Hampton Roads is one of the best places to live if you’re looking to build a secondhand wardrobe. From amazing thrift stores full of high-quality pieces to vintage resellers and markets, Hampton Roads has it all. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to build your fall wardrobe, this is the place to be.
Every season, our social media feeds are flooded with clothing hauls and pieces you absolutely need to buy. For many of us in college, spending hundreds of dollars on a wardrobe every season is just not feasible. It’s also harmful to the environment, considering how much clothing ends up in landfills as a result of fast fashion and overconsumption.
I’m here to tell you that you can have a closet full of great pieces in whatever aesthetic and style you like without blowing your bank account. Enter: the power of the thrift store.
Here’s a guide to building your dream secondhand collection in Hampton Roads that covers where to thrift, how to get style inspo, my favorite thrifting tips, pieces to get for the fall, how to spot a good find, and my favorite thrift stores that aren’t thrift stores.
How to Get a Vision for Your Thrift Trip
Some say to break up with Pinterest as your go-to style source, but I suggest simply expanding your horizons. The key to building your taste in fashion is like any other creative medium: the more inspiration you consume, the more your taste develops.
My first tip is to start searching beyond outfit inspiration. Look at color palettes, different textures, and quotes that reflect the energy you want to embody. On one of my Pinterest boards, I regularly save nature photos because looking at different landscapes gives me color and texture inspiration that I can translate into the outfits I wear. During the summer, I was super obsessed with sunsets, and filling my closet with warm amber tones really guided my creative fashion choices and allowed me to express myself in a new way.
When searching Pinterest, use search terms like “aesthetic” or “inspo” to get a variety of content. Some example search terms I use are “fall outfit aesthetic,” “earthy bohemian outfit inspo,” and “corporate chic outfit aesthetic.” I’ve also seen people use different aesthetics as a helpful tool to find inspiration, such as “downtown city girl,” “granola girl,” or “cottagecore.” Pinterest has also updated its platform to adjust for different skin tones and body types, so utilizing these functions can be a great tool for finding style inspiration that you may not see regularly.
In addition, diversifying your social media feeds to include different body types, races, and people from other countries also helps to expand the type of fashion content you’re consuming. You never know where your next style idea will come from! Social media tends to promote the same influencers and trends, but I say we have to harness the power of niche communities to make the platforms work for us and our individual tastes. Once I started personalizing my feed, I was able to find fashion creators that resonated with me. Some of my favorite fashion creators are Jade Fiona and Charli Andrea. They’ve encouraged me to not shy away from maximizing my outfits with jewelry, scarves, purses, and layers and to embrace my body as a way to show off my style. Social media platforms aren’t the only form of media you can draw inspiration from.
TV shows and movies are also a great source for style inspiration. Some of my favorite shows for this are Gilmore Girls, Girlfriends, and Sex and the City. Personally, I love early 2000s aesthetics, so these shows are perfect for when I need ideas.
I also recommend trying to be more present in your day-to-day life. Observe the people and places around you and use them to expand your creative lens. Maybe someone on the street is wearing a color you wouldn’t think to wear, but it looks incredible on them. Or perhaps you like Parisian aesthetics, from the fashion history to the romantic style of architecture, and you want to try incorporating that into your wardrobe. All of these simple things can translate into fashionable expression. Don’t limit yourself in terms of what brings you inspiration. Observing seemingly mundane things and brainstorming how to incorporate them into your fashion sense is an opportunity to make your style more unique.
Lastly, you can watch thrifting content online. One of my favorite creators, @lillyybearr, posts videos where she takes you through her entire thrifting process. This can inspire you, but it can also show you how to approach the thrift store and make it less intimidating if it’s something that has been giving you anxiety.
The Best Thrift Stores in Hampton Roads
Now that you’ve gathered inspiration, here are some of my favorite thrift stores in Hampton Roads:
- Thrift Store City (Norfolk, VA)
- DAV Thrift Store on Virginia Beach Blvd. (Virginia Beach, VA)
- DAV Thrift Store on General Booth Blvd. (Virginia Beach, VA)
- CHKD Thrift Store (Various locations in Hampton Roads)
- Family Thrift Center (Virginia Beach, VA)
If you’re looking for more places to shop secondhand, Cristina from Her Campus at ODU Chapter put together a guide to shopping secondhand in the Tidewater area, so be sure to check out her recommendations, too!
Thrifting 101
If you don’t go thrifting regularly, it can sometimes seem intimidating. I totally understand! Here are some tips on making the thrift store less intimidating and more inspiring.
My first tip is to go on a day when it’s not incredibly busy. I love going on Tuesdays and Thursdays because there are usually fewer people there.
I suggest wearing something comfortable and easy to put clothes over. Not every thrift store has changing rooms available, so this will ensure you can still try pieces on before you purchase. I highly recommend trying on as many pieces as you can before buying. It’s always worth it!
When you enter the thrift store, think of it in different sections rather than as one big whole. I always approach the shoes first, then the bags, then the outerwear, and then move on to other sections. There’s no logic behind this order, but I find that thrifting in separate sections for individual pieces can help make the experience less overwhelming. I avoid putting full outfits together as I’m shopping as well, so I don’t feel pressured to coordinate my choices. Styling the pieces together is another topic for another day: for now, just focus on items you like!
