For years, thrifting has been a niche way to save money, or maybe hunt for the odd hidden treasure. But lately, Marty Falk, who works with young people through Youth for Christ and also enjoys thrifting personally, has been noticing a shift in the landscape.
Marty Falk on observing the trend
Falk has been thrifting his whole life, a habit he picked up with his dad. He says that a big part of the appeal for young people is the affordability, but also the style and uniqueness.
"You can dress cool, but you could also make a little bit of a living doing it.”
He says that a big chunk of that can probably be attributed to the fact that fashion rotates.
“You have the clothes from the 70’s, and the 80’s, that maybe 10-15 years ago people were like, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t wear that.’ But then now it’s all coming back.”
Falk believes part of the resurgence is tied to young people knowing a good deal when they see it. Surrounded by a plethora of expensive options, the thrift store offers something few other spaces can, and those factors combined has helped thrifting lose the stigma of making a person the ‘broke kid in class’.
Tina Schmidt sees it in store
Tina Schmidt co-owns Hometown Heritage in Altona, a shop specializing in vintage and collectible items, and has noticed a clear increase in her younger clientele. Namely in the purchasing of physical media.
"In the last year, I'll say just to make broad terms, we have definitely seen an increase in, I would say, high school-aged people coming in and buying cassette tapes and vinyl albums. That has come back with a real resurgence."
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Something old meets someone new
Vinyl has remained a steady seller, but cassettes and CDs have returned as unexpected favourites:
"That's something I find that I would have to keep in stock pretty regularly."
Schmidt says younger collectors often see these physical formats as entirely new, while older collectors are filling in gaps in long-standing collections:
"You’re young and you're starting to purchase all these vinyl albums that maybe you've heard other people talking about or that your parents have listened to and now you want to start your own collection.”
Beyond vinyl and cassettes, she says that younger customers are exploring vintage clothing, décor, and pop culture memorabilia.
Both Falk and Schmidt agree that the spirit of thrifting is alive and well, with Falk closing out on why he believes people are drawn to it, rather than shopping for a specific item online or in a big box store.
"Just finding stuff in the wild is obviously more fun."
- with files from Marty Falk -