Stateside podcast: A spooky twist on thrifting with Lansing's Thrift Witch

By April Baer,

Published October 31, 2022 at 8:21 PM EDT

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Two dead butterflies sit in separate display cases with a pink velvet background.

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Some items that you can find in Old Town's Thrift Witch, which is owned and operated by Tiesha King. She opened the store in 2018 after receiving encouragement from some in Lansing's thrifting community.

Thrift Witch

Four colorful voodoo-like dolls, all have large ears and cat-like eyes, sit on a display case over top other dolls.

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Voodoo animal dolls that you can find in Old Town's Thrift Witch, which is owned and operated by Tiesha King. King said that items she keeps her eye out for include items that "look like they've never been seen before."

April Baer

Books and other items on a rotating display shelf on top of a wooden floor

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Some books and other items on display in Old Town's Thrift Witch, which is owned and operated by Tiesha King. After closing the shop for the day, King said she will go thrifting herself to find items to possibly repurpose for her own store.

April Baer

a painting of Frankenstein's monster on a red brick wall

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One of the items that can be found at the Thrift Witch thrift store in Old Town, Lansing. The store is owned by Tiesha King, who said she loves to collect vintage-looking items.

Thrift Witch

A painting of a wolf man wearing a blue and orange jacket with sunglasses looks out of a frame.

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One of the unique items at Thrift Witch. King likes to put up displays of work by local artists.

April Baer

A red knee-length dress and a black ankle-length dress with a red sash are displayed on two headless-manikins.

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Two dresses that can be seen on display at Thrift Witch. King said that there are no rules for who wears what at Thrift Witch and that she wants to create a safe environment for everyone who walks in to the store.

Thrift Witch

A patch that reads "You say WITCH like it's a bad thing." in alternating green and white lines of text.

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April Baer

patches and stickers hung on the wall of a pin board. Some of them with skulls, others of eyeballs, moths or moons.

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April Baer

A woman in a tan jacket with a camera around her neck talks to another woman who is sitting behind a cashier's counter.

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Stateside producer Laura Weber-Davis talks to Tiesha King, the owner of Thrift Witch. Before she owned Thrift Witch, King worked a kiosk in a mall called "The Prancing Pony" which she said was a place where she mixed her love for old toys, The Lord of the Rings and My Little Pony.

April Baer

High heel shoes with a heavy bedazzling sit on a bookshelf next to a pair of black high heels.

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Two pair of high heels that you can find in Old Town's Thrift Witch, which is owned and operated by Tiesha King. A lot of the store is informed by King's own aesthetic.

April Baer

I little bit Morticia Addams, a sprinkle of My Little Pony, and a dash of voodoo doll. The recipe that makes up Thrift Witch is magic.

For thrifters in Lansing, Thrift Witch is a must. Located in the Old Town neighborhood, the store is divined of owner Tiesha King's brain, and features retro and goth clothing, local art, vintage toys, vinyl records, books and an assortment of other items oddities. And it's a bit spooky.

A lot of Thrift Witch is inspired by King’s own aesthetic, as well as her childhood. When growing up, she loved watching “Nick-at-Nite” where she picked up vibes from Bewitched, The Munsters, and The Addams Family.

King said she has three criteria in items she is looking to sell in her store: “If it looks weird, where it seems like no one’s ever seen it before– I kind of want it,” she said. “If it smells old and grimy, maybe I kind of want it. And if it scares other people.”

colorful hand-sewn items are hung on a display bar. All items are shaped like coffins and have some bat-like creature inside of them. — Some of the unique items that are available at Thrift Witch. King said that Thrift Witch works with around 40 local artists to create items for the store.

Thrift Witch is not King’s first store. For a while, she was running a vintage toy kiosk called “The Prancing Pony” in a Lansing mega mall. King said that it was a “concoction” of her love for old toys, My Little Pony, and the Lord of the Rings book series.

She said after running that store for a little while and getting good feedback from customers and after having a conversation with the “godfather of Lansing Thrift” Ted Stewart, about selling dresses. She said that Stewart asked if he could sell some of King’s vintage dresses in his store.

When King informed Stewart that she had an online store, Stewart said “What do you mean you have an online store? You need to open your own store[front].”

Soon after that, King opened up the first iteration of Thrift Witch Vintage in REO town in June 2018.

Eventually, after moving to Old Town, King opened The Dark Art Market, which allows for her to help show off new artists. Thrift Witch works with around 40 artists. When some of those artists decided to make a full-time job out of their artwork, Dark Art Market gave them a venue.

a plethora of dresses hang on hangers — Some dresses that are available in Thrift Witch. Ted Stewart, who King calls the "Godfather of Lansing Thrift" asked King to sell her dresses in his store. When he realized she had an online store, he told her she needed to open up a brick-and-morter store.

It's hard to describe the magic of Thrift Witch. You'll have to check it out next time you're in Old Town Lansing. Or you can go with us in today's pod.

GUEST:

Tiesha King, owner and operator of Thrift Witch in Old Town, Lansing

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Music in this episode byBlue Dot Sessions.