There has been a huge rise in the popularity of thrifting lately. Thrifting has been around for many years and has served its purpose to help many. Whether you like to help the planet, can’t afford or can’t justify spending money at the mall, or just want a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option, thrifting is a great alternative. 

New clothing is the leading contributor to pollution, and it is the second-largest consumer of water worldwide. With the rise of world issues like this coming into the media, people are more likely to want to change the way they do things so they can help.

Everyone at the thrift store is there for different reasons. There are people that have always shopped there because they need to financially, and there may also be some people who are just starting. Thrifting is another thing that has been in the media lately and something that has been “trendy” in a way. Resellers are also commonly found sifting through the shelves. Many people do not like the idea of those who thrift to resell or thrift just because it is trendy. It is important to remember just how much goes to waste each year. The Savers thrift store website states that “more than 26 billion pounds of reusable textiles are thrown away each year. On average, Savers diverts 700 million pounds of clothing and textiles from landfills each year.” This is just one company doing what it can, but there are hundreds more out there. There is an overabundance of clothes and enough for everyone, regardless of why they are shopping. Thrifting becoming so popular and “trendy” is good in hindsight because it means more people are shopping in a way that is ethical and environmentally friendly.

I have loved thrifting lately, and most of my recent purchases have all been thrifted. It’s a great way to be environmentally friendly and still find name-brand pieces. I was also someone who made a lot of fast fashion purchases. Although I must be honest and say I still do it because of the convenience and the price, nevertheless, the number of purchases I make on those sites has most definitely gone down. One of the main reasons I did that so often was because of the price point, but thrifting has given me those same prices but with much higher quality items.

It’s no secret that I am a shopaholic and spend a lot of my time at thrift stores. Since I started posting thrift hauls or reviews on my social media accounts, I often get asked which ones I go to or how I find such good stuff. I spend a lot of my time thrifting and often spend hours in a store. That experience has given me a lot of help, however, this is something that many don’t have the patience or attention span for. I make sure to look at everything and try to find potential in the items I see. I think about how I could style something or if I could change it in any way to create something else. I always say that it’s not a successful trip unless I leave with at least one questionable item. 

Although any thrift store can be good when you have the patience and see the potential in items, I will leave a few options below. These ones are fairly close by and I have had luck at all of them:

Salvation Army, Haverhill MA

Savers, Plaistow NH

Leeward Light Thrift Store, Salisbury MA

Goodwill, Seabrook NH

Salvation Army, Salem NH

Savers, Danvers MA

Thrift shop at the Groveland Congregational Church, Groveland MA

Neat Repeats, Groveland MA (Second Hand Consignment Shop)

There are also online alternatives to shopping for preloved clothing. Although I have yet to try them myself, I have heard great things about buying and selling on Poshmark and Depop. 

There are also many Instagram accounts for buying and selling clothing. This was something I didn’t learn until I made my own Instagram account to sell clothes on (@emmasheacloset). 

There is a whole community of sellers on Instagram that sell items. I have purchased from quite a few and have had such great experiences and have found amazing pieces. 

I love anything related to these topics, so if you have any questions on anything, feel free to reach out and message me on Instagram. I’ll leave my socials below 🙂

Personal: @emzie320

My Instagram shop: @emmasheacloset

Happy thrifting!