Visiting The Dumptique In West Tisbury For The First Time

Ok it took me almost a decade to visit the famous Dumptique in West Tisbury. I can’t tell you why it took that long.

I’ve had friends find amazing things, and even bring me things, but I was yet to venture to this Vineyard hot spot.

Maybe it was because I didn’t quite know what to expect, or maybe it was because it was always closed when I would try to go, though the hours are clearly posted.

However, one sunny, crisp, Saturday morning I was driving by, and decided to try my luck and see if the Dumptique was open.

It was! Finally it was my time to experience the Dumptique. The parking lot was packed!

It was like going to Stop & Shop the weekend before Christmas. Also, it had lots of fancy cars in the lot, BMW’s, a couple of Suburbans. My interest was even more piqued.

Walking into the Dumptique is a sensory overload. It’s awesome! There is so much to look at. There are things everywhere. All of it organized, but everywhere, on the walls, hanging from the ceiling, on the floor, everywhere.

There were people of all ages these, looking for a sweet find. I love that going to someplace like this has the potential for some great vintage finds.

As a newcomer, I decided to watch people a bit, find out how to shop the Dumptique like the pros. This really cute, twenty something girl found a cool ’80’s canvas bag. Once she was able to locate the long hook to get it off the wall, she knew she found a keeper.

Then, I watched her discover a great old cardigan. It looked like cashmere. She tried it on and it was adorable. Granted anything would have look cute on her.

Now feeling inspired, it was time for my own search.

So, I looked though the women’s sweaters like the girl did, but found nothing. Then went on to the area where there are children’s toys, came up empty again. Not that I needed anything, but was on the hunt anyway.

However, there was a Fisher Price stove there that I had when I was little. Feeling nostalgic, I played with it for a bit, and then moved on to housewares.

Ladies were finding the best things, an antique hand mixer, great milk glass bowls, vintage platters and more. Me, I seemed to be two minutes too late no matter what section I was in.

I think I was a bit nervous since it was my first time. I hesitated too long. Though, I am not discouraged. My friend Angie said her friend found gorgeous vintage Gucci boots there, and she herself has found some amazing things.

The Dumptique is indeed an interesting place, and I wanted to find out more, how it works. So, I decided to talk to the ladies, there were three of them, who were sorting through items that people had dropped off for donation.

Lesson learned — don’t touch anything the ladies are working on. Wait until it goes onto the racks.

Martina Mastromoaco, one of the volunteers, was very surprised to hear that it was my first time visiting. Everyone goes to the Dumptique don’t you know.

You never know what you’re going to find here. There’s always a piece of treasure to be discovered. Martina enjoys her time there. It’s social and fun, and there are some great perks.

She wouldn’t let on to any of her favorite finds, but I bet there are some good ones.

The deal is you bring your items to the Dumptique, no trash, nothing stained or ripped, and then you find “new” things you need. Sort of a quid pro quo I guess.

There are donation boxes around, and those donations pay for their dump fees. Since I didn’t find anything this time, I put some money in the donation box. Because you see, I will be back again. I probably won’t stop until I find my Dumptique gem.

You see, the Dumptique has to pay for trash just like you or me. Anything unusable goes in the trash and they have to pay to take it to the dump. Knowing, I hope people really think twice about what they drop off as donations.

Also, I should mention that this really is a great place to drop off your unwanted clothes or toys or housewares or books. It goes directly to other Islanders.

There’s no shipping it off Island like some groups do. It stays right here, and that’s important to know.

So, if you’re like me, and you somewhat enjoy searching for something cool, perhaps it’s time you visited the Dumptique.

For all of you who have been going, you know that it’s a lot of fun, and a great Vineyard experience. After all, you never know what you’ll find, and the hunt is half the fun.

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