I am a retired American living on a decent pension, and ten years ago I relocated to the little Panamanian town of Boquete (Spanish for "gap") where the first Europeans settled during the 19th century gold rush. They were heading for California, and wanted to avoid the long and treacherous journey in a sailing vessel around Cape Horn at the tip of South America.
A number of these travelers crossed Central America at this gap in our central mountain range, the Cordillera de Talamanca. A few fell in love with this gorgeous valley with its perfect climate and friendly people, and settled here as immigrants. (The interior of my rental casita, with windows always open, ranges from 70-80°F (21-26°C). Air conditioning and heating are not needed.)
Fast forward to the present, and Boquete is very popular with expats as Panamá has become a very popular and highly recommended retirement destination for Americans, Canadians, and Europeans. A fair number of Americans move here and buy a house, and then ship a 40' container here with most of their furniture and possessions - including their collections of music. Panamá offers excellent benefits for seniors, including many discounts, so most gringo expats are retirees in their 60's and 70's, and their containers of personal possessions often include vinyl LP's . That leads to occasional sales of these collections as we seniors slowly pass on - and results in email thrift store ads like the one below:
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We received a big load of LPs again. About 200, mostly sixties music....Elton John, Buffy Saint Marie, Cat Stevens, Arlo Guthrie, Beatles, Stevie Wonder, etc.
We're hoping there may just be someone who purchased one of these retro LP players at PriceSmart [a Costco affiliate with lots of "Kirkland" brand goods] and is looking for discs. $1 each, but we will make a good deal with someone if they buy 25 or more.
Also,it may be a good idea to mention that we are open Mo, Tu, Wed, 9-2:30 for sales and for donations every day.
The Handicap Foundation Thrift Store is located in Alto Boquete across the street from Chopsticks Restaurant.
Fast forward to the present, and Boquete is very popular with expats as Panamá has become a very popular and highly recommended retirement destination for Americans, Canadians, and Europeans. A fair number of Americans move here and buy a house, and then ship a 40' container here with most of their furniture and possessions - including their collections of music. Panamá offers excellent benefits for seniors, including many discounts, so most gringo expats are retirees in their 60's and 70's, and their containers of personal possessions often include vinyl LP's . That leads to occasional sales of these collections as we seniors slowly pass on - and results in email thrift store ads like the one below:
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We received a big load of LPs again. About 200, mostly sixties music....Elton John, Buffy Saint Marie, Cat Stevens, Arlo Guthrie, Beatles, Stevie Wonder, etc.
We're hoping there may just be someone who purchased one of these retro LP players at PriceSmart [a Costco affiliate with lots of "Kirkland" brand goods] and is looking for discs. $1 each, but we will make a good deal with someone if they buy 25 or more.
Also,it may be a good idea to mention that we are open Mo, Tu, Wed, 9-2:30 for sales and for donations every day.
The Handicap Foundation Thrift Store is located in Alto Boquete across the street from Chopsticks Restaurant.
