Books at the Yolo County SPCA Thrift

The bookstore just a couple doors down is part of the thrift store, but they've chosen to keep it separate, which is good news for serious book lovers.  It is very much a bookstore, but there was also a parlor organ, a more than decent acoustic guitar and a flute for sale alongside the books.  Probably these higher value items are easier to protect away from the rough and tumble of the main store.  A closet sized space is labelled the "Toy Room" and has a small but nice collection of dolls and toys, very modestly priced.  And at the counter there is a smattering of jewelry, probably the nicer pieces that get donated, with the run of the mill stuff at the main store.

Mostly what they have in this room is books, and this little space is everything a small used bookstore should be.  It is clean, neat, well organized, peaceful and beautifully air conditioned (the main thrift store was just a tad warm, though with many strategically placed fans to keep the air circulating).  There's a comfy couch area that invites you to sit down and take a load off while you decide if a book is right for you.

It's not large, but there are a lot of books there.  This picture doesn't show a fraction of them.

Nonfiction is organized into sensible categories, neatly labelled.  Fiction has been sorted into categories like fantasy, scifi, chick lit, and literature.  It didn't appear that fiction was shelved alphabetically by author, which makes it a little harder if you are looking for a specific title or author.  But the store is small enough that it is not a huge hardship to scan the shelves of the section likely to contain what you are looking for.

I focused on paperback fiction and found a lot of high quality, recent releases.  These were all trade paperbacks, many of which you could find today in a retail bookstore for full price (assuming you still have a bookstore in your town).  All paperbacks were priced at $1, and today there was a 20% off sale, so they were really only eighty cents apiece.  That, my friend, is a bargain you cannot ignore if you are a voracious reader.  Hardbacks were only $2, and I saw many first editions of very readable, recent releases.  I bought three trade paperbacks, a flawless copy of Robert Goolrick's Heading Out to Wonderful (which has been on my to-read list but I've been too cheap to buy it new for $14.95), and Penguin Pocketbook editions of Jan Karon's A Light in the Window (book 2 of the Mitford series for a friend), and Mary McGarry Morris' Songs In Ordinary Time. 

Older and vintage books (of all categories) are housed together. 

There was also a section for vinyl records, a rack of greeting cards ($1 each), and a respectable helping of DVD movies, music CDs and even VHS movies.  I thought the sign had said DVDs were $1, but my 3 DVDs wound up costing $8, so maybe I misread the sign.  But no matter, that's still well under $3 per DVD and after they are enjoyed they can be redonated or traded at a used bookstore that buys media to make the final cost even lower.

For local readers on a budget this store is a wonderful resource, and it could be for you too if you are passing through and have the time to check them out.  Reading can be an expensive hobby, but it doesn't have to be and the Yolo County SPCA Thrift bookshop is one reason for that.  I should add that the beautiful and delightful lady manning the register (who had just a hint of a melodious African accent that I could have listened to all day) was very sweet, and walked outside with me to point out where her favorite pizza place was located when I asked her for recommendations on local restaurants (it was Original Steve's Pizza, which I wound up not visiting because I got too busy driving around Davis to look at the scenery and then decided I had to have a chimichanga;  but I'll hit them up next time).

For all these reasons, this little book shop gets Four Trees!

SPCA Thrift in Davis

I've been meaning to stop in Davis on my way back from one of my trips to Sacramento, where KD is resting comfortably in the capable hands of RV Dr. George's shop.  There is a great deal of news on that front, and I'll get to that presently.

I've been in the habit of stopping for a late lunch on the drive back, and this time I decided I was going to find somewhere to eat in Davis and explore a little.   Davis is a pretty town with lots of big, shady trees and comfortable, charming old houses.  It's a "walking town," the sort of place where you want to park the car and stroll along the downtown streets, looking for interesting shops and restaurants.  It has an easy-going, relaxed vibe, like what you often find in a university town, which of course it is.  It was a warm day but thankfully it wasn't brutally hot.  It smelled like there might be a grass fire nearby and a faint haze hung under the trees giving everything just a slightly soft focus effect.  But it wasn't unpleasant and only seemed to underscore the mood of a relaxed, happy summer day.  I had checked local listings for bookstores and thrift stores, and I found both under the same roof!

