2023’s Best Cities for Thrifting

What are three benefits of thrifting?

1. To avoid creating more waste and benefit the environment by doing so.

2. To enable original and individual choices of what is worn, interiors, etc.

3. To encourage other people to follow your good example and to do the same.

What are your three best tips for finding trendy clothes while thrifting?

1. Have a good sense of the suppliers to your thrifting source.

2. Check if the source has any policy as to what it does and doesn’t take.

3. Have a clear sense of what you are looking for and consider “trendy.”

What is one piece of advice you have for buying used furniture while thrifting?

Check for quality of materials, structure, etc., and avoid flammable materials.

What are the best days to go thrifting?

That surely depends on when your retail source puts new items on its racks — ask them!

What is one tip for spotting vintage clothing at thrift shops?

A real ‘vintage’ is so hard to define nowadays — but definitely shop around and check that the store down the street does not have another version of the same piece.

Is there anything you would avoid buying at thrift or resell stores?

• Underwear!
• Opened cosmetics, creams, etc.

What are three benefits of thrifting?

1. Sustainability: When you thrift, you are giving clothing and accessories a second chance by prolonging their life and use. You are also saving them from landfills and being more environmentally friendly.

2. Community Support: Thrifting allows you to support local businesses, organizations, and communities in need.

3. Efficiency: Apparel and accessories are usually vintage, unique, well-made, and of much better quality for a much lower price.

What are your three best tips for finding trendy clothes while thrifting?

1. Look for clothing that is similar to the hot new trending colors. Some of the colors may be slightly off but close enough to fit the latest colorways.

2. Look for clothing in similar silhouettes to the current trends and styles that are not too dated.

3. Be safe by choosing classic styles, traditional fabrics, and basic neutral colors that transcend time.

What is one piece of advice you have for buying used furniture while thrifting?

I recommend thoroughly checking the furniture for major damages and testing it before purchasing it or leaving the store with it. Just as in retail stores, if it’s a couch, chair, or bed, you would want to sit on it to make sure it is sturdy and will last for the desired duration you need it.

Also, due to the recent pandemic, it is best to clean the furniture before putting it into your car or truck and before bringing it into your space.

What are the best days to go thrifting?

In my opinion, the best days to go thrifting are Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays in the early morning, when the store first opens, and during special sales and off-season.

What is one tip for spotting vintage clothing at thrift shops?

One tip for spotting vintage clothing at a thrift store would be to identify the notable brands and labels. You can also spot vintage clothing based on its immaculate construction, exquisite details, solid structures, fine fabrics, and textiles. Additionally, vintage apparel usually has standard silhouettes and styles, rich and bold colors, clearly defined neutrals, and distinctive prints and patterns.

Is there anything you would avoid buying at thrift or resell stores?

I believe you could purchase anything from a thrift shop or resell store. However, I would personally take caution or avoid buying packaged food there.

What are three benefits of thrifting?

1. Saving money. If thrifting includes resale, then this includes better quality items that are slightly used.

2. For many, a benefit is knowing that the items you’ve purchased are used more — that the environment benefits from the practice of using an item longer toward the moment when it is no longer useful.

3. This leads to the effect of “I am doing the right thing” to boost one’s self-evaluation relative to sustainability and practicality, ethical standards one sets.

What are your three best tips for finding trendy clothes while thrifting?

1. Be patient and look at everything. Great finds can be hidden on the racks.

2. If you are trying things on, wear a close-fitting top and leggings (if that works for you) so that you can be fast; even try on in the aisle. Trying on is critical but tedious.

3. If you are a maker (sewer), be sure to look at the textiles, linens, etc. There are often quality items that can be made into garments.

What is one piece of advice you have for buying used furniture while thrifting?

Choose wood instead of upholstered. Check the underside for stability and inherent structure.

What is one tip for spotting vintage clothing at thrift shops?

