who have confidence. What to do? Nothing. You keep doing YOUR do...and leave them in DOO DOO! They aren't worth the nit picking and aggravation. Don't let them take what you have away. Now serve up your delicious desert to everyone who would like to have some. Serve with a smile and there you go....beauty...class.....strong woman. And remember, there is a special place in hell for a woman who does not lift up her sister. Remember that as you enjoy being the beautiful desert that is called YOU!

Rose Ellen Moore
www.rcmooreunique.com

What and who is the perfect woman?.......ME!

This morning as usual I came to work and scrolled down the never-ending streams of news on my facebook newsfeed. I came across one that was alarming and well-written. The link is below:
http://www.dailyhiit.com/hiit-blog/hiit-life/fashion-lifestyle/perfect-woman-looks-like-according-men/

 A woman named Racheal Wright writes a blog for "The daily Hit". She wrote that a make up company took a survey and discovered what the 'perfect woman' looks like according to men. Well, Racheal had alot to say about this. I came to love this woman as she explained to these misguided people, that beauty comes from 'imperfections'...beauty comes in all forms. The gap in your teeth may be attractive to that one man who loves that itty bitty thing about you...She writes that "comparison is the thief of all joy." and she also writes that Perfection is boring...which it is.

I came to admire this woman as she spoke for all sisters. She asked, "why is it that white women are seen as the model for beauty?"  Yes, why does society do that?  Why should society dictate how thin my thighs should be, or how straight or curly my hair should be?  I always read fashion magazines to inform myself of what is 'in' for the season. Only to find that my hair or complexion is 'out'..  They can all go to HELL! I'm always IN! I like me! AND...If WE as WOMEN do not put our foot down and let society and fashion magazines, and movie stars know that WE do not CARE what they THINK then we will always be a prisoner and a victim of their opinions.

I hope that all of you read Racheal's article and I hope that all of you realize how special, and wonderful each of us is made to be. Put your best foot forward and a smile on your face.  I guarantee you will look much better than these 2 faces mixed up of the 'best' of hollywood's glamour. What makes you YOU? All the beautiful things that you do and think make up the beauty in you. The amount of time and care you put into your job, taking care of your family, doing things for others, being crazy fun with your girlfriends and enjoying some good music. Maybe you are a writer of poetry or children's stories..maybe you make jewelry, art, maybe you are a police woman, a lawyer, an advocate of somekind. Pick all the favorite things about yourself and reflect on them. How wonderful are you!  Whoever you are, enjoy your culture, your beauty, your LIFE!

Rose Ellen Mooire

www.rcmooreunique.com

RCMoore for the Unique Individual...because NO ONE is quite like YOU!

Get your green eyeshadow off ladies!

So many of the women in the media have nothing good to say about other women. I hear so many things on a daily basis of women talking so badly about other women. I hear heavy women downgrading skinny women, and I hear skinny women talking badly about heavier women. Why can't we embrace each other as sisters and support each other? 

According to Cassandra George Sturgess Psy.D who is a psychologist and also a columnist for Today's Black woman magazine, "As a counseling psychologist working with women, I have discovered that one of the indirect causes of why women are disloyal to each other is based on self-hatred and low self-esteem more so than the need to hurt other women."
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/515313

Women are so hurt and maimed by society that they are disloyal to their friends and family, they are hurting deeply with self hatred and low self esteem.  Society has pit women against each other as a competition. Who has the largest breasts, who has the best body? Well...really, it should not matter. Women have had to fight for so many years for so many rights that are basic to a man. We have had to fight to vote, to have a thought, to have an equal job that pays an equal pay. And STILL in this year of 2013, we are expoited, put down, beaten, insulted and disrespected and much if starts with US! 

