She yelped! The staff and her husband rushed to her side, but there was nothing they could do. She had leaned forward to grab the one thing that would radically alter her existence. Everything was going to change for her and all those around her forever.
It was a warm summer day. Two bargain hunters were looking for a great deal. They searched vigorously through clothes, dusty collectibles and ornaments. They knew that this place had hidden gems lying in wait to be discovered. But what they found would undoubtedly make them rich and take their lives on an amazing journey!
Shopping for items on the shelves of The Salvation Army or Goodwill can pay off. You might find gold in the proverbial mine that’s full of used items. Want to know what’s even better? You’ll save a lot and get to go home guilt-free about spending. But what was even cooler about this particular day was that it was Pensioner’s Day. So, she was bound to find something at a really low price. But what was it that made her scream?
Things found at thrift stores like this one are usually a lot more affordable than regular store prices. So, you can stretch your buck and buy more. A serial shopper would have to be insane to turn down an opportunity like that! But that is the last thing these people were.
Julie Anne and her husband Mike decided to visit a Goodwill store in Jupiter, Florida. They sifted through item after item. They were having loads of fun searching for buried treasures and keepsakes. Then, Julie noticed something on the shelf that made her tremble. She realized how much the item was worth, but she didn’t have the nerve to reach out and grab it.
You never know what you’ll find, so make sure to dig, dig, dig! You could find a Care Bear plush toy, or a cassette tape of the Backstreet Boys. There are tons of pop culture mementos just waiting to take you down memory lane. That in itself is worth shopping at Goodwill. But what did Julie Ann find that left her so disturbed?
The cashier rushed over to see if Julie Ann was okay. She was afraid that something might have happened to her. But when she got there, she noticed Julie was shockingly pale as she gazed at an item on the shelf. Then Julie Ann told the cashier something about a worn-out baseball glove, which didn’t make sense.
Some people are iffy about buying someone else’s previously used items. But think about it. Most of the bargains at a Goodwill store are gently used or have never been used. And you know what they say, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Well, it certainly was for this couple.
Most people who shop at a Goodwill store don’t realize this but they’re supporting a good cause. A portion of the money they make from purchases goes to charity. So, folks can literally shop till they drop and do something good for those in need.
You might end up finding designer products at a fraction of the price. It’s not unheard of since the clothes come from people who have donated items that belonged to them or a loved one who has passed on. Plus, the clothes are already broken into, so total bonus! But this wasn’t some ordinary mitt one wears in the winter.
The mitt Julie Ann found didn’t have the thin lustrous dark leather it once had. The gloss was gone. It looked like the previous owner wore it down really good. But she could still make out the name written in Sharpie. And the handwriting was quite familiar to Julie.
It’s impossible to say what you’ll find at a Goodwill store. You could walk out empty handed, or you might find a priceless treasure. Julie Ann had just discovered something that was truly remarkable. But what made this particular mitt so special? It had something to do with the signature, and unlike the cashier, Julie knew who it belonged to.
It took all of Julie Ann’s strength and courage to grab the glove from the shelf in Goodwill. Then, she asked her husband to come over so she could show him the signature on the mitt. It read ‘Christopher Lisi’ as clearly as it did on the day it was signed. “My knees got wobbly, and I got weak and scared,” said Julie Anne.
Mike ran up to his wife, concerned that she might have fallen or gotten sick. But when he took a look at the glove in Julie Anne’s hand, his fears turned into overwhelming excitement. He recognized it almost immediately. He had seen the same mitt 40 years earlier. But a part of him was a bit dumbfounded. How was it that this glove ended up coming full circle?
The named scrawled on the mitt was unmistakable. The name meant a lot to Julie Anne and Mike, especially since it was written by Julie Ann herself. The scribble was their son’s name. But now she was stunned to find the mitt she had gifted her son so many years ago. She couldn’t believe this was possible.
The mitt had traveled from one store to the other. In fact, its journey started in Ohio and ended up all the way down in Florida. Now generally, Goodwill doesn’t track individual items. However, if they feel that an item has a better chance of selling at a different location or store, they’ll certainly do what they can to move the item around.
People are constantly donating new items to Goodwill, which is great news for bargain hunters. So, if you don’t find something you want right now, don’t fret. Come back next week. There’ll be a new selection of items for you to sift through. You’ll eventually find something you’ll love. You might even find something you once owned.
Julie Ann got her husband Mike to take a photo of her with the mitt, but made sure that the inscribed name was facing outward so everyone could see. Then, she had the image sent to son, Christopher, the one who had lost the mitt 40 years ago, but never told his folks. “He texted back, ‘Buy it,’” said Julie Ann.
Thrift shopping is like going on a slightly competitive treasure hunt. You can find genuine vintage items you can auction off at an antique show. But make sure you get there first before someone else beats you to the punch, or you might end up having to leave the store empty handed. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case for Julie Ann and Mike.
The mitt had meant a lot to Christopher. He wore it like a charm whenever he played and it brought him luck. But he was so upset when he lost it. He didn’t have the heart to tell his parents what happened to it, at least not right away. But he still remembers when he hit two home runs during a 1978 championship game when he was 12 years old.
Mike remembered Chris telling him that he had lost the mitt in the excitement of winning the game and never saw it again. “He had won the championship and in the hullaballoo and the handing out of trophies he probably set it down on a bench and somebody walked away with it,” Mike explained.
Everyone was wondering how this mitt, which was lost 40 years ago, ended up at the Goodwill in Jupiter? Julie Ann has always believed in donations. So, over the years, she donated tons of items, mostly books to Goodwill. But she never donated in Jupiter. So, if she didn’t donate the mitt, then who did?
Goodwill offers an array of items like books, clothing, and even furniture. So, imagine being able to furnish your entire home on a tight budget. Plus, you can teach your kids to have good spending habits because there’s nothing wrong with being thrifty. After all, not every priceless item can be found at Macy’s.
They lived in the same house in Ohio for a long time. It’s where they raised their family. Julie Ann had also accumulated and donated tons of items. But she still hasn’t figured out exactly how the glove ended up all the way down in Florida. “To me, it’s a miracle,” said Julie Anne.
Julie and Mike eventually moved into a retirement home in Florida. But they didn’t bring all of their old clutter from Ohio with them. So, she never imagined in a million years that she would walk into this Goodwill store and wind up finding a treasure from the past. And it’s the sheer coincidence of it all that makes this whole thing so unbelievable.
Christopher Lisi was 12 years old when he won the championship in 1978. But the glove had vanished from his life for 40 years. Now, Lisi is 52 years old and he coaches football instead of baseball at Thomas Worthington High School, south of Columbus.
But how much was it going to cost Julie Ann and Mike to buy back this timeless treasure? This was a keepsake that had their son’s name on it, and it somehow ended up in their hands again. But it still belonged to Goodwill, so they feared they would have to spend a lot of money to get it back.
Could you put a price on a memory? Most people can’t. But the mitt was 40 years old. Surely, this would cost a lot more than a modern-day glove. It was practically an antique. But would the couple be able to afford it, or would they have to give their son some bad news?
Julie Anne was stunned when cashier Sue Rounds rung up the mitt. Julie Anne said, “I would have paid $149 for it!” “It cost us a buck 49!” Mike added with a laugh. Mike assumed someone grabbed Christopher’s glove after he misplaced it and eventually donated it to Goodwill, which means it’s been traveling for 40 years.
It took the mitt 1,171 miles and forty years to return to its rightful owners. But now it’s back where it belongs and this priceless item will undoubtedly continue to pass on from generation to generation, which means that it has not seen the last of its traveling days.