Article by Takiya Eastmond | Additional reporting by Nadia Kaczkowski | Photography by Maddie de Long | Owl Staff
Friday rolls around and that can only mean one thing: the weekend’s here. You’ve been asked on a date and you want to buy a great outfit, but don’t necessarily want to break the bank either.
Time to go thrifting!
Edgewood Thrift Store has everything from hats to shoes to jean jackets, including a very wide range of men’s and women’s clothing and accessories donated by members of the community.
Joe Gagliardi, the marketing director for Edgewood Thrift Store, shares that “one of the things [Edgewood Thrift Store] prides themselves in is that we process, sort, and sell all items
locally.”
Among the local donations was a canary yellow dress that stood out to Jessie Dry; she fell in love the second she laid her eyes on it. “I think the dress is perfect! It’s summer-y but formal,” says Jessie. Pairing this with stylish nude pumps and a cropped jean jacket makes for a great look for a night out.
“Edgewood Thrift Store has everything from hats to shoes to jean jackets, including a very wide range of men’s and women’s clothing and accessories donated by members of the community.”
The dress only cost $6.25 at Edgewood Thrift Store as opposed to a department store where a similar dress may cost $29.99. As for a guy’s outfit, I found a simple, but versatile tan and black checkered print button down shirt, purple-washed straight-leg jeans, and black TOMS shoes all for under $10. Had I shopped at a department store, I would have easily burned through $100.
Edgewood Thrift Store and other local consignment shops have a daily discount determined by the color of the shopping tag, as well as a military discount. I could walk out one of these stores with $200 worth of merchandise and only pay $90.
Gagliardi confirms, “No matter what your budget, you can always find something that’s right for you.” Pay careful attention during the holidays as well because Edgewood Thrift Store offers special holiday discounts which could even land you some free items. Some places, including A-OK Kids Family Consignment, will buy your used items to re-sell and then split the profits with you.
Since most items have usually been gently used or worn, I pop the tags and read the cleaning instructions. If I can throw it in the washer, I do so; but if it requires dry cleaning, I run over to the local Walmart and buy a Dreyer’s dry-cleaning kit for only $6.99.