Let's go Thrift.

WHAT IS THRIFTING?

Thrifting is secondhand clothing shopping. To go thrifting is to shop in used clothing stores.

Thrifting can be done anywhere, in-person or online, in vintage specialty shops, at a garage sale, flea market, estate sale, charity network store, donation store, second-hand clothing store or specialty used-goods shop.

Thrifting does not limit you as to where you ultimately find the clothing. It simply requires that the clothes you are browsing or purchasing are used.

Thrifting is not exclusive shopping clothing items, you may also thrift for furniture, old machines or technologies, home-goods, sporting-goods, and entertainment.

What places to thrift at offer and their pricing, are very much based on the store and the product being evaluated.

Thrift shopping is highly thrilling!

It is an exciting treasure hunt that allows you to find surprising pieces at a low cost and fall in love with them.

Thrifting is almost always the process of searching through rows of unique items grouped by category (with occasional duplicates - usually grouped together on the rack because they were purchased or donated at the same time).

THE PROBLEM

Consumers often complain that resale stores are filled with an abundance of low-quality and over-priced options that are time-consuming to wade through.

OUR SOLUTION

​A hand-picked collection of both vintage and contemporary used clothing, in particular high-end vintage/retro clothing, accessories, shoes, jewelry, party clothing, small cute home ornaments, pretty linen, records, and other related merchandise.

THRIFT STORES

Second-hand clothes are growing in popularity, and one in six people shop in thrift stores.​

Some like Thrift Town call themselves “thrift stores.” This just means that they sell secondhand goods, either via consignment, donation, sourcing and reselling, or any other combination or distribution method.

Thrift stores are for everyone and finding amazing pieces of clothing in them is less difficult than one would imagine. Never underestimate what catches your eyes in a thrift/vintage store. You can look like a celebrity without breaking the bank!

People always ask: Where do we get our clothing from?

Thrift Town makes use of these resources to keep stocking our premier and unique collection of high-end vintage/retro and contemporary used items:

• Donation-based stores: Use Hospice and other donation-based secondhand stores to find quality vintage clothing to resell.

• Vintage stores: Browse vintage stores that offer discounts on selected stock, or utilize their discount days.

• Clients: Buy in from selected clients who have the kind of merchandise we are looking for, i.e. unique, trendy, stylish, or cute, retro stuff.

• Bales of clothing: Buy in high-end A-grade vintage/retro clothing coming from different other countries (such as the UK) - from local suppliers.

• Suppliers: Build relationships with suppliers and buy in ranges of NEW merchandise from them that fits in with the other fashion items in our store.

• Local Designers: Allow for local fashion designers/artists to consign their small ranges with us or showcase their own works.

ONLINE THRIFT STORES

These are e-commerce stores or marketplaces that sell used goods to online users/the public. The only difference between them is they’re either operated and curated by a single vendor or is a marketplace with listings made and submitted by various vendors/individuals.

According to research, online thrifting or online secondhand clothing marketplaces have played a massive part in the growth of the secondhand clothing market.

Thrifting online is a fast and highly selective process, reducing the amount of random items you need to wade through to find what you want. It can be done with a simple search for the exact piece you are looking for or searching through an online collection of used goods until a particular item peaks your interest.

The level of curation is important here, since you cannot see the physical piece in person, touch the fabric, inspect it for damages and compare it to your size - you must rely on the words of the used clothing seller. Online sellers are getting better at catering to the interests of their expanding audiences.

HIGH-END VINTAGE SECONDHAND CLOTHING

Within the world of secondhand clothing the types of products and product offerings can be extremely stratified.

Some vintage clothing garments will sell for thousands while traditional thrifting was meant to be a cost-effective shopping experience.

Higher per capita income and improved consumer sentiment have encouraged individuals to spend more money on rare or high end named brands items with higher price tags.

Secondhand designer goods and the popularity of vintage clothing has raised the price tag on all secondhand clothing, also with the influence of other factors, such as the growth of the industry, general inflation, the trend towards sustainable fashion rather than new clothing, and the sophistication of the product-listings or listing site.

WHAT IS VINTAGE CLOTHING?

Many are looking for that gorgeous vintage dress. Vintage clothes are growing in popularity in recent years, and the demand for them is on a continuous increase. Most vintage clothing businesses are not getting out of business, and many more are springing up on online marketplaces.

Fashion is as old as humans. Since when man started making clothes out of leaves, and animal skin, he has never stopped. Vintage clothing cannot go out of fashion because people would always appreciate fashion of years going by.

A fashion expert once said that fashion is cyclic, and this means that a fashion trend repeats after some years.

But the question of what “vintage clothing” means exactly spontaneously arises.

To better understand the term “vintage”, it is necessary to know its origin. Initially, it was used regarding the year in which the wine or oil was bottled. Later, it applied to the automotive field, and then quickly became a popular umbrella term, also used by people in the clothing world.

Vintage business ideas started since World War I as an idea of reusing clothing because of the textile shortage.

