20+ Photos Proving That You Can Find Something Cool, Even in a Pile of Old Junk

The people from this article learned that something truly valuable can be found in unexpected places like a secondhand store or a flea market. You don’t have to have any special knowledge or skills — sometimes you just have to be a little lucky.

Bright Side is about to show you some photos taken by lucky people who managed to buy some cool and very expensive stuff when they least expected to.

“In high school, I found this vintage apple necklace that I loved at an antique store, but I left it at an ex-boyfriend’s house and never got it back. Yesterday I walked into an antique store and SAW THE SAME NECKLACE! 10 years later and 700 miles away, the treasure hunt always pays off!”

“I found a nice hardcover edition of a book I’ve been wanting to read at Value Village, and I was happy to pay the $5 for it. Then I found this when I flipped through it at home.”

“I always make sure to look through the entire costume jewelry section before leaving and today I found this diamond sapphire engagement ring in a rummage bowl for $2. Took it to a jeweler straight after and they confirmed it was real.”

“I was searching for a suit for a wedding and found a 3-piece with a retail value of $1,700. And I paid $20 for it!”

“Needed an emergency dress for an event yesterday and found one for $9 at my favorite charity shop!”

“Found a camera in a thrift store that belonged to a soldier in WW1. It has undeveloped Verichrome film in the back.”

“I found a Loewe ’puzzle’ bag in pristine condition for $20 at Goodwill. It retails at $2,590.”

“Always check your piggy banks! Found $170 in a piggy bank that cost $7!”

“Found my wedding dress today. I believe it’s from the 1950s and I only paid $64 for it and I’m in love. Going to add my own twist to the top and redo the corset but the bottom is staying just how it is.”

“This is the best $1.99 I will ever spend in my lifetime. The book has a photo of Stephen King and his autograph in it!”

“This is a thrifted vintage gown that resembles the lamé dress Marilyn Monroe wore. I did not nail the pose, I know…”

“Went to a house clearance sale and found this pin marked as ’costume jewelry’ for $5. Took it to a jeweler and they confirmed it’s unmarked gold with diamonds and sapphires.”

“3 designer blazers on the same trip to GW — I paid under $15 for all 3.”

“Fell in love with this painting and got it for $10!”

“I found a $5 vintage, heavily-beaded, seashell purse with a handmade tag inside. It’s so pretty!”

“Cute vintage strawberry salt and pepper shakers, new and in a box”

“Found $5 in this jacket I paid $6 for.”

“I got a Harry Potter wand for $1.78.”

“I only started learning embroidery a few days ago and found 700 skeins of string for $5 at a thrift store. They retail for about $.50 each.”

“This was probably my favorite purchase ever! A $3 vintage wedding dress!”

“I was told this was a green amethyst and haggled it down to $42. Took it to a jeweler to have it appraised — it’s a rare green diamond over 100 years old, conservatively worth more than $8,000!”

We’re sure that our readers have interesting stories too. Which of your purchases do you think was a really great find? Tell us!

From Dancing Queen to Mystery: What Made Cynthia Rhodes Leave the Spotlight

When Cynthia Rhodes wasn’t “Staying Alive” on the dance floor with John Travolta, she was “Dirty Dancing” with Patrick Swayze.

Rhodes, who will turn 67 in November 2023, had a great career with famous dance movies from the 1980s. However, she chose to step away from the spotlight at the height of her fame.

Keep reading to find out why this talented actress, singer, and dancer retired so early!

Cynthia Rhodes was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She started her acting career with a small role in the 1980 musical fantasy film **Xanadu**, which starred the late Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly.

Her role as Tina Tech, a dancer in the 1983 film **Flashdance**, led to a bigger part later that year as John Travolta’s love interest in **Staying Alive**, the sequel to **Saturday Night Fever**, directed by Sylvester Stallone.

In 1987, she played her most famous role as Penny Johnson, a dance instructor at a resort hotel in **Dirty Dancing**.

In her role as Penny, Cynthia Rhodes shows off her amazing dance skills with graceful and flashy Mambo moves alongside the late Patrick Swayze. She also shares some very emotional and heartbreaking scenes with him.

Rhodes described her character Penny as having an “edge.” Penny both charmed and shocked viewers as she dealt with a difficult storyline involving a botched illegal abortion.

The film includes a socially relevant subplot about reproductive rights, with Rhodes at the center of it all. This helped position the three lead characters—Swayze as Johnny, Jennifer Grey as Baby, and Rhodes as Penny—for stardom.

“She’s from South Philly and she’s had a rough life,” Rhodes said about her character. “She’s got a sweetness about her, but it’s hidden because she’s been through a lot, and she has sort of put up a wall.” Rhodes added, “In the end, I think she finally realizes that life does go on.”

Life went on for Cynthia Rhodes, but not in the way her fans hoped.

After training for ten hours a day to prepare for her role as Penny, Rhodes found dancing to be “really hard.” She shared, “That’s why I keep saying I’m never going to dance again. I’m tired of dancing. My bones are hurting, and my back hurts all the time.” She added, “Every time I say, ‘That’s it, I don’t want to dance anymore,’ I get another film. I’m not going to turn down work! I feel very fortunate to be in films that involve dancing. But I just want a chance to do some dramatic work without dancing. Just give me a straight acting part.”

In the same year that *Dirty Dancing* was released, the 31-year-old Rhodes, who had many role options and admirers, appeared in the music video for “Don’t Mean Nothing” by Richard Marx. He is also known for the song “Right Here Waiting,” which was famously written for Rhodes in 1989.

In 1989, Rhodes married the Grammy Award-winning singer Richard Marx, and the couple welcomed their first child, Brandon, in 1990. They later had two more sons, Lucas in 1992 and Jesse in 1994.

According to Marx, Rhodes, who had previously trained for the Olympics, decided to retire in 1990 to focus on raising their children. He mentioned that this choice was also due to the “intense physical pain” her dance moves caused her.

“I thought, ‘This won’t last; she’s definitely going to want to come back to work and do films.’ But she found fulfillment in being a mom that completely overshadowed any desire she had to make movies,” Marx, now 59, explained. “Even if you’re her biggest fan, as good as you think she was as a dancer, singer, or actress, you should see her as a mom.”

Getty Images

Rhodes, who began dancing at just three years old, found that she was much happier being a mom and giving her body the rest it needed.

“The thing was, I used to never be sore. In fact, I was a gymnast. Now it’s frustrating… I never used to stretch, but now I have to stretch before I dance. I love to dance, but if I never did it again, I wouldn’t be sorry,” Rhodes said.

Since then, she hasn’t looked back. The last time she appeared on screen was in the 1991 film *Curse of the Crystal Eye.*

The former Hollywood starlet divorced Marx in 2014, and he married MTV’s first Latina host, Daisy Fuentes, the following year.

As for her sons, all three are following in the footsteps of their famous parents. Brandon is now a music producer and singer, while Lucas has made a name for himself as a singer and actor, appearing in TV series like *The Chicago Code*, *The Mob Doctor*, *Chicago P.D.*, and *Parenthood*. The youngest son, Jesse, has joined a metal band and is working on his own music.

Dancing requires a high level of athleticism, so while we miss seeing Cynthia Rhodes, we completely understand why she chose to leave Hollywood.

What are your favorite films featuring her?

Related Posts

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*