The Yolo County SPCA Thrift Store seemed to be the one getting the most attention, and proceeds go to help animals in need which gives it an extra star in my book.  I found it on 3rd street, with ample street parking right out front and even managed to snag a spot with shade.

They don't have a ton of square footage, but they they do have 3 modestly sized rooms of retail space pretty well filled with interesting treasures and a larger warehouse space where they receive and sort donations.  There was an impressive hodgepodge of kitchenware.  I found some nice transferware plates and a few partial sets of dishes that, while not complete, might augment your collection if you were lucky enough to have the same or similar pattern.  I almost bought a blue transferware plate that would play nicely with my blue and white Currier and Ives set by Churchill, but I managed to resist the urge.

You could easily outfit a kitchen from this store.  Some solid finds here, like that orange cast iron and enamel casserole.  Everything very reasonably priced.

Of course there are also assorted housewares, nicknacks and clothing.  They do make an attempt to sort clothing at least by general size (i.e., small, medium, large), which is appreciated.  They have a rack marked "vintage," but I saw quite a few cute and quirky items scattered throughout the regular clothing racks that looked "vintagey".

There was some interesting framed art outside the store where furniture, bikes, and other extra inventory gets set out from the warehouse during the day since inside space is limited.  I am now sort of regretting not buying this framed picture, which was labelled on the back "Princess Ileana," undoubtedly the Romanian princess of whom I knew nothing until Googling the name.  It was just a reproduction of a painting, but it had an inexplicable charm and would be perfect with a certain kind of decor.

I thought the most interesting items were the furniture, like this lovely old rocking chair.

Or these end tables and little bookcase, all great candidates for a chalk paint makeover.  The bookcase was eight dollars.

These are only a sampling.  I saw lots of possibilities for easy, inexpensive painted furniture makeovers here, and also a few things that were perfect as they were.

The store wasn't uncomfortably crowded but it was busy and appears to be thriving.  I noticed a number of things I had eyed speculatively disappeared moments later, so there is a lot of turnover and you have to grab it if you want it.  But at the same time the staff was busy putting new furniture out while I was there, and they said they get lots of donations and new stuff arrives all the time.  This is good, you want a thrift store where the inventory keeps moving so you can be assured of finding new treasures on each visit. 

If you find yourself in Davis and you enjoy thrifting, the Yolo County SPCA Thrift Store is worth a stop.  Find them at 920 3rd Street.  3 solid Trees!  And especially because there is also an associated bookstore, in the the same building, but a couple doors down in another suite.  SPCA Thrift Bookstore next.

Chimichanga Win at Tres Hermanas in Davis

It was good!  Very fresh, full of cheese, and with just a piquant taste of something different in the sauce to set it apart from the usual ho-hum take on a classic chimi.  Lovely breeze through the outdoor dining patio where I elected to take a table.

 

Find Tres Hermanas at 805 2nd Street in Davis, CA.  Third generation family-owned Mexican restaurant.  Parking nearby next to the railroad tracks across the street.  They have a nice dining room and bar inside, a dim and cool refuge in the heat of a blazing Davis summer day.  The outside patio is also wonderful, shaded by big umbrellas and looking out onto pretty surroundings, including the SP Depot across the street (now the Amtrak station).

Good food, friendly, attentive staff, and pleasant views earn them 4 Trees!  I recommend.

Tres Hermanas in Davis, CA

On the way home from visiting KD (who is in several pieces at the moment), and drove all over Davis searching for a chimichanga.  Found one at Tres Hermanas, across from the old Southern Pacific station (as usual, I find trains).

My entree comes with a salad, and I decided to try the creamy cilantro dressing.  Wow, I may have found my new favorite dressing.  I'm told it is a house specialty, a recipe that includes olive oil and other secret ingredients.  Creamy but amazingly light, tangy but not aggressively so.  Perfect for a summer afternoon.  Beautiful salad.