Where and Why You Should Thrift: The Drop Dead Gorgeous Outfit
By: Jade Aurora Whitmore
Have you ever asked someone where they got their outfit just to have them answer that they thrifted it? This is a common experience for many of us in Bellingham and can feel slightly defeating when looking for that gorgeous outfit. With students spending their free weekends hunting through Goodwill bins or wandering the ever-expansive aisles of Value Village, the time has come to answer the question, “What if I'm tired of these second-hand chain stores and want something more local?”
Supporting local thrift stores such as Worn Again Thrift, Y's Buys Thrift Boutique and Penny Lane Antiques is great for our Bellingham community. Thrifting recycles clothes and reduces waste, supports local businesses and is wallet-friendly for shoppers.
Worn Again was started on Jan. 1, 2021, by “a team of two with a shared passion for sourcing and presenting vintage clothes to the public in a fun and thoughtful way,” according to their website. The store buys clothes and is only a block away from Bellingham Station.
Y’s Buys, owned by the Young Women's Christian Association, aims to empower women. The program supports marginalized individuals by providing shelters and advising groups.
Penny Lane and Aladdin Antiques is a two-story antique mall that has been around since 1990, with treasures varying from VCR players to 1920s wardrobes. It’s great for a trip through time or for any of your thrifting needs.
Although thrifting reduces consumer waste by creating new uses for materials, recycling materials is slightly different than upcycling them. For clothes to be upcycled, they must have alterations or other creative changes. Examples of upcycling would be creating a new piece of clothing by combing garments found at a thrift store or reupholstering a piece of second-hand furniture.
The increasing popularity of thrifting and upcycling within the Bellingham community speaks to local sustainability efforts. It’s encouraging to see people upcycling, not only because they love the style, but also for the positive environmental impact.
Green Hive, a nonprofit organization that works to promote sustainable resources, says “upcycling has the potential to transform the fashion industry in several ways. Reducing the demand for new materials and promoting the creative reuse of existing resources can help lower the carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions associated with garment production.” Using what we already have to limit new production is what thrifting and upcycling is all about.
Pop-up markets, such as Church of Vintage, are a great source for upcycling. Jade Weston, the creator of Church of Vintage, offered some more insight into what it's like to work with upcycling clothes full time.
As a full-time seller of vintage clothes, Weston works to cultivate a wide variety of clothes for different styles and body types. She then hosts pop-up markets, which she said began as markets in her yard. Now, she hosts these markets at venues like Karate Church.
“It's definitely different every day, but some days I'll spend all day sourcing clothes and other days I will photograph stuff to list online and I spend a good amount of time sewing and filling customs orders as well as shipping out clothes,” Weston said.
Overall, thrifting is great for a daytime excursion into town, a way to practice sustainability and supporting local businesses, especially in Bellingham where we have great storefronts and pop-up markets run by Western Washington University affiliated students.