There is more behind thrifting than just bagging cheap finds.
Thrifted items can range from gently used to worn out with a variety of products from mugs to tops. Some view this concept as “gross” considering thrifting is buying items second-hand, however others thrive as they thrift.
Thrifting came to rise in the early 20th century as the Great Depression left people unable to afford to buy clothing firsthand. In the 1960s, along with the Hippy Movement, thrifting began to thrive. Today, you can find an array of quality in thrift stores; the luxurious curated stores, namely Plato’s Closet, a popular chain in North America; and the more generic stores, like Goodwill and Salvation Army, of which there are 4,000+, and 1,500+ stores nationwide, respectively.
Lucy Hoyt, a senior from Hatfield, Mass., is a skilled thriftier, having worked in a thrift store, and acknowledges the wide variety of thrift stores, along with the excitement of not knowing what you’ll find when you walk in.
“There’s a place in downtown Northampton called Urban Exchange, they have Patagonia and stuff like that, but then you can also go to these other places, like Parson’s Closet, where it’s not as curated and it’s fun to find like interesting items there,” she said.
Parson’s Closet is a local thrift store located in Easthampton, just a short five-minute walk from campus. While the items may not be as high quality as Urban Exchange in Northampton, they still offer an enjoyable thrifting experience.
Alexis Caines, a 2023 alum who now attends Temple University, is still loyal to her favorite Massachusetts thrift stores.
“In Western Mass I love to thrift at Goodwill, Salvation Army, Cancer Connections and Mass Vintage. Across all four, they have a wide variety of clothing genres,” she said. “I also love to thrift on Cape Cod because they have such classic, timeless pieces.” Alexis is from Shutesbury Mass., and spends her summers in South Yarmouth, Mass.
In the midst of Alexis’ thrift searching on the Cape, she came across a quintessential Coach bag.
“It has the iconic coach monogram in a cherry red print, and I got it for only $10,” she said. “I love it because it adds a pop of color to any more neutral outfit. The bag fits a lot which is great for me since I’m always carrying lots of things.”
The Coach bag she found is called the “Demi Bag In Signature Jacquard” in the color Sport Red. It was originally made in 2003, but has been “re-imagined” and can be found on the coach website for $736.
Other students spoke to The Willistonian saying their thrifting finds have included a Victoria’s Secret “Betsy Cami Top” ($44.95), an Abercrombie and Fitch camisole top (around $40), a PRINCESS POLLY “NOVELLA MINI DRESS RED” ($58), and a PRINCESS POLLY “COTTAGE HILL MINI DRESS BABY BLUE” ($58); each of these products cost them less than $10.
A few people reported their thrift finds that were a little over $10; a pair of low-rise LEVI’S jeans purchased for $27 usually costing around $85, and a pair of J.Crew “Berkely riding boots in leather” purchased for $16 and usually retail for around $200.
Lucy works over the summer at Schoolhouse Seconds, a thrift store located in Chebeague Island, Maine. However, she doesn’t just enjoy her job, she also enjoys the benefits and pleasure that come along with thrifting.
“I think it’s more fun than shopping because you kind of have to work for it in a way,” she said. “I also think it’s really fun to do with your friends and it’s also a lot cheaper and more sustainable.”
Weston Dripps, Director of Sustainability at Amherst College, is in charge of the “Amherst Thrift.” Dr. Dripps explains “when students are moving out at the end of the school year there are a lot of reusable items that currently, or had been, getting landfilled for the sake of convenience”, but he now runs a system to fix this issue.
“At Amherst College we’ve now developed a coordinated campus system to coordinate between our move out process and our move in cycle that basically gets rid of that waste going to the landfill and puts it back in the hands of students,” he said.
The process starts when students begin to move out; he leaves “a bag to donate clothing and a bag to donate all of their room décor” with each student. The students then leave these bags behind and Dr. Dripps, with the assistance of students interns, gathers the bags.
The bags are then weeded through to find what is suitable for a second life. At the beginning of the academic year a “giant free yard sale” and “a separate giant free clothing event” occur.
Many students have benefited from this process finding free Lululemon leggings ($98), a house of cb dress called the “CARINA” ($195), an AÉROPOSTALE puffer vest ($49.95), and Patagonia “Beta” tank tops ($58).
Dr. Dripps feels this process is a step in the right direction to solve the problems of fast fashion. He also reveals that not only is throwing away clothes unsustainable, but “there’s a law in the state of Massachusetts now that forbids people from throwing out clothing”, known as the “textile ban”; this law became effective on Nov. 1, 2022.
The law, explained by the Massachusetts government, bans the disposal of “clothing, footwear, beddings, curtains, fabric, and scarps of all sizes that are clean and dry”. They suggest that citizens instead donate these items to a textile recycler.
The reason this law was put in place was because of the damage textile disposal poses on the environment. According to RoadRunner Recycling, “not only does it, [throwing away textiles], waste money and resources, but it can take 200+ years for the materials to decompose in a landfill.”
