Thrifter Finds a Hauntingly Beautiful Old Chair at TN Goodwill Store

I seem to remember a time when shopping at Goodwill or a similar thrift store was considered uncool or embarrassing - that is definitely not the case anymore. For some young people, thrifting is a fun thing to do with friends and an affordable way to add to their wardrobe - my daughter has countless items from thrift stores. For other folks, thrifting, and then reselling, has become a sweet little side hustle or even a full-time revenue stream. And somewhere in between are a bunch of people who just like to shop at thrift stores, hoping to find a really cool or unique item. One of those shoppers found a chair that has people talking.

Arica Earley was strolling through the Goodwill in Springfield, TN when she spotted this old chair. The chair, which she calls "Fascinatingly terrifying," features the following brief, hand-stitched poem:

You loved her to pieces, Mama said to many holes to mend

Keep her still my forever friend

 

Arabella Smythe

Aged 10 years

1847

The message itself isn't spooky to me at all, but there is something about the stitching that kinda freaks me out. It reminds me of some writing I would see in a scary movie - you know, like when a message gets carved into a wall or on someone's body?

What's the Story? We Need to Know More!

Of course, people (myself included) can't just appreciate a neat old chair - we have to ask questions. I want to know if the chair and the stitching are really that old. Is it from 1847, or just made to look that way? Was Arabella Smythe a real person? If so, what happened to her, and who did the stitching on the chair? Don't you want to know these things too? I'll admit I did a teeny tiny bit of research before I started this article. As you probably guessed, I didn't find anything online that would answer any of my questions.

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Some other, more practical people want to know if Arica bought the chair and how much she paid for it? Would she be willing to sell it, and for how much?