We as a gender of beautiful beings MUST lift up each other. We MUST cast away judgement and criticism. When a woman looks beautiful, TELL HER! If you cannot do it, that means you do not love YOURSELF! We must learn to embrace our bodies and our flaws and be confident. In our confidence, men will find us attractive. So ladies, remove your green eyeshadow and put on your red lipstick. Feel SEXY about yourself and beautiful! When you see a woman that needs encouragement, give her some. When you see a woman that lacks self esteem, give her some of yours. No woman should look down on another, unless we put our our hand to lift them up!

Rose Ellen A Moore

www.rcmooreunique.com

NO HATE! what Nelson Mandela has taught me.

Today as I do most every morning, I put on the TV as I get ready to go to the shop. I always choose something bright and colorful to wear because I like to be in a happy mood. Well...don't ever try to do that and listen to the news. My husband is a news hound and so for him, I didn't change the channel. But for me, it left me sad and tired, like I had put in a full days' work.  Why does the media muck rake? Why do people rejoice in seeing other people suffer? What is the importance of always being right at the sake of totally ruining someone else's life?

Here at RCMoore for the Unique...we practice tolerance every day. The church people shop next to the strippers, who shop next to the transgenders, who shop next to working moms, who shop next to teenagers, who shop next to Latinas, African, West Indians, East Indians, Catholics, Asians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, Hindus, ....everyone!  Everyone knows when they come in our door,you can be your own unique self.


There have been many many articles on Nelson Mandela. I watched this morning as so many articles had negative posts and I could not understand why. This man was labeled a terrorist because of so many things he stood up for. He was imprisoned for many years and yet never hated anyone. He stood for the people even at the sacrifice of his own personal life. I can't understand where the hate is coming from and it is sad. I honor and respect anyone who stands for equality for all. Who stands for peace. Who tries to make people come together, even when those people are misunderstood. Nelson Mandela was that man.

 So I say to Nelson Mandela,

 "good bye, Tata...your life was long and very hard. But it was not for nothing. It planted a seed in my mind of how I should live my life. I want to live that life. I want it for my grandaughters. Thank you for your journey"

Today is December 9th..the almost end to another year. I hope that in the future there will be more of the following things:   TOLERANCE!  EMPATHY! COMPASSION! UNDERSTANDING! and most of all.....LOVE! we have to change, or we will destroy ourselves...............

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

- Nelson Mandela - “Long Walk To Freedom”

Rose Ellen Moore

www.rcmooreunique.com

here's the down and dirty on TATTOOS!!!

Who doesn't love a good tattoo? I grew up with a Magyar grandfather who had a beautiful tattoo on his forearm. It was an optical illusion. If you looked at it one way it was a beautiful rose. If you looked at it another way it was a beautiful woman's face. He told me that it was done with a quill. I never understood what he meant. I was young.  Then when I got to be 40, I decided to get a tattoo. I had mine done the modern way and it hurt, not with a quill!  A quill is a feather that poked into his skin a zillion times to make that picture. Wow...My Pop Pop was tough!

I see many women that come in looking for a dress, backless, strapless, whatever and I hear them all sing the same song. "I'm so sorry I had my tattoo done there"  Even Kelly Osbourne is undergoing a series of laser treatments to remove some of her tattoos.
http://news.ph.msn.com/entertainment/kelly-osbourne-has-second-round-of-tattoo-removal-2

Many of her fans have chastised her for getting them removed. Her answer to this was as follows from facebook:

Kelly Osbourne

10 hours ago

As some of you may know I have started the arduously long and painful process of removing SOME of my tattoos. The reason I capitalized the word ‘some’ is due to a small group of my now self proclaimed X fans. They no longer like me because I am attempting to grow up and better myself. They labeled me a sell out and gave me a lot of flack over my decision to remove them… lets just get real hear for a second I have some proper shit tattoos. They are representative of MY teenage rebellion, self-harm, drug usage, or an lets just say for lack of a better phrase ‘Past penetrative pals!’ Take it from me because I have made this mistake (I will never say how many) NEVER get a living lovers name or a matching couples tattoo. It is my belief that they are the kiss of death on any relationship. It doesn’t just mess up the relationship you are in when you get your everlasting dooms day ink but future relationships as well. Trust me when I say this that ‘Jessica’ does not want to stare at ‘Sarah’s’ name while you are bumping uglies. Here is a tip to all… we might tell our partners that seeing a name that is not ours on their body does not bother us and what’s in the past is the past. WE ARE LYING TO YOU AND WILL USE IT AGAINST YOU FOREVER!!!! I also have a moog keyboard tattoo and I cant even play the fucking piano so please forgive me for being such a sell out for wanting it removed.

