After rummaging through countless boxes, eight-year-old Sadie Todd stumbled upon a bright red handbag. With thick, buttery leather and a big silver buckle, Todd knew she had to have it. Throwing the large red bag over her shoulder marked the beginning of her ever-growing love for thrifting.
At a young age, Todd would frequent garage sales and thrift stores with her mom. The pair would spend hours flipping through racks, boxes and bins to find unique pieces. It was these mother-daughter shopping trips that hooked Todd, eventually leading her to apply for a job at Top Drawer, a local consignment shop.
“Working at Top Drawer is really cool because it’s very community-based,” Todd said. “People sell and buy items off of one another, so it’s like a big, shared closet.”
Todd has found her work at Top Drawer to be incredibly fulfilling. Not only does she get to help people find new pieces, but she’s also helping the environment. Consignment shops are very similar to thrift stores in the sense that they both give people the opportunity to donate their unwanted clothes. However, at consignment shops donors get money in return for their items. In the end, both thrift stores and consignment shops share the same goal: to minimize unnecessary waste.
Every year, around 92 million tons of clothing end up wasted. Piles upon piles of perfectly good clothes fill landfills, left abandoned by their previous owners. But, Todd believes that just because someone is done using a piece of clothing doesn’t mean it needs to be thrown away. It is through donating or selling that the clothing can have a new life.
“This is kind of a cliche about thrifting but, ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ is definitely something I agree with,” Todd said. “I could find a piece and think ‘I don’t like this, it’s not my style,’ but then somebody else could find it and think ‘Oh my god I love this.’”
But despite all the pros to thrifting, Todd knows that it isn’t always easy. With misconceptions circling that thrifting is dirty or trash, some may never set foot in a thrift store. There is also the looming temptation of fast fashion, with its cheap prices and easy access, clothing can be delivered to a customer’s door with the press of a button. Todd herself has given in to this temptation.
“Sometimes people think fast fashion is the only option,” Todd said. “I’ve indulged in brands like Amazon, Shein and Fashion Nova. It’s a hard cycle to get out of.”
After years of experience, Todd believes that the key to thrifting and staying away from fast fashion is an open mind. Going to thrift stores and consignment shops, Todd can’t expect to find the exact items she would at a regular store. So instead of having these unrealistic expectations, she waits to see where the experience will take her, relishing in not knowing exactly what she’ll get.
Having this open mindset has led Todd to find countless gems: handbags, jeans, sweaters, baggy t-shirts and more. Slowly she has built out her wardrobe to be full of unique, vintage pieces. With each new addition, she gains the peace of mind that one less item is entering the landfill.
“My hope is that we can work towards repurposing more clothing,” Todd said. “There’s truly something already out there for everyone.”
As thrifting rises in popularity, Todd’s only wish is that it continues. Her work at Top Drawer is a step in the right direction.
So now, when Todd clocks in for a shift, she remembers just how much thrifting means to her. Whether she is organizing clothes on the rack or checking out a customer, she knows she is making a difference. And when she sees someone find their perfect pair of jeans or stumble across their ideal accessory — she falls in love with thrifting all over again.
