From local flea markets to online consignment shops, thrifting has really taken off as a way to stay sustainable and repurpose items that aren’t quite ready to be thrown away. As a mother of two, I constantly find myself looking to buy new items for my kids, that are only going to be given away after a few months. As a self-proclaimed serial shopper, I also find several pieces in my closet with tags that I just can’t ever get myself to wear. The idea to donate or sell on consignment came to mind when I no longer had friends who needed hand me down baby-clothes or no one to take in my new-with-tag garments. So many of these companies are available at our disposal but from experience, I hear that usage can be low. With the resurgence of thrifting and shopping “used” or “like new”, there are several ways to support sustainable businesses.
- Shop Local – Check if your area offers any weekend flea market or swap meets that you can visit or even partake in. Estates sales are another way to source items for your home, typically marketed in local newspapers or signs found while driving in the area. Local Goodwills are also great places to check. You’ll never know what you’ll find!
- Support small online businesses – Thrifting has become even easier with smaller thrift stores reaching a wider audience with eCommerce sites. Sites such as New York based Sunnyside Scrapt, is a great place for home and fashion goods that are a little funky and a whole lot of cool. Ontario based Montclair Vintage, not only sells thrifted goods but drops unique up-cycled goods that are hard to get your hands on. For children’s clothing, shopping at smaller stores like BounceMKT has been a life saver for me, as a mom of two small children who seem grow out of their clothes monthly.
- Shop larger online consignment shops – I like to think this option is hybrid of the first two options. A great way to shop thrift shops and consignment stores are through a large and broad assortment but going through racks and shelves for hours to find the unicorn item of the day can be time consuming. Sites like ThredUP are great ways to look through a huge catalog of goods and narrowing down what you’re looking for. Using filters with descriptors such as color or style and even brand can save a lot of time and heart ache.
Which ever way you decide to start reducing your consumption of new goods, remember not everything at home has to be brand new. Fashion is one of the biggest culprits for contributing to waste, that naturally, we should be seeking to shrink this footprint first. It can be hard to move away from shopping fast fashion, but with a quality first mentality, we can strive to become better consumers. Working to keep items for years and years versus replacing worn garments only after a year.
Sara Bautista 