Thrifting in the past has had a stigma attached to it. People called it “stingy” or gross. However, people are realizing many benefits to buying vintage or used clothing, which has become more popular, especially for younger generations.
For instance, thrifting clothing is far cheaper than buying new clothing; another reason is that clothing has had a noticeable drop in quality due to the rise of fast fashion, so many garments in thrift stores are likely to last people longer, be more comfortable, and have a better fit or cut. Another big reason for the increase in thrifting is that it is a lot more popular now because there is a big focus on recycling and sustainability in fashion, and a great way to help with that is not to buy new clothes.
“Don’t be afraid not to find anything; it’s not what it seems like where you’re going to walk in and find a great piece.”-Nicholas Brown
People are not only buying directly from thrift stores; many customers are more focused online, where used clothing can be purchased at websites like eBay or Depop. “…A lot of people I know who like fashion and vintage buy from Depop, but eBay is much cheaper, and it has some good finds, too,” said Kinnelon High School student Manu Soriano. These sites have led to so-called “resellers” who scour used clothing stores for hours, hoping to flip rare finds for money by selling these clothes online for a markup thanks to a “finder’s fee.”
Many stores are now popping up around America from former resellers who curate vintage clothing and memorabilia to sell to other vintage enthusiasts. One such store has popped up in the Pequannock area, Edgewood Collective; oddly enough, just a mile walk from the Pompton Plains Goodwill is an excellent stop for anyone interested in vintage fashion, especially from the ’90s to early 2000s era. The owner and operator of the store, Nicholas Brown, talked about his inspiration for the store, saying “I wanted to make the store all ‘80s to early 2000s with categories like skatewear, music t-shirts, movie promo…pretty much anything I find cool.”. The outside of Edgewood Collective Brown also gave a piece of advice for people newly interested in the hobby “Don’t be afraid not to find anything, it’s not what it seems like where you’re going to walk in and find a great piece.”
That advice rings true for North Jersey thrift stores. Many places have great finds, but you’re going to have to be persistent and know where to look. Some options include the Value Village or the Udelco in Hawthorne, which has a good selection of clothes. The Ditto in North Haledon is also a good option with some clothing and many other used items. A bit further out of the way is the American Thrift in Passaic, which also has a great collection of clothes. These stores will probably test your patience, but learning to thrift is a skill that takes a long time but can be super helpful for saving money or working on your style. Fashion is already cyclical as trends come in and out of popularity, so it only makes sense to take inspiration from the past but take directly from it and put it into a new context.