Know your fashion history. Look at labels and at the fiber content. Vintage clothing is often picked at the charity’s warehouse and sold to vintage dealers. There is less quality vintage clothing than there was in the past since the sale trade blew up, and they pick it and ship it out to prime markets like Japan.

Is there anything you would avoid buying at a thrift or resale store?

I seldom have purchased shoes.

What are three benefits of thrifting?

1. For me, just the act of thrifting is pleasurably meditative and enjoyable apart from what I find to buy (sometimes nothing). I like to have something in mind and then see what the universe brings my way.

2. At the same time, the objects do matter. Thrifting is very creative and gives those of us who don’t have the budget to buy one-of-a-kind luxury items the chance to own unique things that people comment on all the time. My thrifted pieces are conversation starters, and they are also usually my most fun and funky pieces. So, thrifting is a great way to add true variety and individuality to your wardrobe or home.

3. There’s also the savings –– to the environment by keeping things out of landfills, and of course, money because used objects tend to cost less. But for me, these are secondary benefits. I genuinely like the process and the stuff.

What are your three best tips for finding trendy clothes while thrifting?

Trust your sense of style –– if you know you can identify something chic and style it well, you don’t have to be tied to what’s on-trend at the moment (which is what everyone else will want, too, and so will cost more and be harder to find). For example, I bought a vintage muumuu in San Diego while on a vacation down there, and I wear it with cowboy boots here in Chicago. It happens to vibe well with the 70s trend of the current moment, but I’ll keep wearing it long after that’s not a thing anymore.

Don’t wait for someone else to scour your mom’s, aunt’s, and even grandma’s closet and then sell the contents to you. Ask if you can take a look for yourself. I just remembered a few weeks ago that my mom used to wear exactly the chunky gold hoop earrings I was hunting for all the time in the 90s. So I texted her to see if she still had them and would loan them to me for a while. I saved $375, and she was happy to know that jewelry she was tired of was getting some airtime again.

Thrifting is a great way to shop while traveling. I love to pack light and then put a bit more of my wardrobe together in a new city. Plus, it’s super fun to come home and respond to people’s inevitable remarks, as I do of a fabulous little ruffled plaid buttondown, “I bought this vintage in Milan.” The secretly cosmopolitan Green Bay Packers t-shirt that I bought in Copenhagen is a more private joke.

What is one piece of advice you have for buying used furniture while thrifting?

Do it at the Brown Elephant in Chicago. Seriously, half of my apartment is from there.

What are the best days to go thrifting?

I don’t thrift this way (see #1). But if I did, I’d pick a weekday at a weird time. I like to take my time and muse a bit.

What is one tip for spotting vintage clothing at thrift shops?

The labels –– even if you haven’t heard of the brands –– have a certain look. If the piece seems vintage, look. Also, if you like 80s pieces, those shoulder pads are a good tell. I think the contemporary knock-offs tend to skip them. I bought an 80s dress in Copenhagen with shoulder pads, and I’m pretty sure it’s authentic.

Is there anything you would avoid buying at thrift or resell stores?

I mean, underwear. Though I do wish someone would tell me how to recycle these when I’m done with mine. I don’t want to put them in a landfill, but obviously, I’m not going to donate them.

What are three benefits of thrifting?

1. You may find “treasures” while thrift shopping. If you are seeking unique, collectible items that are not available in regular retail stores, thrifting may be the best way to hunt those treasure items at affordable prices.

2. Needless to say, it is good for the environment as you are “closing the loop” by reusing material goods.

3. It is also a good way to support your community because many thrift stores are locally based, small businesses, and a sizable portion of their earnings goes to charity.

What are your three best tips for finding trendy clothes while thrifting?

1. Do some quick online research on current fashion trends, such as trendy colors, silhouettes, and other design details, before going to a store. Be prepared to “hunt” the items that have at least one design element that is on-trend.

2. If you want to explore online thrift stores such as Thredup.com and Thrifted.com, I recommend taking advantage of a website feature that filters items by brands. Narrowing down your options to the brands that are currently trending will be a safe way to shop for trendy clothes.

