Excuse our dust...

While most folks are on vacation, summer's a busy time here at Cochran's offices. Production is in progress for the 2015 edition of the Guide, and construction is underway to improve our website. When it's finished, we'll take you on a guided tour.

The book itself isn't affected by the sawdust, drills and hammers, so feel free to explore the 2014 Guide here anytime. Just click on Contents in the menu above, it'll take you to the Table of Contents and you can select the town or city you want to visit. And if our Guide takes you to one of our advertisers' shops, please tell them how you found them. You'll make their day!

Saving the world?

I don't know if it'll help save the world, but the shopping vintage/recycled/used movement has definitely taken off. I remember my mother insisting on buying new when I was growing up, and then she discovered thrift stores and became addicted. Some of my best memories are thriftshopping with my mom. My only regret is that she never got to go to an estate sale.

I've been buying vintage most of my adult life, partly because of economics but also because it's more fun!

Another reason I like to buy at flea markets, estate sales, antique stores, vintage stores, garage sales, etc.: often I can actually find something that wasn't made in China! Some items were even made in the USA! Then there's the damage caused by the clothing industry to the environment and the Third World. So maybe if enough of us did it, we could actually save the world.