Out with the old and in with the new, or should I say out with the new and in with the old. A growing number of young adults and teens are embracing a new way of shopping on Instagram that is giving secondhand clothing an upper hand in the world of fashion.
Buying secondhand has become increasingly popular, especially since the pandemic started. Since some people do not want to go out to do their shopping, why not have someone else do it for them? That is exactly what these Instagram thrift shops do for other people who share a love for secondhand clothing but do not want to go digging through racks at the local Goodwill. Usually, these accounts or “shops” are run by young adults who go out and thrift as a hobby.
LSU alumna Haley Miller is the owner of one of those Instagram shops. Her account, 225thrift, allows people in Baton Rouge to find unique pieces without having to make a trip to the thrift store. Miller said that she started her online secondhand store after her love of thrifting turned her closet into an overcrowded mess of mismatched pieces of old clothing and accessories.
“I would go and buy things I thought were cute, but then I’d only wear them once or not wear them at all,” Miller said. “The items I was buying were so unique that I thought someone should have these pieces if I wasn’t going to wear them. I wanted to give people the opportunity to own cool clothing pieces that they didn’t have to go out and find themselves.”
This idea started when Miller’s friends would opt out of thrifting trips. She said her pals didn’t want to spend all day in thrift stores or go through countless racks to find good gems. Miller would still find things that reminded her of her friends and send them pictures of fun pieces and eclectic items to see if they wanted her to purchase clothes for them. After more and more friends began contacting her to hunt for specific items, Miller said she turned to Instagram so that she could showcase all the pieces she liked but weren’t her style so that others could have their pick.
What started as a small business venture for Miller has turned into an account with over 600 followers. Miller said she never expected to gain as many followers as she had and even joked that her husband told her that he thought her account might get 30 followers at the most.
“It’s grown a lot recently,” Miller commented. “I think people are super into thrifting, but they don’t want to do it themselves. So, I said, ‘Hey, I’ll do it for you!’”
Miller’s page allows her to justify spending a lot on her hobby of thrifting, but she says she is not in it for the profit.
With comment sections dedicated to bidding on clothes, the price is really up to the customers. Miller said she tries to start out her pieces at an affordable price of around $5 or $6 so that people can decide how much they want to spend or how much a piece is worth. Miller said she is just happy to have satisfied customers rocking the pieces she found on her thrifting adventures.
If you’re one of those people who doesn’t want to go out looking for thrifted items or vintage clothes, 225thrift on Instagram might be your new favorite (virtual) thrift store.
