Name: Cassie Bednar
Age: 21
Year: Junior
Major: Marketing and Art History double major
Hometown: Apopka, FL
On a normal day scrolling through Instagram you’ll surely come across the expected images, featuring girl squads, selfies and Throwback Thursdays… but if you follow Thrifty Living, then you may be lucky enough to find a true vintage gem. Cassie Bednar, the owner of Thrifty Living, sells unique thrifted articles of clothing, and Her Campus got the chance to sit down with Bednar to get the inside scoop on her small Instagram-run business.
Her Campus (HC): “Where did you get the inspiration to start Thrifty Living and why did you start it?”
Cassie Bednar (CB): “This past summer I was in Tallahassee taking classes and volunteering at the FSU art museum and many of my friends were back at home or traveling. Thrifting was something that I got really interested in that summer. I had a lot of free time so that meant I could spend hours on end thrifting. I’m one of those people who loves to brag about how cheap I bought my outfit for and I wanted to show others the amazing things you can find for cheap. I really started my account to show off my thrift and discount store finds, and it has turned into more than I ever imagined. I find so many unique pieces and I can’t keep them all for myself, so I decided to become a reseller (with a little encouragement from others)! I sell so that I can keep thrifting because it really is my passion. In high school, I would go thrifting but never as much as I do now. My page first started as a blog (which I never published) but has turned into my baby. The name “Thrifty Living” came to me when I was thinking of a blog name and it really encompasses how I live my life. Whether it’s thrift shopping or searching for coupons, I always lead a thrifty life.”
HC: “Is there a specific style you shoot for when thrifting or do you just choose what jumps out at you?”
CB: “I honestly mostly shop in the men’s section in order to keep my pieces interesting for everyone because the oversized look and crewnecks are very in right now. I look for high-quality clothing that is in good condition.”
HC: “How would you describe your personal style, and do you wear mostly clothing that you’ve found while thrifting or do you still shop commercially?”
CB: “My personal style is definitely influenced by the 90s and 2000s with some of today’s trends. My closet is about 75% thrifted/second hand and I haven’t bought anything fast fashion for myself in over 6 months unless it’s something specific for an event. I feel like it would be against Thrifty Living to shop fast fashion when I try to educate on reducing waste. I love being able to say “thanks it’s thrifted” when someone asks where I got my outfit. There’s just something about wearing clothes that are older than you but in perfect condition!”
HC: “Where do you typically shop for your pieces that you want to sell?”
CB: “I typically go to Goodwills across town, but I really go everywhere. I also thrift when I go home or out of town because you truly never know what you are going to find.”
HC: “How long does it take to restock up on the clothing you sell and do you schedule when you do a haul?”
CB: “I still have some pieces from when I started my page back in December of 2018 and not everything sells so I haven’t completely gone out of stock yet. However, when things don’t sell, I offer bundling and reduced prices to help with that. That is something I still struggle with because as a student I don’t have much space for inventory and mostly work out of my car. I try to go thrifting as much as my schedule allows. I also take 5 classes, I’m a sports marketing intern, and I’m involved with my sorority and other activities so sometimes those things come first. Thrifting is my time to decompress and do what I love, so I try to go at least once a week but there could be weeks that I go 4-5 times. I typically wait to put items up for sale until I have about 10 great pieces because I take pictures of each item as well as try on pictures, so a lot of time goes into that.”
HC: “Have you garnered a lot of support on campus and in the wider Tallahassee community?”
CB: “My friends have been so supportive of my business! They encouraged me to start this and continue to support me. As far as the Tallahassee community, I have not been able to tap into that quite yet, but I am planning to be at the Other Side Vintage flea market Apr. 20 so I am hoping that will go well! College students are my target market as I have a lot of collegiate pieces, mostly FSU. I try to price my items at what is best for students, but I do spend a lot of time thrifting, washing, and taking pictures of items so the price reflects that. My items range from $8-$40 depending on the condition of the items.”
HC: “What’s your favorite piece you’ve ever thrifted? Has there ever been a time that you loved a piece so much you almost didn’t sell it on Thrifty Living?”
CB: “My favorite item I have found so far is a 1999 FSU National Champions crewneck. It’s 20 years old and I practically live it in. It’s not the most glamorous find but it was one of my first retro pieces. I keep items I thrift ALL the time and it’s so hard to let some things go. Also, if a piece hasn’t sold in a while, I may decide to keep that too and it’s a problem.”
HC: “What’s the most difficult aspect of your small business?”
CB: “The most difficult part of Thrifty Living is not having enough time. Thrifting is something I really love and if I could devote every day to it I would. However, at this point in my life school is most important and balancing all the other things I am involved in. Shipping is also very annoying, and I used to actually lose money on items I had to ship.”
HC: “Where do you see Thrifty Living going in the future? Will you expand or would you like to keep it the way it is?”
CB: “We just passed 1,000 followers in less than 2 months, so it is already exceeding expectations! I hope to continue to run Thrifty Living and possibly turning to Etsy or Depop to reach a wider audience. I also hope to be a regular at market Wednesdays at FSU. How Thrifty Living is right now is perfect for me to continue to go thrifting as well as focus on school. If it continues down this path, I may have to hire some help!”
All images courtesy of Casey Bednar.