One of my fondest memories is waking up early in the summer to go yard sailing. My Mother, Grandmother, Aunts, cousins, and little brother would take separate cars to go down the shore. My Aunt had one of those cars that could play movies on the way down so my cousins and I would drowsily watch The Mummy (1999), the Star Wars series Willie Wonka (1971), or countless episodes of Power Rangers. My mother would give me about five dollars and most of the time I would ration it between books and cheap toys. I loved the feeling of looking through other people’s forgotten treasures and bringing them home with me.
As I got a bit older I loved buying items to decorate my room. While standing in the yards of strangers I would hear stories about their child growing up or histories of the bedroom decorations I was buying. I liked that the things I was buying weren’t just decorative–they were pieces of history. I can’t say how many times I looked at the things hanging up on my wall and wondering about the people who used to own it.
Flash forward a little later and I get into fashion. I found that I disliked shopping in places where there is already a formulated look. I personally am not into today’s fashion trends. So thrifting for timeless styles is a way for me to better express my own sense of fashion. There is something so calming about going through racks of clothes and letting your mind focus on what is in front of you. It’s funny but my friends and family get annoyed with me when I go thrifting. I like to touch every item of clothing rack by rack and if something catches my fancy I’ll examine the item. If I like it it’ll go in my basket for later. If not I’ll leave it for someone else to enjoy.
In my thrift store, there is shoes on top of the clothing wracks. Hunting down the perfect pair is a little adrenaline rush for me. There’s a wonderful thrill seeing a pair of shoes that you love at the thrift store. As I reach for them I silently pray that they are in my size. Most of the time they aren’t. But there’s a wonderful spark of energy when you realize that these random pair of shoes are destined to be yours.
Unlike other clothing stores, I find myself at peace within thrift store dressing rooms. My body type does not matter because it’s expected that not all the clothes will fit you. Sometimes a large will fit. Other times you’ll find yourself swimming in a small. It’s all part of the process and it’s easier to be kind to yourself when the rules are so finite.
Thrifting has been and always will be one of my favorite hobbies. It’s cheap. It’s forgiving. And I’ll always adore it.