Anyway lets get back on topic! Tattoo removal… Anything to do with pain and foreverness always has rumors surrounding it so as extreme at this may sound tattoo removal it right up there with child birth. After only two sessions of laser treatment I have leant so much and wanted to share with what I have discovered along with some advice I have to give.

1. Yes it hurts. It huts a lot. Two hours before I go in for the treatment I use some Lidocaine and Prilocaine cream (numbing cream) my Doctor prescribed.
2. In my opinion removal hurts more then getting the tattoo
3. Green is the hardest color to get out
4. The laser brakes down the ink into your blood stream and we eventually pee it out if you system
5. The better blood circulation you have the faster the tattoo will removed
6. It feels like the worst sunburn of life for up to three days after
7. They use different lasers for depending on the colors of your link
8. Only ice it for 20 mins at a time
9. It hurts the worst the first time
10. It only goes white and burnt looking the first time you do it.
11. It smells weird when your skin is being zapped
12. It gave me the taste of dirty pennies in my mouth but only while I was getting zapped.
13. It’s really important to keep it really well moisturized
14. If you get blisters after then they need to turn the laser down as this should not happen or it will cause scaring. It might take longer to remove but it’s worth it
15. Did I mention how much it hurts?
16. Oh yeah this one is just for us women… you are not meant to get a treatment if you are surfing the crimson wave! It’s a big no no. No pun indented. 

I hope this answers most of your questions. If you have the courage and the means I highly recommend.

big kisses I love all you guys! you are my #KellysHeros

***********************************************************************

Well Kelly, you are not a sell out. You are a beautiful person that has decided to change..so what? I am 51 years old, and when I was 14 I wore all kinds of crazy bell bottoms, some of them so big I looked like I was floating on a cloud. I had my hair (which was down to my butt) streaked with ORANGE streaks, because my hair was so dark it would not go blonde. Then at 20 I got my hair cut, started going punk...I think it was Cyndi Lauper (http://cyndilauper.com/) who was my idol then.  Then at 30 I was into MCHammer pants. Remember "You Can't Touch This" http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=u+can%27t+touch+this+-+the+collection+album+by+mc+hammer&FORM=VRMAAL#view=detail&mid=636A489DAE1F03621E1E636A489DAE1F03621E1E

I went through childbirths, divorce, weight gain and loss, health issues, financial changes, job changes...OF COURSE your decisions and your choices are going to be different. The thoughts you had at 20 do not reflect who you are at 40 or 50. So Kelly...don't listen to people who say you are a sellout. I loved you when you sang SHUT UP! (that was my theme song, I had 4 kids then!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FywnbpC9i_s

I loved your hair, your tats, your style...and I love you now. For people like me who got a tattoo and still love it...( I really do) good for you, and for people who want to change, do it! We are a work in progress, we never get to where we are perfect. So, Kelly..I love you. But can you tell your co star Joan Rivers not to be a bully? I thought Kirstie Alley looked hot~! (purple and all!)  thanks! and much love!  

this is my famous tattoo! Love it then, love it now...but who knows...maybe I'll have it removed one day............................time will tell

Rose Ellen Moore

www.rcmooreunique.com

My gift to myself this Christmas

As the holidays approach, and I see people coming into my store to buy gifts, I came up with a scathingly brilliant idea!

