Ever since the Salvation Army’s “salvage brigade” was launched in 1897, with scavengers of used clothes receiving lodging and food, religion has played a leading role in the re-use industry. Historian Jennifer Le Zotte has detailed this connection in her 2017 book, From Goodwill to Grunge: A History of Secondhand Styles and Alternative Economies. Another [...]
What could be better than free clothes? Free clothes plus an opportunity to clean out your own closet, that's what. The first-ever clothes swap sponsored by the Palm Springs Cultural Center took place on Leap Day, Feb. 29, as a pop-up event adjacent to the regular Saturday morning certified farmer's market. The swap was the [...]
ThriftStyle co-author Reise Moore put together a trend story for Shondaland.com on thrifting spring styles taken from runways and fashion sites. Read her story and see the great photos (taken by Los Angeles photographer Noe Montes - noemontes.com) here All of the items shown were secondhand. The most expensive item was $20, and many were [...]
Ever since we began researching clothing re-use for our book ThriftStyle, we have been heartened to see thrifting move from the fringes into a true movement. This week brings the momentous news that the luxury department store Nordstrom, which has 379 stores in 40 states, will begin selling used clothing online and in its new [...]
We wrote an article for Shondaland.com about thrifting tips, gleaned from our trips to more than 400 thrift shops coast to coast, as well as observations from other avid thrifters. We meant to link to it two months ago, but it's all timeless, useful information! Here's the link: https://www.shondaland.com/live/style/a29802989/how-to-make-thrift-store-shopping-chic/ Michelle Raven, of Minneapolis, founder of [...]
Nearly every thrift store, consignment shop and antiques store sells scarves. Many group scarves together, but they are also found on mannequins and as part of displays, so it pays to keep an eagle-eye out for scarves in all corners of a shop. While writing our book, ThriftStyle: The Ultimate Bargain Shopper's Guide to Smart [...]
Every once in a while, we hear shoppers complain about high prices at thrift shops. One of our favorite shops, Central Thrift in south Los Angeles, has this motto printed on its business cards: “Don’t pay those high Goodwill and Salvation Army prices.” While it’s true that we sometimes run across an overpriced item at [...]
