there's no escaping it....

We've got a pretty grand Netherlands-based, Goodwill-like chain over here. The Bis Bis. There are 4 within a short drive and a few weeks back we scouted them all looking for a dining room table. The Dutch love the modern, clean lines of IKEA furniture. Even expensive furniture showrooms are stocked with more expensive IKEAesque items. The result, the Bis Bis are filled with older furniture for pennies.

For example:
Our dining room table and 4 chairs (solid dark wood, with two leaves that pop up to comfortably seat 6 if not 8) -- 85euro

old secretary desks -- 60euro

old phone desks (for those of you in the know, like the one grandma and popo always kept in the kitchen in NC) 35euro

whole wall china cabinets 175euro

original singer sewing tables 50euro

AND, they'll deliver (although we have recently met neighbors with a pick up truck).

The Bis Bis has become our favorite place to wander, even though as of yet we've only bought the table and chairs. We went back today to pick up a fan [it's hot here this week] and a beer pilsner or two and unfortunately got skunked on both those counts, but 'twas still a fun outing, EXCEPT for the fact that while shopping we had to listen to most of Michael Jackson's Bad CD.

so, like I said in the title -- there's just no escaping it.