No matter where you go, there is a thrift store near you.
If you live in a big city or smaller city, there are likely random stores that are antique-esque, a Goodwill or Salvation Army. Sometimes they’re pop-ups through a church organization, sometimes they’re a random place you pass while walking or sometimes it’s that place you regularly go that’s around the corner.
But wait, what is thrifting, you ask?
Thrifting is when someone goes shopping at secondhand stores and buy clothes, shoes, other accessories and objects from them, for a cheap or discounted price.
Personally, I think it’s the best way to shop for anything. You never know what you can find, like someone’s lost treasure. People give away perfectly good clothing because it doesn’t fit, isn’t useful to them anymore or just simply because they don’t like it.
During high school, I would buy most of my own clothing and instead of buying everything at full price, I would buy things on sale or go thrifting at our local Salvation Army store. I would generally get all of my back to school clothing from thrifting.
The best thing about thrifting is that you can do it anywhere and you never know what gems you will find.
For example, when I was thrifting earlier this year at Salvation Army near where I live (Warren, OH), I found the best pair of jeans with embroidered flowers on them. If bought at full price, those jeans would typically be around $40. I purchased them for $5. They are easily now my favorite pair of pants. Just imagine me running down the isles of the store and the lady staring me strangely as ‘80s music has been playing.
While I was in Scotland over the summer, the thrifting scene was huge — stores from Red Cross to the British Heart Foundation, Birththink thrift shop and the Children’s department sold clothes, CD’s, records, furniture and relied on volunteers for their employees and all proceeds from each sale goes to the organization that the store is named from.
But, I know that once you start out thrifting, it can be hard to decide what to do and where to go. So, here are some tips for thrifting:
You have to be fluid — you can’t go in with certain expectations or speculations on what you will or want to find, because you’ll always be disappointed. If you go in and look at things aimlessly, you’ll find something you like, or you simply won’t and it isn’t as disappointing.
Go to the men’s section or women’s section. Go to every section of the store, honestly — the kid’s section could have a random t-shirt that you’ve always wanted. Get lost in the store and just look around.
Go in a group or with friends. It makes it more enjoyable for everyone and you’ll be able to either mesh styles with each other, get second opinions and honestly, it’s just fun. I went to a thrift store with a group of friends near Denison and someone ended up getting accidentally handcuffed to the sales rack. Let’s just say it was an adventure.
Finally, don’t be afraid to try a new style, because sometimes you’ll surprise yourself by trying things you wouldn’t normally. There’s honestly nothing better than picking something random off the rack and rolling with it.
Thrift/antique shops nearby:
- Granville Thrift Shop, Granville, OH
- Foot Loose Vintage Clothing store, Granville, OH
- Goodwill, Newark, OH
- The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Newark, OH
- Out of the Closet, Columbus, OH
- Ohio Thrift Store, Columbus, OH
- Family Thrift, Columbus, OH
Liz Anastasiadis ‘21 is a creative writing major with a concentration in narrative journalism from Warren, Ohio.