You most certainly did get a great deal at the thrift store, hooray! At one time, I had my eyes open for those L shaped desks too, as they seemed like a great idea. I passed on that idea only because my friend comes over to sew and I wanted a place for her to be comfortable to sew, too. Now that I've watched Leah Day's video on table placement and hear the importance of having that area available behind and to the left of my sewing machine, I like my new set up. A lot of folks have made quilts without that space available, but as long as I can have it, I'm gonna use it! :D Would love to hear back on how your set up is working and see pics, too! Anything we can do for our sewing havens on the cheap is even better! Happy sewing!