Abercrombie, American Eagle, Village Discount Outlet (VDO).  One of these stores doesn’t fit.  Not anymore– more and more people are leaving the mall and heading to thrift shops and secondhand stores.   Blame the economic crisis or everyone’s need to be an individual, but Ohio closets are being filled with previously owned objects.  The number of Hoban students who shop secondhand has steadily increased.  Students are no longer embarrassed to say they bought their clothes at a thrift store; instead they brag about how cheap, ugly or unique their sweaters are.  Seniors Kaytee Hogue and Natalie Grieshammer are avid secondhand shoppers.  

“You can find clothes that other people would never think of wearing,” Grieshammer said.  

Because thrift stores are just commercialized hand-me-downs, finding something no one else wants is no challenge and half the fun.  Several thrift shoppers consider their favorite purchases to be the most obnoxious or ugly items in their wardrobes.  One student loves his lime green cashmere sweater from the 70’s.  

“My favorite purchase is a pair of J. Crew purple corduroy pants I got from Revival,” Grieshammer said.  

Another reason “used” is making a comeback is because it is so cheap.  

“Five dollars could get you six shirts and a sweater [at the VDO], where you could hardly buy a gumball at the mall,” Hogue said.  

The Village Discount Outlet is famous for their colored tag sales.  Every item in the store is priced with a colored tag and on select days that color could be half-off.  That means the sweeter that originally cost a dollar is only 50 cents at the register.  Because they are so cheap, size and “perfect fit” are less relevant.  With used clothes,  no guilt arises in shortening, lengthening, or otherwise destroying them because they don’t put a hole in your wallet.  

“Sew a button on; it’s not going to hurt you,” Hogue said.  

Select name brands are still more expensive even at the VDO.  Abercrombie, American Eagle and others have an individual wall where the prices are a little higher because they are more in-demand, but the last season styles are still a fraction of the cost they would be brand new at the mall.  

For the bold and cast-aware shoppers, second-hand is the way to go.  Used clothes are often one-of-a-kind and some are in mint condition, with tags still on.  The wave of people going “used” is steadily increasing and for good reason.  The new found popularity in thrifting will help promote donating used clothes and produce a more distinctively dressed world.