Vintage is a popular expression that is frequently used to refer to all old styles of clothing. Many collectors define “bland or basic” or “the old” as vintage, without paying particular attention to its age. Many define pre-1920 clothing as vintage, but that’s not quite right. (Something that is more than “a hundred years old” is actually an antique, and it's still possible to find clothes belonging to that time in some stores, because many of them are part of modern collections, distributed all over the world.)

Vintage clothing is also known as retro clothing.

Today vintage dressing encompasses accessories, mixing vintage garments with new, as well as creating an ensemble of various styles and periods.

Therefore, clothes from the past that are desirable enough and can match current fashions are called vintage.

Usually, vintage clothing shops can be found clustered in college towns and artsy neighborhoods of cities.

In most countries of the world, popular places to buy vintage clothing at include: local boutiques, vintage clothing shops, charity-run second-hand clothing shops, consignment shops, garage sales, car boot sales, flea markets, antique markets, estate sales, auctions, textile or collectables fairs, and the internet.

Unfortunately, due to theft that immediately occurred in Thrift Town as we started making money in our new shop, we were left no choice but to UPGRADE the store and merchandise immediately, to attract another type of client - the SERIOUS THRIFT SHOPPER, who is genuinely looking for a quality clothing item at a good value, and not only a bargain for the sake of survival.

We’re proud of our hand-picked collection of both vintage and contemporary used clothing, in particular high-end vintage/retro clothing, accessories, shoes, jewellery, small cute home ornaments, pretty linen, records, and other related merchandise.

There’s also a request for PARTY clothing (more of you than expected are looking for that special party outfit.)

Our aim is to stock cool, unique, and truly one-of-a-kind items offered at sensible prices, with friendly and superior customer service that brings consistent customers.

The type of Vintage clothing we obtain from individuals

These items we take in from individuals in exchange for cash or store credit:

· Retro trousers & jeans

· Flared pants

· Cargo pants

· Corduroy trousers

· Dungarees

· Retro women’s blouses

· Flannel (check) shirts

· Retro-printed men's shirts and t-shirts

· Dyed t-shirts

· Branded golf shirts

· Crochet halter tops

· Vintage wrap skirts

· Denim skirts and shorts

· Corduroy mini skirts

· Indian, sari silk wrap skirts

· Vintage minis, dresses, kaftans, and evening dresses

· Patterened jerseys

· Men’s “vest” jerseys

· Short and long, hooded, wool ponchos

· Colourful retro sweaters

· Men's checked, tweed, wool or cashmere jackets

· Vintage denim jackets

· Corduroy and leather jackets & coats

· Biker’s jackets

· Wool coats

· Faux fur or velvet coats

· Waistcoats and bodices

· Swimwear and retro socks (new)

· Satin “gowns”

· Vintage nightdresses, dressing gowns/kimonos and night shirts (think sexy lace/satin)

· Some hippy clothing,

· Some Indian clothing

· Branded (Adida etc.) sports clothes

· Ski suits

· Festival shiny crop tops

ALSO ~

· Cool sunglasses/old reading glasses

· Silk scarves and pashminas

· Vintage belts

· Bucket hats, party hats

· Sports or vintage leather gloves

· Money bags and canvas tote bags,

· Evening clutch bags

· Outdoor rucksacks

· Retro design sterling silver, 925 silver, pearl, costume and ethnic jewellery

· Vintage leather shoes

· Cowboy boots

· Vans

· Branded sneakers

· Doc Martens

· Even wigs and patches…

We ALSO accept related records, certain NEW stuff, small cute home ornaments and pretty linen.

CONCLUSIONS

Ultimately, the proliferation and trend towards secondhand clothing shopping is beneficial to the planet as a whole.

There is still too many second-hand clothing in circulation for current supply chain networks to handle, which leads to massive amounts of clothing ending up in landfills.

Sustainable fashion requires the use and reuse of clothing items and the ability to productively capture and recapture the value of secondhand clothing rather than turning it into waste-product.

The more demand there is for secondhand clothing the more the industry will be able to save before it becomes waste-product.

Adequate supply, accessible offerings for shopping and the demand for secondhand clothing will also decrease the demand for new clothing and the production of new clothing.

The demand for secondhand clothing, shifting to recycling and reusing clothing already in circulation, access to secondhand clothing, and slowing down the production of new clothing, are highly important to the fashion industry as a whole, and ultimately to global sustainability.

Whether you thrift in person or online, the bottom line is, that you are participating in the best solution available to environmentally and fashion-conscious shoppers.

WHY US?

With each passing year, clothing waste increases. Simultaneously, people find themselves purchasing clothing that is:

~ Seen on other people

~ Made of lesser quality and constructed cheaply

Thankfully, buying recycled items means that cheaply made fast-fashion pieces are kept out of the landfill while you stand out from the crowd in authentic vintage clothes.

Starting a vintage clothing business puts us on the right side of fashion and nature.

We have a good business for lovers of vintage fashion, which is at the same time an eco-responsible business model because it favors recycling.

Thrift Town offers a wide selection of carefully chosen vintage items both in-store and soon online.

Vintage has history, vintage exudes character, and vintage means quality.