Style Treasures? In a Thrift Store!?

Jul 22

I’ve regretfully passed over things in thrift stores that I absolutely admired because it was not trendy to shop at thrift stores in my circle of friends at the time. For a while, I was buying tons of simple items (e.g. t-shirts, tank tops, and jeans) that were basic colors. Because of this, I never felt like I had any real outfits that spoke to my style creatively. So, I finally made up my mind that once I had the simple wardrobe necessities, I wouldn’t buy anymore unless it was necessary.

What has really accelerated the growth of my wardrobe and the edginess I had long yearned for was my starting to visit and shop in thrift and consignment stores; my favorite is Goodwill. Don’t knock it until you try it. Goodwill may be my favorite because it is quite popular to most people and is usually the firs place people think of when getting rid of anything they no longer want. And, they do an inspection of the clothing before putting it out for purchase. I have found some really awesome treasures for crazily inexpensive prices. Uhm, is crazily a word? Anywho, I’ve compiled a short list of tips that will set you up for success on your thrifting journey.

Thrift Tips

Patience. I mention this in regards to going through the many aisles some of the larger stores may have. On a good day, I can start at the front of the store and go through every single aisle applicable to me. Sometimes, you can look at all the aisles in the store and tell yourself “oh heck no!” I’ve learned that I have to mentally prepare my mind to go to stores like Goodwill. The racks are oftentimes packed with clothes. If I go to these stores with no patience, I could miss out on a good treasure of a decent brand that is exactly my size. What are the odds? Believe it or not, the likelihood of this happening is very high.
Bring your own bag. Goodwill no longer uses the regular shopping bags. Instead, when they finally run out of the regular plastic shopping bags, they are selling blue reusable bags with the Goodwill logo for $1.00. This is due in part to their environment-friendly campaign. They are great bags, but they are pretty small for me. I’ve had to buy 2 bags before because I purchased too much stuff. Lately, I’ve carried my larger TJ Maxx or Ross reusable bags. They’ve proved to have the perfect amount of space.
Thoroughly Inspect. I made the mistake once of not checking the zipper on a jacket from a yard sale. This jacket was amazing and I couldn’t wait to pair it with a skirt I had in mind. I got home, and the zipper was missing! Maybe I could have pulled it off without zipping it, but the plans I had for the jacket was for it to be zipped. So, with all of that being said, check for functioning zippers. Check for holes, rips, and tears; make sure all buttons are there and attached. But, if you find something that needs a little TLC, think about how much it will cost. Cheap fix? Buy it! My rule is that if it won’t cost me more than I paid to purchase it to fix it, I’ll buy it; It must be a treasure though.
Who Are You Taking With You? For whatever reason, my husband does not like shopping! Crazy right?! I’ve taken him a few times thrifting and he was not having it; poor guy. If you can help it, go with someone who admires the hobby as much as you do. A plus for taking someone else is that they usually bring your attention to things in other sections or areas they think you may be interested in. That way you are sure to leave with the treasures that are meant for you. Otherwise, you will feel rushed going with someone who doesn’t love it like you do. I usually end up going by myself. I plug in my AirPods, set Pandora to Smooth Jazz Radio and begin my quest.