I watched Good Morning America this morning and I was inspired to buy myself the perfect gift. If you haven't watched the segment on Amy Robach's double mastectomy, you can do so here, just click on this link:  http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/amy-robach-returns-good-morning-america-article-1.1538442

Amy went thru a double mastectomy 3 weeks ago and will assume chemotherapy on Dec. 16th. She is 40 years old. She found her problems in a routine mamogram which she did for a story on  Good Morning America. As an owner of a boutique and talking to many women throughout the week, I hear the same thing. "What did I do to cause this cancer?" Women think, "i'm not a smoker, I eat well, I don't take drugs, what made me get cancer?' But what we don't realize is that carcinogens are everywhere. And who knows how it got where. Sometimes it's just something that manifests from a strange gene and next thing we know it's out of control. Mamograms are important and I find myself in a precarious position. I have no health insurance. When my husband and I bought this business on Dec. 1st of 2012, we gave up everything. My husband was an ironworker in NYC and I was a corporate accountant. We wanted our own business and my husband loved my work making hats. So, we sacrificed and worked harder at this than anything else in our whole lives. The gift I gave myself for my birthday was a pap smear. I worked with my doctor and the lab to make it affordable for me. The results were fine and I thank God for that. Now, I find that I have not been for a mamogram in 3 years. I do my exams in the shower, sometimes when I wake up in the morning, but truthfully a mamogram is what I should have. So...my gift this Christmas to myself is as follows: call my Dr and have a mamogram ordered. Call the diagnostic place to see if they have a special price for 'non insured'...  and then MAKE THE APPT!  If I can get my nails and hair done, I can get a mamogram! Don't wait ladies! Your health is your wealth!

Rose Ellen A Moore

www.rcmooreunique.com

Love yourself....no matter what!

Today I watched Good Morning America and what I saw made me so angry!   Self proclaimed "Fit Mom" Maria Kang has been temporarily banned from facebook after complaining about the positive media coverage of a plus size women's group that encourages plus size women to pose in lingerie. This woman to me is not a 'fit mom' she is a BULLY.  It took every ounce of self control not to stand up and curse at the TV. Who does this woman think she is? She posed for a photo with her in a bikini and her 3 sons underneath her. I have NEVER been that size even BEFORE I had my children. On a good day with running 5-8 miles a day and eating healthy small meals, I am 172 pounds and I'm a size 10. That is FAT according to Hollywood or Society's standards. When in fact, my cholesterol and my blood pressure was probably lower than Ms Kang's.

Everyone has a different set of genes and a different metabolism. How can a woman automatically say that a woman who has a different body type and a different lifestyle is wrong? I know many many bigger women who are healthy! They lift weights, they eat well and the exercise. I agree that an obese woman who sits all day is a health risk, but bullying them to change their lifestyle is a no-no. Encouragement, HOPE!

Richard Simmons (who I love dearly) knows all about being obese. And he knows all about being healthy. He has walked the walk and he has compassion and empathy. Sometimes the goal is so big, you don't know how in the world you are going to get there. The hundreds of pounds did not pack on because they were at every party in the world. They were eating out of sadness, depression and lack of worth.  It's more than just a donut here and there. Ms. Kang just doesn't get it on so many levels. I'm glad she's banned from facebook...I wish she was banned from being in the media. To me, she is everything I do NOT wish to be. A skinny, pretty , girl with a 'better-than-you' attitude. I wasn't lucky enough to carry my children without a stretchmark. I have alot of those. My hair fell out when I was pregnant, and I lacked iron so my teeth turned a crappy shade of grey. I definately did not glow. I went from a size 10 to a size 24. Then after my kids I went to a 14..and I was grateful. After a FEW YEARS I returned to my size 10 only to get pregnant again and balloon to a 24. Then I nursed all my children(4) and my boobs sagged.  I have flaws,and now at 51 wrinkles and lines where they are not supposed to be.

