A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania woman's shopping trip at Goodwill ended up unraveling a juicy tale of family drama.
Lynora Silverman, founder of the CBD company Infused ReLeaf in Philadelphia, came across a Coach bag for $6.99 at Goodwill. It was a good deal—but the real bargain was what she found inside.
Thrift shopping has seen a resurgence in recent years, driven by climate-conscious Generation Z consumers, according to Axios. Eight in 10 consumers said they were open to purchasing second-hand items in 2020, up 16 percent from 2019, according to the 2021 Resale Report from ThredUp.
Of course, discoveries like Silverman's can be a surprise bonus.
"Look inside, it's dirty, right, and cruddy," said Silverman in her video posted Thursday, which quickly went viral, racking up 3.6 million views. She showed her viewers the purse, opened to display stains on the fabric inside.
Attempting to clean it, Silverman tried removing a flap at the base of the bag.
It was there that she found an envelope stuffed with $300 in cash. A long note was inscribed on the envelope, which the lucky shopper proceeded to read.
"I have three children," it said. "They will give my things to Goodwill when I die. So I am putting their inheritance inside all my favorite things. This Coach bag was given to me years ago by my husband's girlfriend."
The letter then took a detour to clarify, "Well, actually, I came home early from a visit to my parents' house in Connecticut. She must have left quickly because she forgot her bag and shoes."
Upon finding the accessory of her husband's mistress, the writer apparently developed an affinity for it.
"I carry this bag everyday," her note went on. "I wonder if my husband ever knew this was his girlfriend's. I carried it daily and I am giving it away because my kids don't want it. So go buy yourself a new bag. Love, Martha."
Unbeknownst to Martha, she would gain a dedicated herd of fans from Silverman's video, becoming the internet's hero of the day.
"Martha was clearly a badass woman," commented one admirer. "The fact that she included all the tea along with the cash."
"Martha is the level of petty I aspire to be," gushed another.
Even the Coach brand's TikTok account commented in all caps, "MARTHA IS AN ICON."
Silverman is not the only Goodwill lover to go viral for an unusual thrifting find.
For the sum of $34.99, Laura Young walked out of a Texas Goodwill store with a 2,000-year-old Roman bust that had gone missing since World War II.
Another shopper allegedly found a person's ashes in a jar sold for $3.99 at a Goodwill in Enterprise, Alabama.
And last year, a Goodwill worker found a painting in the style of Pablo Picasso, most likely a copy of a 1954 painting of his muse.
Newsweek reached out to Silverman for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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