Most of the time when we explain to someone we found a piece of our wardrobe at a thrift store, they assume we mean a second-hand sell-back store not unlike Plato's Closet, Red Light Vintage, Crossroads, and/or Buffalo Exchange. This is wrong and here's why:
- Sell-back stores and consignment shops are brilliant. What a fantastic idea it was to recycle clothes, and 9 times out of 10 you can find stunning and unique clothing for a reasonable price. However, these stores are also selective. They examine each article that goes in and out of their store, only selecting the most fashionable and contemporary pieces that will sell. (And on a personal note, I've never felt more judged then when a girl 6 years younger than me is determining my personal style worth by pricing the clothes I'm selling 'can't use this' 'they aren't label jeans' 'ew')
- The thrift store category would include stores such as Goodwill, Value Village, Salvation Army, St. Vincent De Paul, etc. Most of them are non-profit and hope to help the low-income population afford the basic necessities like clothing and a few furnishings for the home. This is also where the middle/high income part of society can relieve themselves of their clutter by dropping off boxes and boxes of 'crap' without feeling guilty for throwing their mess into a landfill somewhere.
-Thrift stores also happen to be the resting places of many deceased people's items - the loved ones of the dead too grief-stricken and to spend time going through painful possessions and instead box it up and drop it off before their heart says differently.
While no doubt the good people who work at a thrift store spend countless hours of their lives sorting through these boxes and organizing them to some sort of categories to display in the store, they are not selective of what type of shirt should be shown in the store and what pants that are from 8 seasons ago should not. A lot of people who shop here don't care anyways.
This might sound snobbish, but no snobs allowed in thrift stores, please. You must step into Goodwill with an open mind and lots of time. I've met the most interesting people in between the shelves of thrift stores and a good population of them don't make over $15,000 a year. While our target missions in the store might be different (I'm looking for a vintage sweater so out of style it will be in style next year, a man is looking for a mattress because he finally has an actual bedroom to put it in), our judgement is non-existent. I often feel like the people in thrift stores are treasure hunters, each type of treasure is unique to the hunter. I discovered a pair of real leather loafers in the furniture aisle; A child found a second-hand game of Operation with most of the pieces in tact; An expectant mother found the maternity section to be 75% off one day only.
And this is why when I say 'I found it at a thrift store' I'm proud. It is a modern day treasure hunt. Thrifters like us spend hours sifting through racks of old clothes in search of that one item that stands out. That is the thrill. That is the experience and culture. The people who shop at these types of thrift stores are as varied as the clothes themselves. That is why you need patience, an eye for the unique, no judgement, and no censor when it comes to non-label clothing that costs 5 dollars regularly, but it is 50% off of green-colored tags today.
 |
| Heaven |
No comments:
Post a Comment