The Art Of Thrifting

You or a loved one has thrifted or at the very least heard of it. 

To some, it’s intimidating to walk into a huge thrift store. The sheer amount of clothes on the racks can be overwhelming.

However, it’s a lifestyle and art form as old as cloth itself and finding some gold among the sea of clothing racks is a feeling I know all too well. 

Thrifting is simply the act of purchasing clothing, furniture or memorabilia in a thrift store, garage sale or at a flea market.

These items certainly have a significantly cheaper price, but at the expense of being pre-owned or pre-loved, as many prefer to call it.

I’ve had incredible success at garage sales, so wherever you see one make sure to stop and check for hidden gems. 

Garage sales cut out the middleman and put you close to the original owner of a lot of goods you could’ve seen at the thrift store.

But that’s not all, another advantage of garage sales is, unlike thrift stores where people can get to the coolest things first and items are sorted by staff, garage sales ensure that only a select few who just so happen to see the sign get to sort through the pool of items.

Yet, the consistency of thrift stores makes up for some of that. I do have to say that thrift stores sort items for you and constantly restock shelves with new donations, something that garage sales just can’t do. 

Think of garage sales as bright, shimmering supernovas while thrift stores are the sun. The sun is safe although not as beautiful as the supernova, but you know it’s always going to be there.

Online thrift stores are also special. You’ll find amazing clothes, just at a significant markup from typical thrift store prices and all in the comfort of your home. A good online thrift store I frequent is Thrift Store Vintage.

The thrift stores I’ve had the most success at are consistently good and constantly restock with even better finds.

One example of that is the Salvation Army on Bird Road and 97th Ave. Great, yet inexpensive furniture, dirt cheap movies and about 30 racks worth of clothing to sift through. Merchandise at that location is marked down by 50% on Saturdays. 

I’d also like to note that when it comes to thrifting, Goodwill is a store often brought up. I say stay away from them because the finds aren’t as good, unless you want to buy denim.

You are better off going to a specialty store or locally owned thrift store like Flamingo Vintage Pound located on 901 east 10th Ave in Hialeah. I’ve been a fan of it since they were located in Wynwood.

It’s an amazing place and if you want great finds at great prices that’s the place to go. 

If CDs are your thing, I highly recommend the Salvation Army. I’ve found around $60 worth of CDs in phenomenal quality.

Thrifting takes time and patience. 

You must be willing to go to multiple stores and look through tons of racks filled with outdated and seemingly archaic fashions. 

But it gives you the chance to find some super unique pieces that you would never find at department stores, not to mention, at affordable prices.

I encourage exploration in your journey for gold. Miami is a buzzing city with many open shops.