Originally, I planned on thrifting over the weekend at a store in my neighborhood, but a multitude of work and tests prevented that from happening. Instead, I stopped by the Goodwill on Clement after school with my friend, to make up for my lack of thrifting over the weekend. My previous visits to this Goodwill, were okay, but it wasn’t one of my favorites. This time around, however, I was surprised by how well organized the store has become. All the dresses and tops were organized by color and the bottoms were organized by size. I got there with my friend just 45 minutes before they were closing and we were both able to find things we loved.
A reason I enjoy shopping Goodwill stores is because a percentage of the money they make from their sales goes to helping people get jobs.
And, of course, I love Goodwill because of all the weird and silly things you can find there. My friend dug up some ridiculous shorts with flamingos on them, and we seriously contemplated purchasing them for a few moments. Unfortunately, neither of us bought them but I’m sure some flamingo fanatic will find them one day.
I purchased two items while I was there: a men’s sweater and a pair of black athletic shorts. (But let’s be real, I won’t be wearing these shorts for working out anytime soon.) They were brand new when I found them, but what really drew me to them was the white trim around the bottom of the shorts. The trim makes the shorts pop out more as a statement and they add some leisure to my look. This purchase was rather different than what I tend toward. I’ve never purchased athletic clothing from a thrift store before, but I’m glad I did!
On the other hand, this sweater is something that’s more commonplace in my closet. I absolutely adore oversized men’s sweaters. I love how big, casual, and cozy they are. They fit in with almost any outfit, so be prepared to see mine regularly. I paired this sweater with some baggy boyfriend jeans for a simple look, but I can see myself dressing this sweater up with a skirt and a statement necklace in the future. This particular sweater is a men’s size medium lambswool sweater.
In conclusion: I was pretty frustrated when I didn’t have time to go thrifting over the weekend, but my experience at the Goodwill on Clement fixed that. This location is definitely on the more organized spectrum of thrift stores, so it won’t be too overwhelming to novice thrifters. The store itself has a plethora of amazing items. From shorts with pink flamingos on them to more formal, full-length dresses.
Words by Laura Tran. Images by Riley Kub.