3. Take the time to comb the racks and flip through every single item. Remember that it takes time to find “good” stuff in a thrift store, and the only way you can find it is by actually putting in the work to go through pieces.

What are the best days to go thrifting?

It really depends on the individual store you are going to. You may ask the store employee what day of the week they receive the stock and get them ready in the store. You will likely see more stocks on that day.

What is one tip for spotting vintage clothing at thrift shops?

Vintage clothing must represent the style of a particular couturier or era. The easiest and most straightforward way to identify vintage clothing is to look at the tag of the clothes.

If you spot a recognizable designer or brand name on the tag, chances are you’ve come across a vintage piece. Besides, if you are conscious enough about fashion to seek vintage clothing, perhaps you will be able to tell the difference between vintage and non-vintage clothing by examining the quality of materials and construction. For example, vintage clothing will rarely have cheap, synthetic fibers like 100% polyester or low-quality construction such as little hem allowance at the bottom of a skirt or the fabric pattern not matching at the seams.

Is there anything you would avoid buying at thrift or resell stores?

I would avoid buying items from fast fashion (or “disposable” fashion) brands wherever possible. Fast fashion products are often criticized for being made with poor-quality materials and construction. These items won’t last more than a few wears anyway. Please do not buy the item simply because it is cheap enough.

What are three benefits of thrifting?

1. Keeps clothing in use for as long as possible.

2. Divers clothing from landfills.

3. Unique and original finds to develop your personal signature style.

What are your three best tips for finding trendy clothes while thrifting?

1. Look for unique details such as pockets, seams, and design details like collars, sleeves. and closures.

2. Interesting prints and quality fabrics.

3. Try finding a silhouette you do not normally wear and experiment with making it work for you.

What is one piece of advice you have for buying used furniture while thrifting?

If it is painted, test it for lead. Also repainting furniture is a wonderful way to introduce color to your space.

What are the best days to go thrifting?

I think Thursdays and Fridays would be ideal days. It gives the shops time to restock and

re-merchandise for weekend shoppers.

What is one tip for spotting vintage clothing at thrift shops?

Labels! Older labels are much better quality and the brand is normally woven into the label instead of printed.

Also, the size indicated on the tag may seem too large but “vanity sizing” has been going on for a very long time, especially in fast fashion.

Is there anything you would avoid buying at thrift or resell stores?

In regards to apparel, I avoid purchasing anything made of polyester. Older polyester (and other synthetic fibers) tend to shed more mircroplastics. Try to buy natural fibers as often as you can.

For household items, specifically for the kitchen, avoid buying items made of plastic.

What are three benefits of thrifting?

1. Thrifting can result in high-quality, fashionable clothing (and other items such as household décor) at a lower price than purchasing new.
2. When purchasing previously used items, you are preventing landfill waste.
3. And thrifted “vintage” items are often constructed of wonderful materials with unique details that are not available for products on the ‘new’ market.

What are your three best tips for finding trendy clothes while thrifting?

1. Look for items in upscale brick-and-mortar marketplaces, even –– especially –– if that is not where you reside. While retail marketplaces, including online, have compiled an assortment of desirable items for you to browse in a traditional retail or auction environment, looking for garage sales and other individual sellers like Facebook can be rewarding.
2. Be open-minded as you look through second-hand merchandise; ask yourself, “how could I spice this up? What are some fun ways I could use this product?”
3. Stay away from merchandise that is beyond the point of reasonable repair. You don’t want to make any investment, however small, in something that you really can’t use.

What is one piece of advice you have for buying used furniture while thrifting?

Make sure that it is solid. If it falls apart, it’s not a bargain.

What are the best days to go thrifting?

For retail outlets, find out if there are restocking days. For volunteer-based stores, volunteer; you’ll get a first look at the new items.

What is one tip for spotting vintage clothing at thrift shops?

