Every year, right about this time, something terrible happens on Vashon.

Granny’s Attic shuts down for three weeks.

Why?

Oh, sure, the folks at Granny’s say they take that time to paint all the walls, clean the shelves, get rid of un-salable items and generally refurbish the store.

That makes perfect sense — but only in a Vashon kind of way. Can you imagine Nordstrom closing for almost an entire month?

I’m trying to cope, but it’s not easy for someone who thinks “retro,” “vintage” and “cheap” are three of the most beautiful words in the English language.

I love almost everything about Granny’s Attic, starting with its swords-to-ploughshares location, high atop Sunrise Ridge, nestled in repurposed buildings that were once part of a Nike missile site.

I love the volunteer staff — friendly grannies busily slapping the world’s most ridiculous prices on stuff, and grandpas back in their own Fibber McGee’s workshop, diligently testing old toasters, radios and record players.

Speaking of records — I’m not bragging, but I have an enviable collection of Merle Haggard LPs that happen to be in mint condition, and I got them at Granny’s.

“Sing Me Back Home,” indeed.

Where else would I find bright yellow, 1970s-era floral wallpaper that reminds me so much of my own childhood home?

Yes, I got my wallpaper at Granny’s.

And my curtains and my couch and my end tables and the giant wooden fork and spoon that hang proudly in my kitchen.

I know my house isn’t fancy. But no one could say that it isn’t cozy — or filled with fun, funky things. I like to think of it as a decorator show house for the best thrift store in the world.

Sure, I’ve made a few mistakes, like a couple of big, clunky dressers that didn’t quite work out. Clothes my kids refused to wear. Cowboy boots that never gave up the ghosts of their previous owners — I simply couldn’t walk a mile in their shoes.

And there are certain things that even I won’t buy at Granny’s. Underwear, for instance.

But I’m so grateful for this shop and grateful for its purpose: to support Vashon Health Center.

The Granny’s Web site says that over the years, the thrift store has funded the health clinic to the tune of more than $2 million.

That’s a lot of guilt-free shopping, if you ask me.

Since Granny’s has been closed, I confess I’ve cheated a bit.

I’ve haunted the Salvation Army’s store on 4th Avenue in Seattle and made several stops at Lifelong AIDS Alliance’s shop on Capitol Hill.

But nowhere else offers the same thrifting thrills as Granny’s, where Valentine’s cards cost a dime, leather coats mix it up with outrageous Cosby sweaters and faded easy chairs from the 1960s will always be in style.

Granny’s Attic will re-open at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 13.

I know where I’ll be that morning.

— Elizabeth Shepherd is The Beachcomber’s arts editor.