So last week we decided to make the crazy drive Β all the way up to Final Cut in August Georgia. 8 hours there. 8 hours home. Was it worth it? Well… I guess it depends on how you look at it!

We packed a small bag with some pjs and tooth brushes, made lunch, got meals and clothes ready for this *grumpy morning no photos please* girl and left the house. We made plans for who would be picking her up and where she would go the next day— and dropped her off at spring break camp for the day. The headed north— A 20 degree drop in weather type of north.

I like road trips a lot– you guys know this. Alex enjoys them as well. And actually, Marlowe does too, but we figured she would have a better time with family then driving 16 hours in two days to look at Β furniture and piles and piles of clothing. That makes sense right? We thought so. And I mean, a quick getaway just the two of us? Even if it’s just mostly driving? We’re into it.

We packed smoothies, fruit, and bagel sandwiches for the ride. We don’t typically buy GF breads and things– but I don’t know, since I’ve come back from Mexico I’ve been so lax about food lately– going for the junky cravings I usually pass on. I’m maybe slightly more tired because of it and totally going to pay for it, but I feel fine for now. I’m smelly because of it (haha), but my overall feeling of happiness is more important than the body odor at the moment πŸ˜‰

Wow– I just went off on a hard tangent with the mention of bagels, eh? Sorry. Let’s talk body odor another day… Anyway, we had gf bagels and they were mediocre at best, haha. But better than some junky side of the road middle of no where food stop, right? Right.

That serious driving face. I was taking about this on histogram the day of the drive– but we are not, by any means car conversation-havers. I mean, I guess it depends who I’m with. Because I don’t mind chatting– but I’m not really the one to initiate conversations in the car. But if you start one, I’ll chat. Β But Alex and I will drive for three hours straight with little words exchanged. Then we’ll stop for food, and laugh and talk the whole meal. It’s pretty funny actually. Maybe we just need to be face to face? Who knows.

The magic of restroom bathrooms, haha.

The road trip selfie. A must. (Not really, but lets pretend). Originally we had thought– maybe we’d stop half way up and spend a few hours in St. Augustine– but once we got in the car we decided maybe it wouldn’t be worth it– and that maybe we should keep going, without stopping (we had brought food anyway) and make it up to Augusta before Final Cut closed. That way we could have some sort of idea of what we were getting into the next day.

So we did just that.

Now, if you’re reading this post and have never heard of Final Cut (I don’t blame you) and if you’re curious to why anyone would ever drive 8 hours there and then back, well, I dont blame you on that either. I think we even felt a bit crazy doing it.

In short: Final Cut is basically a giant store filled with unsold items from a variety stores– I think mostly Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Free People. I’m pretty sure I saw a few other brands there too… but I could be wrong. So why do items end up in this store? Well, mostly because they were damaged or left in someway that made them unable to sell in store/online. So a couch that might cost you in 2000$ online, might be found here for 800$ with maybe a stain, missing leg, or a missing cushion, etc.

I think you guys know, I’m not against buying items that need repair or a makeover. I think it’s actually pretty great for a lot of reasons. I mean, I think I’m pretty damn handy, so I can def. fix up most things pretty well. And it’s usually a hell of a lot cheaper to buy these otherwise higher quality items. And really, isn’t it a pretty damn sustainable option? I mean sure, buying secondhand is one of the best options. But these items are in a get *sold or end up in a landfill* position… and I’m happy to rescue them then bring them back to life, haha.

That being said, we didn’t leave with much. We had high hopes to purchase a new couch and did not.

So we rummaged… a lot. You could, without a doubt, spend days going through items and still not see everything in this store. This photo to the left is the photo I sent my mom. I was really fancy kicking off my shoes and climbing into piles to rummage /reach for items.

There were boxes and boxes AND BOXES of clothes too. It’s not all furniture. I did buy one jumpsuit, but that’s it for clothes. I didn’t spend almost any time going through clothing– I just happened to see a color I liked, reached in and pulled it out, and it was a jumper that was just my size. And then I called it a day for clothes.Β 
The sea of chairs. The only big purchase we made on this trip was a chair. I think the chair retailed for almost 400$ but we found it for 100$ here. The wood is broken where the back connects to the back legs, but we think so extra sturdy wood glue should fix it up pretty well.

Alex found the chair on the first day and could not at all decide if he wanted to buy it or not. It felt really good to not be the only indecisive person. I told him to sleep on it and decide if he still wanted it the next day. Well, he spent the whole next day going back and forth trying to figure it out. In the end he left with the chair.

We ended up happy that we skipped St. Augustine and went straight to Augusta. It gave us about an hour to walk around and explore the store and gave us an idea of what we would be getting into. This is great for indecisive folks like me haha. We left the first day with a few pieces of bedding and a piece of fabric that could be bedding but also could be a curtain– we have no idea. But it was a beautiful color and we’re going to make it work somewhere somehow.

We grabbed rice bowl dinners, picked up some fruit for the morning, and crashed in our hotel room. And took another selfie to laugh at our matching outfits. We also had grey matching sweatpants and socks too. Not planned.

The next morning we headed back to Final Cut. We spent a lot of time in the lighting room— but left with zero lighting (we found it a bit too expensive still). We dug through cushions, but only bought one for Marlowe’s room and decided we weren’t sure if we really needed any other ones.
We had hoped to drag home a new couch from this trip. We thought maybe a new couch or a bed or something of substantial size could make the trip worth it. In the end, we didn’t leave with any of those things. We left with a broken (but nice) chair, a few pieces of random bedding, a cushion, a mirror, and a few other little things.

So was the drive worth it? Well it depends how you look at it. We definitely left with less than we needed/wanted. And spent more on gas than we would like (we took a truck to fit a couch instead of the prius). But we had a really nice time just getting away and doing something new together. So it definitely wasn’t a complete waste to adventure up there. It just wasn’t as fruitful as we had hoped.

Final thoughts on Final Cut:
  • It could potentially be a great option for sustainable purchases if you find something you need there and are having trouble finding stuff that has been sustainably made or second-hand (better options for sure).
  • It’s a fun adventure if you like rummaging.
  • They have some pretty stuff there

but…..

  • Items are still pretty pricey. We found that prices varied depending on who was checking us out– depending if the person wanted to look up the cost or give us a low standard rate. But still most items where pretty pricey considered that they were slightly damaged.
  • You’re not always going to find what you’re looking for. We had hoped for a couch, but all the couches we found were either 1. not a color or pattern we liked 2. the wrong size. 3. still just too expensive. So its a risk to take a big trip and spend the time and money to get there and possibly leave with nothing.


In the end we had fun together…. so I definitely wouldn’t say we regret the trip. We had a good time and left with a few items we needed. If we had needed more, we would have left with more. But we don’t need a lot of things and were content with the few items we found. If we ever happen to be in the area we might pop in again, but other than that, the one trip up there was good enough and wont need to take place again πŸ˜‰

PS. I’m totally cool picking through broken things to make them new again, but I’m totally not a rummager. Maybe next life πŸ˜‰