GRAND HAVEN — Thrifting has been around for decades, but over the past several years, it's seen a significant swell in popularity.
Lanna Fedewa, owner of Fluid in Grand Haven, has been thrifting for 40 years. In part for affordability, in part because she wanted to be different.
But why is thrifting and reselling pieces so “in” right now?
Grand Haven’s Margot Frendt, 19, started thrifting in 2018, when she was in eighth grade. When she's home from school at the University of Michigan, she makes thrifting a priority.
“When it first got popular again, it definitely had a huge thing to do with people on social media popularizing it,” Frendt said.
Social media users are reselling thrifted items from stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army on various online sites, including Instagram, Depop, Poshmark, and other platforms, all meant to sell “pre-loved” items.
Others are posting reels of their “thrift hauls” and how to style the items they find.
ThredUp has become a popular online presence, too, selling secondhand clothing for men and women.
Michelle Burnatt has worked at Hope’s Outlet in Grand Haven for the past few years, and has noticed an increase in people looking for discounted items after COVID-19.
“I just think it’s going to increase," she said. "If you come in here, you can get a dress for less than $5 or a shirt for $3 or less.”
The decreased environmental impact of purchasing used items is also a factor in thrifting’s blossoming popularity. This was one of the main reasons Frendt started thrifting.
“I remember being an eighth grader and coming to terms with environmental issues in the world and learning more about them than I ever had before and just about waste in general,” Frendt said. She decided she didn't need to contribute to it.
Frendt sees mothers — and women in general — while she's out thrifting, but also a lot of Gen Z-ers.
Fedewa also notices middle schoolers, high schoolers and young adults coming into Fluid, sometimes accompanied by their mother or aunt.
“I love the people that come in and take a tour down memory lane," she said. "For a lot of things I have, it's nostalgia, it's a blast from the past."
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“I just can’t believe how embraced it is by our youth and they're paving the way of getting rid of the excesses of the big box stores," she added. "I think that's really cool."
Frendt noted the peak of the thrifting trend is slowing down, but people will never stop buying secondhand.