Chi Nguyen, Asst. Social Media Editor–
Walking around campus these days, you can feel in the air a touch of warmth and romance that melts layers of frost lingering from the winter season.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and to celebrate the loving season, Revival Thrift, Denison’s first on-campus thrift store, opened a Valentine’s Day themed pop-up on Feb. 6, Slayter third floor.
Whether you are on the hunt for a perfect Valentine’s Day outfit, a heartfelt gift, or just a budget-friendly wardrobe refresh, the pop-up promised something for everyone.
For the month of February, the main theme was Valentine’s Day. In preparation for the pop-up, pieces of clothing curated with a romantic twist were carefully selected. Students can find vintage heart-patterned sweaters, flowy date-night dresses, and retro statement pieces—all at student-friendly prices.
“We tried to find some more pink and red pieces, but also still got basics for anyone that is just looking for clothes on campus,” said Jenna Cutlip ‘27, who serves as the Social Media Assistant.
It took at least two weeks of preparation for the pop-up. On sharing about the behind-the-scenes process, Cutlip said that the team embarked on a thrift trip almost a week before the event, sorting through piles of clothes and looking for pieces with quality that they thought it would eventually sell.
The pop-up took place on a Thursday’s noon, attracting a lot of students who would drop by during their breaks between classes. Alelie Farkas ‘28 first knew about Revival Thrift through the involvement fair and she decided to join the Valentine’s Day themed pop-up, out of curiosity, after hearing her friends talk about it.
“I saw a couple of shirts that I like. I would say shirts are definitely something that I’m looking for [at the pop-up],” said Farkas.
In terms of her clothing style, she revealed that she is leaning more towards comfy items and vintage clothing, which are things she would look for when thrifting.
“I only thrift when I record videos with my friends, like when we make a movie. But sometimes, I’ll thrift if I just want an outfit,” said Farkas, who enjoyed making fun, little movie projects with her friends outside class.
Today, thrifting has become a global phenomenon, a lifestyle choice, especially favored by younger generations. However, the thrift movement can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a historical period of economic challenges, including the Great Depression. More than just a treasure trove of affordable and unique clothing, the thrift culture symbolizes an act of advocacy for sustainability and rebellion against mainstream fashion.
“Thrifting and buying second-hand clothes is a lot better and more cost efficient. When you look at how clothes are made today just to be worn once or twice, it’s really shocking how much goes into something that’s going to end up in landfill,” said Mollie Stier ‘28, an English and Dance major, who went to the pop-up with her friend, Abby Solihan ‘28.
In fact, thrifting and art share such a strong thread of creativity.
“I like thrifting because I find it easier to find clothing that not only is $20 for one T-shirt, but also clothing that can fit your style better,” said Cutlip. “Or even if you don’t want clothing, you can find fabric scraps there. You can find a bunch of found objects, which you can include in your own art, which is what I have done before.”
As a Visual Art major, Cutlip enjoys playing around with the “ingredients” that she collected when thrifting and incorporating them into her artistic project.
“I thrifted, I think, it was some ribbon. They usually have a section dedicated to fabrics, like old blankets or quilts. So I’ve taken a piece of table cover, pots and some ornaments. I spray painted them and kind of morphed them so you can’t really tell what they are anymore,” said Cutlip. “It’s a very affordable way if you want to create art, but you don’t want to spend a lot of money at big art stores.”
You can never really know what you can find in thrift stores. Sometimes, that mystery is what brings excitement and perhaps, a sense of achievement when you walk out of the thrift store feeling as if you just succeeded through a treasure hunt. For many others, to secure that sense of accomplishment, they come up with different strategies to maximize their thrifting experience.
“My strategy is you go rack by rack. Obviously, start in the size category of clothes that fit you. And then you go hanger by hanger. If something catches your eye, look at that. Also, if they have a dressing room, try stuff on because you don’t want to take something home and not like the way it looks on you,” said Solihan, who often thrifts with her friends and family. “I usually lock in and then go item by item.”
The success of the pop-up hints at a growing popularity of second-hand fashion on campus. It was a shopping experience, but even more, it was a celebration of sustainability, community and the holiday approaching.
