Whenever someone asks me to tell them an interesting fact about myself, one of the first things that comes to mind is that I am a thrift connoisseur. I fell in love with thrift shopping in 2010 after being introduced to the Salvation Army right here in West Chester.
I remember that one of the first things that caught my eye was the way the store was set up. There were racks upon racks of rainbow-colored clothes spanning from wall to wall and the low prices were astonishing. I’d never seen anything like it in my life, and although my style has changed countless times since my first visit, my love for thrift shopping continues to flourish.
I have a strong affinity for fashion as well as a tendency to be excessively frugal. Though in a general sense the two do not appear to go together, thrift shopping makes having cute quality clothing on a budget a beautiful reality.
Just a few years ago, the only place the average shopper could find anything with a vintage look was at a thrift store. However, due to rising popularity among millennials, mainstream clothing companies have attempted to copy the vintage look though, in my opinion, new vintage style clothing lacks the authentic look that the neighborhood thrift store carries.
So while I have dabbled in mainstream stores a little over the years, it’s extremely rare that I find myself spending more than $10 to 15 dollars on essentially anything that I see when I’m in the mall because I know that I can probably find it for less with greater quality in a local thrift store.
One of the best ways to express your most authentic self is through your clothing, which is why I enjoy fashion as much as I do. It’s an art form. As previously mentioned, popular stores like Forever 21, H&M and Urban Outfitters have adopted a more vintage look but the quality is inferior to the original time period. Clothes are not made in the same way that they used to be, neither do they retain the same authentic feel.
Vintage clothing allows for creativity and individuality because there’s a wide range of choices. I like being able to pick up a shirt at the thrift store knowing that my friends will not have the same one, not to mention that you can shop a variety of timeless fashions including 1960s haute, 1970s funk, 1990s grunge and much more.
Aside from the remarkable clothing, the overall thrift experience is one that is unable to be duplicated during a trip to the mall. The average thrift store is much smaller in size than the average mall, which lends itself to a more intimate feel with minimal crowds.
My experience has been that the absence of congestion translates to friendlier shoppers and staff. Most people who thrift regularly aren’t looking for anything specific and are rarely in a hurry which makes the thrifting experience more relaxed and enjoyable for everyone. Then there’s the aroma.
While the aroma of stale clothes and moth balls mixed together is definitely an interesting contrast to the scent of the food court that permeates your local mall, I have grown to love and appreciate the smell of used clothes for what they are.
The unknown stories the clothes in the thrift store tell are also appealing to me. Because I am such an inquisitive being, I’m always wondering what the clothes have seen, what they have been through, who might have worn them, when they were created, why they were given away and so on.
However, above all, one of the most fascinating things about thrift stores to me is that you can go there, looking for nothing in particular, uncover something special and unique and walk away with a variety of things and have only spent a few dollars.
Big corporations seem more concerned with pushing out products fast and cheap more than with creating good quality clothing that is meaningful. If you can relate to that statement, I suggest you try thrift shopping. It may be the cure to what ails you.
Danaé Reid is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in African-American studies. ✉ DR822867@wcupa.edu.