Why You Need This Vintage Mail Accessory in Your Kitchen ASAP

If you’re an avid thrifter, then you’re probably already familiar with the secondhand home decor section all-stars. I’m talking about items like tarnished silver servingware, 1980s-era framed prints, and wooden finds that were once staples in households that might be considered outdated today. Before you skip over them, consider that you might be missing an opportunity to add unique charm to your space. In a recently published video,  pro-thrift enthusiast Lizzy Rooney encourages her viewers to rethink potentially discarded items and find a fresh way to display them in their home. 

Mail and letter organizers have been around for hundreds of years, taking various forms. But the ones you find most often at the thrift are usually from the 1980s and 1990s — you might’ve had one in your home growing up. They’re usually made of wood and feature a shelf on top for mail and magazines, and then hooks at the bottom to hang your keys.

But Rooney saw the potential to use one of these mail holders in an entirely different way than for what it’s intended, and the result is so sweet, cozy, and inspiring — you’ll want to pick up a mail holder for yourself!

“Short and sweet outside the box thinking!” Lizzy wrote in the caption of a recent video. “I love how I was able to make this functional for my house!”

Rooney didn’t use the mail organizer for storing letters, though; instead, she found a home for it in her kitchen. The hooks are the perfect size for hanging measuring cups, and the shelf is wide enough for storing seasoning jars, a small vase of flowers, and a tiny cutting board. You can also use it to hold cookbooks, loose printed recipes, coffee station essentials, or even just framed photos you want to showcase without occupying counter space.

“Literally love this,” one person commented on the Instagram post. “I gotta go thrifting.” And another person added, “Okay I definitely need one.”

You can find vintage mail holders in a variety of shapes and sizes, both in thrift stores and on secondhand sites like eBay and Etsy. This mail organizer, for example, would be ideal for kitchen use because the open-top sections could be used to hold utensils, spices, olive oil, and more.

What was once something you passed on is now something you’re actively hunting for. Grab one of these mail holders the next time you’re at the thrift and put it to use in your kitchen — you’ll be obsessed!