August 17 is National Thrift Shop Day! NARTS: The Association of Resale Professionals states that “There are currently more than 25,000 resale, consignment and not for profit resale shops in the United States and about 16 – 18% of Americans will shop at a thrift store during a given year.” And that number is growing!
During the quarantine, consumers had time to clean out their closets and thrifters patiently waited for Goodwill Keystone Area stores to reopen with the bevy of donated treasures. But even before the pandemic hit, shopping second-hand fashion had started to become one of the biggest clothing trends of recent years.
Many online retailers have had noticeable gains in the last few years and while online resale shopping is great, I still prefer to be able to touch the fabrics and try on the clothes and I truly enjoy the fact that shopping at Goodwill Keystone Area benefits my local community as well as helping the environment.
Goodwill Keystone Area provides valuable life changing job training services to local community members with barriers to employment seeking hope and independence. In addition to this wonderful mission, these are the top 3 advantages of buying secondhand clothes at Goodwill:
1. Reduces your environmental impact. This is huge!
About 1,800 gallons of water are needed to produce the cotton in a pair of jeans, and 400 gallons to produce the cotton in a shirt. In comparison, it takes 39,000 gallons of water to produce the average domestic auto, including tires. Clothing manufacturing is the second highest polluting industry in the world. Reduce, reuse, recycle, it’s built into the Goodwill Cycle!
2. Saves you hundreds of dollars.
Most of the time, you pay pennies on the dollar for the items you find at Goodwill. My best find was a $2,000+ Longchamp purse for about $2.50. Stretch your dollars even further by shopping Goodwill!
3. Your unique style looks more authentic.
By shopping at a thrift store you are not bound by the trends presented in a mall store display. You can use what you see in fashion magazines as a guide, but creating your own style is more valuable than following current fads. Design your style by shopping Goodwill!
Don’t save thrift shopping to just one day – get out and visit your local Goodwill Keystone Area store today. Stores are open normal hours, Monday – Saturday 9 am to 9 pm and Sunday 12 pm to 6 pm, except where noted on their website. Restrooms and dressing rooms are also open. Be sure to wear a mask, maintain social distancing, and be respectful of your fellow shoppers and the staff.
In honor of National Thrift Shop Day, please enjoy a selection of some of my favorite Goodwill thrifted outfits:
From my closet to yours,
Kirsten
About The Blogger
Kirsten is a 40-something mom, wife and marketing professional. She loves all things crafty, tasty and fashionable, especially while being frugal. She enjoys hunting for treasures at her local Goodwill Keystone Area stores to decorate her home and wardrobe.