My next tip: don’t be afraid to look in all the sections. The men’s section has excellent sweaters and denim. The lingerie section has wonderful slip dresses and dainty tops. Don’t box yourself in because, at the thrift store, items can transform into anything you’d like, and you’ll never know if your next incredible thrift find is in a section you’re overlooking.
Keep the vision you came to the thrift store with in your back pocket as you search for items. I recommend allowing yourself to dream beyond what a piece of clothing is at face value. Oversized tops can become dresses with a belt. A hideous printed shirt can become cute with safety pins and restyling. Don’t be afraid to be creative with your vision for pieces. There have been many times when I’ve asked people during thrift store trips, “Is this cute?” and they’ve said, “Absolutely not.” But then I bring it home and make something of it anyway, and it becomes a fashionable piece I love.
There’s a flip side to this, though: be prepared for your vision to not work out. That’s part of the fun of fashion. It’s both trial and error and experimentation. Sometimes it doesn’t go the way you planned, but sometimes it turns out better than you could’ve imagined. You never know what wild card you may find that works out perfectly!
Lastly, look through everything. Do not scan. Sometimes designer pieces and real leather are hiding among piles of ugly. The thrift store takes patience, but there are usually excellent payoffs to go along with it. With that being said, there are a few pieces I make a point to look for every fall.
The Fall Pieces I’m Always Looking For and Where To Find Them
- Denim: Check out the men’s section for high-quality denim, but also look for denim jumpsuits, denim jackets, and vests. Denim can serve as a layering piece or as a statement.
- Unique sweaters: Check both the men’s and women’s sections. The thrift store has such a wide range of sweaters, so whether you want something more oversized or form-fitting, there are plenty of options.
- Leather or suede jackets: I have been lucky enough to find several different leather jackets, both oversized and form-fitting, in different colors. Nothing screams fall more than a leather jacket, a cute skirt, and cute boots. There are plenty of jackets waiting for you if you look in the men’s and women’s outerwear sections.
- Embroidered tops: The thrift store has so many cute pieces that are embroidered with sequins and jewels. I highly recommend keeping an eye out for them in the tops section, as they can make your outfits look personalized.
- Boots: I’m a big fan of knee-high boots, and every single time I go to the thrift store, I can find at least one or two pairs in the shoe section.
- Maxi skirts: The thrift store has the best maxi and midi skirts, so be sure to keep an eye out for them when browsing for bottoms.
- Accessories: Purses, scarves, and jewelry! These pieces can complete an outfit and add a fashionable finishing touch. The thrift store has so many unique accessories that may not be name-brand, but have so much fashion appeal. I found this black purse with a dragonfly print embroidered with black jewels, and it is one that I wear religiously and regularly get compliments on. I’ve also found vintage scarab watches, a heart pendant necklace, and chunky bracelets. If you want to try out a new piece of jewelry that might be a little out there, the thrift store is a great way to do it without spending too much.
How To Know if Something Is A Good Find
As I mentioned earlier, social media promotes the feeling that we should constantly be replacing our wardrobes for any minor event. New trends online are constantly appearing and disappearing to the point that it feels like there’s something we always need to buy just to keep up. As a result, thrift stores are affected by that overconsumption too.
There’s been an influx of low-quality fast fashion pieces making their way to the thrift store. As a result, it can be difficult to know whether a piece is of good quality and worth purchasing.
Here’s my cheat sheet of how I sort through what’s worth buying at the thrift store:
- Check the material tag to see what the piece is made of. I always keep an eye out for genuine leather, suede, cashmere, cotton, and silk, but it’s also important to check the condition of these materials before buying. Leather and suede are usually easier to come by at the thrift store, but you never know what you’ll find. The benefit of buying these materials is that they can last beyond a few wears with proper care.
- Look at the stitching and construction of each piece. It’s always important to scan for loose threads or seams that are pulling apart. I also recommend looking for holes or torn lining.
- If you try something on at the thrift store and you feel uncomfortable, itchy, an it’s too tight, do not buy it. It will sit in the back of your closet and end up back at the thrift store, and that’s not what we’re doing here.
- Make sure there are no stains, the zippers work, and no buttons are missing.
When thrifting, always ask yourself these questions: Do I like this? Is it in good shape? Will it last? Is it comfortable enough for me? Is the price worth the risk? It’s best to weigh the pros and cons when making decisions like these!
I Want to Buy Secondhand, But I Don’t Have the Patience
Okay, so you read all that and maybe decided that thrifting is still too much work. I totally get it. If you like the idea of shopping in an environmentally conscious and budget-friendly way but don’t have the patience, Hampton Roads still has great options for you.
Every month, Waterside hosts the Norfolk Flea Market, which is an all-day event with tons of vintage resellers who have done the work for you already. The prices aren’t as low as the thrift store, but they are still reasonable. There is also the Honeymoon Vintage Market, which is indoors in Norfolk and happens every month.
Additionally, certain resellers and small businesses do their own pop-ups in the area! Some of my favorites are Le Marché du Soleil and Le Chic Vintage. Both businesses carry a variety of sizes and have great selections for various aesthetics. There are many ways to buy secondhand, so it’s best to try out different methods and find the best one for you!
I’ve found that thrifting can be such an amazing way for you to explore your own creativity and personal style. Sometimes you go in with a wish list, but the best trips are when you find pieces you weren’t even looking for! I promise, you won’t regret it.