When Anya Kalogerakos of Kilkenny was a teen, there were two destinations to go with friends: coffee shops or thrift stores. Often she chose the latter and, now at 21, she still thrifts.
“There was the whole thrifting trend around that time,” she said. “I guess a big part of it was that my friends did it. And at that age, you don’t have a lot of money to buy cool clothes so you go thrifting where you can get a lot for your money’s worth and find cool stuff.”
The thrill of the chase is another reason today’s teens and young adults thrive on thrifting, said Wes Peterson, manager of Goodwill Mankato. “It’s fun,” he said.
“We’ve become a destination for high school and college students,” Peterson said. “Old is new again. These groups also find good values, since our prices start at $1.99.”
Saving money is definitely one reason teens and young adults are building their wardrobes around thrifted pieces, say thrift store managers.
“I know we have had some young shoppers come in because our prices are so rock bottom,” said Beverly Brown-Nelson, president of thrift store Barrels of Hope for the World in Waterville.
Christine Doering, store manager of New 2 You Family Thrift in North Mankato, said the cost savings is one factor driving sales among teens and young adults. Another is originality.
“They can find unique things that not everyone else is wearing,” she said.
“One of my favorite things about thrifting is you’re the only person with that article of clothing,” Kalogerakos said. “There’s pride attached with being the only person with something unique. That feels better than going to a regular store and trying on jeans everyone has.”
Kalogerakos estimates 50% of her wardrobe is thrifted. When she’s home from college visiting family, she hits up Goodwill Mankato, New 2 You, and Again Thrift Store.
Sustainability is another factor in teens and young adults eagerness to thrift.
“It feels good to get clothes that are upcycled rather than brand new, I’d say,” said Abby Crosby, 15, of Waterville. She’s been thrifting since she was young and estimates her wardrobe is 60% thrifted.
Her favorite pieces are a pair of used Levi’s and a hoodie from Barrels of Hope.
“I like saving money for sure,” Crosby said. “But I also like having worn clothes, having them broken in ahead of time.”
“I love it because it’s an activity as much as it is a shopping experience,” Kalogerakos said of thrifting. “Half of the fun is going with people you enjoy and showing them things you find. It’s a fun way of shopping.”
Doering said another trend she’s seen in her New 2 You store is donated items that are new and have never been worn. She presumes those who donate such items bought them online and, rather than returning them to the merchandiser, decided to donate them instead.
There’s an uptick in sales at Goodwill Mankato starting in mid-August and going through the start of school, Peterson said, as returning college students build their fall wardrobes.
Online influencers are also promoting thrifting, Kalogerakos said. She calls it a “good compromise between spending money and having somewhere to go. Coffee shops or thrifting, that’s the only choices you have when you’re a teenager.”