The State of Thrift Stores: Commentary on a Culture

Welcome to A Mother’s Thinking Love: Living Ideas, Lovingly Shared! A recent trip to a thrift store has made me think: Do the items that line the racks and shelves of our thrift stores reveal anything about us as a society? Do they reflect our mindsets, values, and habits? I happen to think they do. Join me for: “The State of Thrift Stores: Commentary on a Culture”!

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A Love of Old Things

Yard sales were an important part of my growing up. As long as I can remember, my mom has been part of at least one yard sale a year. I remember summers spent at a local community yard sale. A friend and I would travel around the neighborhood, our pockets full of change, with the hopes of finding some little treasures. Eventually, my mom introduced me to antique stores. Afterwards, I remember wanting to spruce my room up a bit. Instead of going to a big box retailer, I wanted to go to a local antique store. It was magnificent. They had multiple buildings, filled to the brim, with the greatest, oldest pieces. I still have such clear memories of that day, even though it was probably over twenty years ago.

In my adult life, my treasure hunting has largely consisted of perusing local thrift or consignment stores. Stores where people bring items to be sold, either through donation or consignment. It’s rare that I buy anything new, even when shopping online. In recent years, however, I’ve noticed a change. I no longer leave a thrift store with bags of finds. Actually, more often than not, I leave empty-handed. Why is that? Has my love of old things diminished?

Have I Changed?

I am still a lover of old things. If anything this love has grown, as now many beloved items from my childhood are considered “old”. I guess to talk about what has changed, I first need to talk about why I love old things. I’m not really sure how it began. I can’t think of a reason, based on my childhood, why I should love old things. I just know that I always have. Now that I’m older, I can articulate my reasons a little. Whether they be vintage or antique, old things have a story. Consider an antique table. You can sit and just imagine all the meals eaten while gathered round it. What were the people like? What were their hopes? What were their fears? Thinking of the stories puts you in touch with humanity a bit.

I also love old clothing. I remember that we had a history fair of sorts when I was in high school. The time period was the 1960s. I knew that I absolutely could not present my project dressed in my clothing from the early 2000s, so I set out to find any authentic 1960s outfit. Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s was my inspiration. From hat to shoes, my outfit, to me, was absolutely perfect. Aside from aesthetic, however, when it comes to old items, clothing or other, I have grown to appreciate quality as well.

What Has Changed Then?

I used to go into thrift stores and find 100% cotton sweaters, 100% silk blouses, 100% wool coats – you get the idea. Now, the racks are lined, row after row, with cheaply made, fast fashion items. After years of thrifting, I can recognize, often by sight but always by touch, quality-made items. It’s just a sense you develop after decades of looking. These fast fashion items are made from synthetic fabrics. They generally feel as though they will fall to pieces after the first wash. They look like cheap replicas of expensive outfits found on the latest magazine covers. You could honestly probably buy them new at cheaper prices directly from the retailer than you can used from the thrift stores. Fast fashion. There’s just something soul-less and anemic about it.

Fast Fashion as a Cultural Commentary

In writing this, I looked up a definition for “fast fashion”. I found this entry from Britannica to be helpful:

fast fashion, a term describing the rapid production of inexpensive, low-quality clothing that often mimics popular styles of fashion labels, big-name brands, and independent designers. By endlessly offering new trends at cheap prices, fast fashion brands such as Shein, Zara, and H&M encourage consumers to continually buy more clothing. Consequently, previous purchases, perhaps worn a handful of times, are soon discarded. The rise of the fast fashion industry in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has had enormous consequences, from its myriad environmental impacts to its exploitation of garment workers.

I think reading this entry alone provides enough commentary on our values as a culture, but I will also try to draw out a few thoughts here.

• rapid production of inexpensive, low-quality clothing: I’m not against making things more quickly. I just think it’s telling what we have done with increased production speed. In the 1400s, when Gutenberg automated the printing press, his greatest accomplishment was its use in printing the Bible. Today, we turn out cheap clothes at a rapid pace. And, for what purpose?
• worn a handful of times & discarded: Why are we in such a hurry to make & purchase clothes that mean nothing to us & will be discarded at the start of the next season?
• endlessly offering new trends: What does it say about us that we can be talked into buying a cheap new wardrobe, multiple times a year because a trend has changed?
• often mimics popular styles of fashion labels, big-name brands, and independent designers: What does it say about us that we are happy to purchase knock offs, instead of the real thing? What is the driving force behind desiring a style because a popular designer made it and a famous celebrity wore it?
• environmental impacts to its exploitation of garment workers: What does it say about us that we will cry out in protest about human rights and the environment, while wearing clothing that, potentially, harms both?

It’s All Connected

Of course, the values that drive a culture to fast fashion are the same values that inform our choices in all other areas of life. This includes how we view, educate, and raise children. I challenge you to look at the entry about “fast fashion” above again. Think about the similarities between the way we approach both clothing and education.

Fortunately for us, if you are reading this, we have been give another day. We have been given a chance to take stock of our lives and go another way. Today, we can spend our time creating something that will last. We can look back for wisdom and blaze a new path in its light. We can cherish our children and this world God has made. And, in doing so, I think we will end up with more old treasures in the thrift stores.