Beauty is when you get up in the morning and put on alittle lipstick or chapstick, do your hair in the best way possible and smile. Beauty is when you are pleasant and caring to people. Beauty is when YOU like what you are wearing. Beauty is when you feel confidant about yourself. Beauty is infectious! It's not being a size 0 with rock hard abs. So sorry Ms. Kang, but you have a long way to go to be beautiful.

this is me, Rose Ellen Moore at 5'7" and 170 pounds. This was last year. 

 Here I am 25 pounds heavier. It's not that I don't want to run, 

I just don't have time now because I am in my store. But I try every day, and I'll get there again..... I'm not worried,because I'm still beautiful and so are YOU! so SHINE today...feeling good is looking good. 

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/fit-mom-temporarily-banned-facebook-hate-speech/story?id=21048325

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/battle-body-fit-mom-takes-curvy-girl-lingerie-21092939

www.rcmooreunique.com

when everything goes WRONG!......

Today started off with a bang...ripped the pantyhose...well that's ok. I'll wear pants. So I put on the pants no problem..go to wash my hair. I'm out of shampoo..that's ok. I'll wear a wig. For some reason I couldn't get my wig to 'lay down' so I washed my hair with dish soap. I have to say that Dawn did the trick for styling my hair this morning. So among the great points of getting out tough dirt and grease, it also does the hair good.
Then the make up...poked myself in the eye with the mascara wand. If you have never done this..I compare this to jabbing yourself with a pointed object under your fingernail, or pulling a nose hair. After a few minutes of eye watering and cursing at myself, I proceeded to put a pull in my sweater,and stepped on my phone charger. When I finally made it out of the house, I was thankful to get in the car and put the seatbelt on. I thought, I'm SAFE!

All of this was brought about by our favorite friend, 'anxiety'!  Sometimes we actually WILL things to happen just because we are nervous about something. I was scheduled to do my radio commercial this morning. I was so nervous about doing it...I couldn't even function. And it was all for nothing!  Everyone at the station was so wonderful and it was so interesting how they do commercials!  Maybe that's what I want to be when I grow up!

Anyway...my message to my sisters today is this: throw Anxiety out the window. There is no use for this thing in your life. Keep calm, enjoy life...My commercial went well, and if it didn't...what was going to happen. Was my head going to explode? A commercial isn't worth the stress that I put on myself. Why waste time with anxiety when you can have a better time with 'happiness, excitement, and fun'?  Enjoy yiour day....Keep calm and ENJOY!.....................

Rose Ellen Moore

www.rcmooreunique.com

with Laura St James and Catherine Bodock at WLEV 100.7 radio station!

the beauty of 'vintage'

In the Webster's dictionary the definition of 'vintage is as follows:

vin·tage  (vntj)

adj.

1. Of or relating to a vintage.

2. Characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal; classic.

In noun form vintage has to do with wine. But in adjective form, it's relating to 'things'.  Here at RCMoore for the Unique Individual we have many many different 'vintage' things. They are characterized by excellence, maturity and enduring appeal, just as the man or woman who would wear it. What some consider OLD...I consider fabulous. I have a studio in Bethlehem where I repurpose certain things, and suddenly, 'everything old is new again,.'   We have bathing suits from the 1920's, 40's,60's and 70's...we have fashions that only the daring could wear. And if you think you can't pull off a vintage coat...well....when I step out in a vintage outfit, I get stares, I get compliments, and a ton of smiles. I usually hear, "I used to have a coat like that, I'm so sorry I got rid of it!'   Or....'where on earth did you find that? I would love to have one!" Come on in to our store and look through our ecclectic creations of fun! You will think you are taking a walk in the easter parade in 1930 and then you will think you are in the 50's on Leave it to Beaver then in the 70's on Love American Style...all these things will bring your thoughts back to a moment in time. If you don't see it, ask us...chances are it is in our studio in Bethlehem!

We hope that you not only support small businesses this Christmas, but remember that recycling clothing is the best thing you can do for your planet!  We hope to see you soon....

All we want for Christmas is YOU! 

 Rose Ellen A Moore/ www.rcmooreunique.com
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