Slide Left… Pause… Slide Left
As far back as I can remember every Sunday, I would dread entering any kind of thrift store alongside my mother. Goodwill, Salvation Army or some family owned business like Thrift King (a well known shop in Houston)– you name it and we were there. She was infatuated with finding crafty and intricate clothing pieces; Intertwining her frugality and sense of style into one. Prices were obviously much lower than the suggested retail price; especially since much of the clothing at hand was very outdated/ out-of-season. Moreover, of course initially I didn’t care much but once I began high school, that all changed for me.
Transitioning from a daily basis of being in dress-coded khakis to then being able to wear nearly whatever I desired, was a full on-slot of freedom of expression that I never had been able explore before. It was almost like taking a new class at school or something. I was learning about all sorts of things such as– brands, designers, fabrics, etc. I taking advantage of the low prices and acquiring really nice finds like the few below. However, my fun seemed to come to a halt, once Macklemore came into the picture.
Can We Go Thrift Shopping?
You might recall rapper Macklemore’s 2012 breakout hit song “Thrift Shop”, which parades the experience of shopping for gently used items in thrift stores with the expectation of having a grand and inexpensive visit. Just like that the scope that was on the thrift experience opened up greatly. Many journalists and articles reported otherwise that they wasn’t any direct correlation between traffic within thrift stores or their sales revenue but I felt different. Based upon my personal experience, stores across the board were increasing prices and definitely had an increased traffic flow. If their rates of conversion were matching or not, I had no idea but I just remember feeling somewhat crowded and cheated because thrifting now became trendy.
Next thing I know there’s a whole host of new shops popping up around every corner. Most of which are appealing and marketed towards a much younger audience such as Buffalo Exchange and Plato’s Closet. These shops centered their content around brands that the younger generation were interested in and began up-cycling them. For those who don’t know up-cycling is reusing former older pieces to recreate something to gain a higher quality in value. This reissued quality is going to play greatly into the up-rise in the latter on realm of the furthering of variations of differentiating thrift stores and the online market as well.
My Tips on Up-Cycling
- Look for clothes that you no longer wear or have stylistic interest in
- Try and recall what you paid for those items
- Self-Assess them and draw up your own value for each item
- Lastly re check and even possibly include a friend to see how you could reinterpret each item into an outfit
these tips will help you not only make some money but create space for new flare!
Still Sliding…
Today, thrift stores aren’t popular per-say but still rather trendy, mainly because of the way the newer generations view sustainability and preservation. In addition to this, the internet and the focus on online shopping have taken the focus of traditional shopping methods and made it almost completely digital. Despite me giving Macklemore a hard time for exposing my not so little secret, I’m glad to have found my own groove from maneuvering within the thrift store.
While I am an avid online shopper, I still head over to the thrift stores near me to take a gander. Below are some of my latest and most like finds from a variety of places.
Rebu Said So 