Look for quality crafting or construction. The fabric should feel great. The label may not have a place of origin, and there may not be details about fiber content or laundry and care instructions.

Vintage clothing often has more detail than contemporary fashions (e.g., tucks, darts, fitting seams, buttons, and trims).

Is there anything you would avoid buying at thrift or resell stores?

Consider how much repair work may need to go into making the garment work for you. If it doesn’t fit or is in poor repair, such as disintegrating fabric, avoid a wasteful investment.

What are three benefits of thrifting?

1. Thrifting brings endless benefits to the thrifter and to the planet. Not everyone enjoys thrifting, but I think everyone enjoys finding a singular item that is somewhat of the needle in the haystack. It is really just a matter of changing our relationship with the things we buy and the reasons we buy them.
2. Today, “the new” has come to represent a value (in my opinion, overrated and serving only the pockets of those who produce the new). However, it is not impossible to shift our paradigms and embrace things with a history and place value on that rather than on newness.
3. It goes without saying that the planet (and hence, we) will automatically benefit from our practice of buying previously loved things, rather than through our compulsive consumption of the new, foster overproduction and, hence, landfills, and so on (not to mention the social impact of unfair trade and linear production-consumption).

What are your three best tips for finding trendy clothes while thrifting?

1. Forget trends.
2. Find the diamond in the rough.
3. Don’t be afraid to wear it (set the trend; don’t follow it).

What is one piece of advice you have for buying used furniture while thrifting?

Find the sturdy, well-made piece that can be easily flipped with a couple of coats of paint, staining, sanding, some screws, or even just some cleaning agents.

What are the best days to go thrifting?

When there will be fewer thrifters and you can have your pick of the litter.

What is one tip for spotting vintage clothing at thrift shops? What is “vintage”?

With time being relative, this is a dicey notion. When I was in my twenties, I wore vintage from the seventies, forties, and twenties (usually all mixed up). For me, the seventies might have been vintage, but for someone in their fifties, it may not have felt like vintage.

Some brands produce new stuff with a vintage feel, which you’d never know was new if the tag was cut out. In other words: “one man’s new is another man’s vintage,” to paraphrase an old saying about trash and treasure.

Is there anything you would avoid buying at thrift or resell stores?

Some people complain that thrift stores these days are full of disposable (fast) fashion –– and it’s true. It is also true that these garments tend to last a lot less time than garments made pre-fast fashion.

However, if you can find a use or a love for a pre-loved garment, you will still keep it a little longer from reaching the landfill. That said, it is simply best to buy less, whether it is thrifted or new.

Back to the question of what to avoid buying at thrift or resell stores: Avoid buying what you don’t need or really love enough to keep it for a few long years.

What are three benefits of thrifting?

1. By thrifting, you can reduce the number of new things being consumed. Reducing the number of new things that get made and shipped has a lot of benefits for the planet, such as reducing the need for non-renewable resource extraction and greenhouse gas emissions.

For example, polyester and all types of widely available faux leather are made from petroleum when you dig far enough through the clothing supply chain.

2. You can find better quality and unique clothing. The most popular fashion retailers respond to trends quickly and cheaply these days, but it hasn’t always been that way.

When you adjust for inflation over the decades, clothing is a rare example of a product category that has gotten less expensive for the average consumer over time. To make less expensive clothing, you have to use lower quality fabrics, and stitches that are faster to sew can also be of lower quality and tend can also reduce uniqueness.

3. You can save money. Thrifted clothing is often less expensive than even the cheapest clothing found on the sale racks at discounted retailers.

What are your three best tips for finding trendy clothes while thrifting?

1. Shopping in a big thrift store can be overwhelming. The bigger stores, like Salvation Army, are usually organized by gender, type of clothing, and then also by size.

Making a bit of time to look through each section can be a challenge, but if you bring a friend, it can be a lot of fun too. Bring a friend whose opinion you trust but who also wears a different size to avoid any competition for a special item.

You can also streamline your shopping experience by selecting just one or two types of things you will look for on any particular visit.

