Tips From a Thrift Shopping Diva

Holly says 60% of her wardrobe is from thrift stores!

“I spent $80 at Goodwill!” Holly proclaims as she rushes through the door with a huge bag of clothing.” Holly has just come back from Spring break and is quick to explain that she is referring to her FIRST Goodwill trip made that week. She made 2 succeeding trips as well as a trip to Salvation Army.

Since we were young, Holly has always been the thrifty one and into her college years she has continued to thrive off thrift store finds. In October, Holly acquired a summer internship with a large consulting firm where the dress code is business professional. Rather than buying a whole new expensive suiting wardrobe, she has found several suits for amazing deals at thrift stores in the area. I’m always in awe of the quality suits Holly finds for ridiculously cheap prices and thought you all would be interested in learning how to find amazing deals, as well! Thrift shopping isn’t easy and there is definitely a lot of digging involved, but Holly has it mastered and I’m excited to bring you advice from my recent interview with her. 

Suit from My Best Friend's Closet for $13

Me: How long have you been thrift shopping and what spawned your interest?

Holly: I started garage sailing with my mom when I was really young. In the summers, Saturday morning garage sailing was our thing and I would find Abercrombie tops and Silver jeans that all my friends were paying full price for! Another thing was that we lived far away from any shopping malls and garage sailing was one of the only shopping experiences I had. When I did have a chance to go to shopping malls and live near them, I realized how expensive everything was and wanted to continue my thrifty shopping. 

Me: What thrift stores do you shop at?

Holly: I shop between the local places and chain stores. Goodwill and Salvation Army are chains you can find everywhere, but local places are great for finding unique items. Here in the Fargo/Moorhead area, I like to shop at the Moorhead Antique Mall (South Moorhead) for unique vintage finds, Clothes Mentor and My Best Friend's Closet for professional clothes and also Goodwill and Salvation Army. 

Pantsuit from Salvation Army for $6

Me: Is there anything in particular you look for when stepping into a thrift store?

Holly: I go in with a completely open mind, which I think is the best thing to do. There are some things that may take you by surprise that can look weird on the hanger, but then look great on. There are many things that have potential, you just have to be willing to put in the time and be open-minded.

Me: What are some amazing items you have found?

Holly: I find full designer suits to Miss Me jeans that are practically unworn. I have also found a vintage fur coat for $8.

Me: What tips do you have for people who may have never tried thrift shopping and don’t know where to start?

Holly: Go into a thrift store and try on anything and everything that looks like it will fit you because things that don't look great on a hanger might look great on you. Don't pay attention to the size on the tag. I'm a size 2, but I've found size 12 suits that fit me. A lot of sizes are unproportional so look at it visually. It takes a lot of time to try on things but it's all about trial and error. It's definitely harder than regular shopping, which can detract people. 

Holly also finds great vintage accessories!

My last question for Holly was if she would still go thrift shopping if she suddenly had 1 million dollars to spend on clothes and she exclaimed excitedly, “Oh, yeah!” I would probably spend the whole million on thrift store clothes!”

What else do you want to know about thrift shopping? Have you found anything amazing at thrift stores?  

Sources:
Holly Sullivan, personal communication (March 25, 2014).