About The Thrifted Oracle
Hi, I’m Kenzie — the heart and hands behind The Thrifted Oracle!
I was born in 1997- I know, what qualifies me to be obsessed with the 90s and all things vintage? Let me tell you! On a cold October morning my vintage-loving soul emerged into this world. I was the last baby in my family, and I am so blessed to have 3 older siblings (brother, and 2 sisters) and 2 amazing, hard-working, and loving parents. My childhood home is a memory I often escape to. My family built it. Brown bricks, cream paneling, so many windows with wooden shutters. A backyard with the perfect sledding hill and a massive pine tree whose fortress protected me from monsters, goblins, and anything else my imagination could create.
Inside, there were 4 levels. The basement, where the cool kids hung out. A blue futon, a desk in the corner with the boxy windows 95 computer and all the burned CD’s and videogames you could ask for. To the right, a swivel box TV housed a fish tank on top (probably not the best idea? lol) and my siblings and I’s prized possession- the Nintendo64. I can’t tell you how many hours were spent down there with my siblings, my sister even says playing Zelda Ocarina Of Time is how she learned to read.
The 2nd floor was our cozy family room, with a red brick fireplace, a sliding door to the backyard, my moms sewing room with piles of yarn, crafts, and sewing projects that she was constantly working on. This floor also housed my favorite room- the play room. This was an unfinished part of the house, and quite small. But my closest sister and I spent hours in there playing with our barbies, bratz dolls, cabbagepatch kids, lightbright, Sweetstreet, and all the golden 90’s toys we grew up with. Did anyone else collect the McDonald’s Disney figurines? For some reason those were my favorite.
Up the stairs to the 3rd floor was the kitchen, with a door leading to the garage, and the family room where the front door sat. Some of my very best memories are in that kitchen. Mom hated to cook, but dad would treat us often to spaghetti, baked potatoes, and taco bowls (my favorite as a kid). I learned to cook Mac N’ Cheese and scrambled eggs on that stove, and always snuck my favorite granola chocolate bars out of the pantry multiple times a day (even though I was only allowed to have one lol.) My mom also etched all of our measurements on the inside of the pantry door as the years went on. The front family room is where my great-grandparents piano sat and where I first discovered my love for playing music. It was always out of tune, but it quickly became a huge passion.
The 4th floor was always a little chaotic. There lived the only bathroom shared between the 6 of us, and most of our bedrooms. The hallway was quite small, and all of the rooms were squished close. My closest sister and I shared a wall and we always had the hardest time falling asleep because why wouldn’t we create secret knocking codes instead of going to bed? Her room was painted lime green. Yes, lime green (even the ceiling- go mom!) and my room was painted hot pink. But mom hated painting my sisters ceiling, so mine remained white. She had crazy lime green & blue bedding, a massive stereo, and the coolest trinkets. I think she even had a waterbed at one point. I had a pink fuzzy rug, pink blowup chairs, neon-daisy printed bedding, and more stuffed animals than you could count. Our rooms changed over the years as we grew, but the colors of the walls stayed the same.
Shortly after I turned 12, we moved into a new house, and I always seemed to have the hardest time moving on from my childhood home. I think it’s because that house held such an iconic time in life. No internet, no cell phones, no social media. Growing up without those things is important to me today. The fashion of the 90’s, the house decor, the toys- I never knew how comforting those things would become. I had an amazing childhood, and I realize how lucky I am. Everything in that house was perfect. It was my safe space, my castle, everyone I knew and loved grew up in that house. Cousin sleepovers, birthday parties, Christmas morning- what I would give to go back to that time.
These memories are where I find comfort in my life today. They’re everything to me. Anything that brings me those nostalgic feelings is hard to let go of, which is why I wanted to create this space. I’ve always had a LOVE for fashion (this is known to run in my blood. My mom is a fashion icon/addict, and so is her mom, and her mom, and her mom!) and for the darker, more whimsical things. Old things. Weird knickknacks and oddities. They make my inner child leap and jump and giggle! And I made a promise I’d do anything to make her happy.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you!! For being here, for supporting my dream of having a vintage shop and creating a space where we can come together over our love of nostalgia. Every piece is hand-selected and chosen by me, and I will always give you the best price and quality I can find. Thanks for making this vintage dream feel like home. Here’s to more stories and more magic rediscovered.