2. Shopping in a smaller boutique-style consignment or second-hand store can also be overwhelming. Smaller stores are usually organized by gender and color to keep the display a little more attractive.

It can be a little harder to find the right size. But, they also usually select their clothing instead of relying on donations, which means that they are typically stocked with higher quality or designer items and might specialize in one particular kind of style.

The staff are also quite knowledgeable about their product in a small store and might be able to direct you to items you’ll love. A curated assortment might have some higher prices, but it can help you zoom in on special pieces without going through lower quality, stained, or damaged items that often end up on the racks of bigger stores.

Shopping at smaller consignment stores and boutiques also helps local economies thrive because they are often independently owned by people who live in your community, such as the Underground Attic here in Oneonta.

3. Thrift shopping online has become really easy with apps like Poshmark, Depop, ThredUp, and the RealReal. Using filters for size, color, and price can be really helpful, and you can also watch out for brands that you know fit you well to help make your choices.

If sizing is a challenge, you can usually ask the seller for measurements if they aren’t already listed and compare them to clothing you already own and love. The ability to re-sell clothing is also a great option to keep your closet organized and recover some of your investments –– you can find my recent wedding dress on Poshmark right now, in fact.

It is useful to familiarize yourself with the acronyms usually used on these sites; for example, NWT means “new with tags,” and NWOT means “new without tags.”

What is one piece of advice you have for buying used furniture while thrifting?

Finding thrifted furniture is the best way to create a unique space with character, and you can save a lot of money and buy higher-quality things if you are patient. I like to keep a wish list of things my home could use. For example, right now, I’m looking for a dining room chandelier, two comfy chairs for a guest bedroom, and something unique to put our TV on.

Check your local auction listings. In Oneonta, we have Lettis, for example. This is where the antique pickers go to stock their stores, and you can have some fun while bidding on special pieces.

Stopping when you see a garage sale, or searching your local Craigslist site for great pieces and setting up alerts for when new items are added within a particular category can also really help if you are looking for something in particular.

Avoid buying things without a plan for them in your home. Otherwise, they will end up collecting dust in storage. Try to be realistic about your ability and motivation to follow through on a refinishing project. For a sleek look, there can be a lot of prep work involved, but chalk paint needs very little prep and does a great job for something a little more shabby chic, which can look really great on some pieces.

What are the best days to go thrifting?

Shopping mid-week will help you avoid crowds, which makes for a more relaxing shopping experience. Garage sales and antique shows are usually on the weekend; it can be useful to show up on the first day for those if you are looking for something in particular. Online thrift shops are open 24/7, and anytime is a good time — but try not to stay up too late scrolling through Poshmark, like me.

What is one tip for spotting vintage clothing at thrift shops?

Checking the seams of clothing and fiber content can be a good way to spot vintage clothing and tell it apart from newer items. Usually, the seams and fabrics are of higher quality, and it can be pretty easy to spot if you turn the garment inside out to check the seams, for example.

Some things to look for: are all the stitches straight, and are there any that are broken or falling apart? Try to be realistic about your ability and motivation to make alterations, but don’t be afraid to make things your own. Sometimes, all a jacket needs are some updated buttons and a minor seam repair. Perhaps some pants just need to be hemmed, some shorts need the waist taken in a tad, or maybe a dress would suit you better with the sleeves removed.

These kinds of alterations are very reasonable and less expensive or time-consuming than you might think. If you can’t do them yourself, or you’re just busy and never get around to your mending pile (like me), find a local tailor and support a small business in your area. Sometimes your local dry cleaner will also offer tailoring services.

Is there anything you would avoid buying at thrift or resell stores?

Be careful when looking for electronics; sometimes, they don’t work or have faulty wires that can be a fire hazard. But you can test things out in-store by finding an outlet and plugging it in.

A lot of folks avoid shopping for intimate apparel like underwear and bathing suits, but sometimes you can find something new with tags hanging there too.