SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Thrifting used to mean going to sort through old clothes that you’d likely find in your grandma’s closet and not think twice about. Especially for young people, the clothes were normally just not what anyone under 30 would choose to wear.
“Those were the old days of thrifting, and it’s just not like that anymore,” said Donna McCann, who manages Encore Thrift Store, a secondhand store in Fayetteville that specializes in women’s clothing. “Probably half our business is for young people now. Thrifting has just taken hold.”
Both polls and observations from thrift stores have shown that younger people are secondhand shopping more than ever before. According to polls from Goodwill, over 60% say they prefer thrifting over retailing.
Most say one of the main reasons is because of price. At a retail store, $80 gets you one sweatshirt, where at a thrift store you could likely leave with seven or eight pieces of clothing.
What stops thrifting from becoming a lost practice is how it relies on the customers to dictate what kind of clothing you find at each shop. When you visit a new thrift spot and have a good experience, you are more likely to donate some clothes down the road. The new clothing then creates a positive experience for another person, and the cycle continues.
With the resurgence of secondhand shopping among younger generations, students are forming a huge part of the thrifting community across the country. The student population at Syracuse is no different.
According to SU sophomore Devin Swarthout, thrifting should be at the top of the list when it comes to thinking about where to shop.
“Some of my favorite pieces of clothing are used, or I bought them at a thrift store,” said Swarthout. “That’s kind of the fun of it, you’re going kinda not knowing what to expect.”
The value of thrifting for a lot of people comes from the affordability, but the stores themselves often serve the community with more than just clothing. Encore is a nonprofit which directs all store revenue to supporting music and theater-related programs across Upstate New York.
There is no doubt that Syracuse has a diverse thrifting scene, and with the arrival of spring, entire markets dedicated to thrifted clothing will appear.
Syracuse Bound Vintage is a secondhand pop-up coming to the Westcott neighborhood on April 12, and is geared specifically towards younger people.
Nearly 1,000 people have signed up to attend the event, showing that thrifting is very much alive in Syracuse’s younger generations.
If the stores and thrifting events in Syracuse are any example, thrifting has made its way back with younger generations. As they continue to change Upstate New York’s secondhand shopping landscape, you might finally decide to donate the sweatshirt that has been sitting in the back of your closet for three years. It might end up on a college campus sooner than you think.