Okay, I lied. I have been thrifting once before, but that doesn’t really count because the store was tiny and it didn’t pique my interest. Last week, however, I went to Value Village for the first time, which was quite an experience. The first-time type of experience that’s worth a share.
To begin with, Value Village was a lot bigger than I expected and had almost anything you could possibly buy other than, well, groceries. Given that I had unnecessary knowledge on thrifting from all the tempting videos and blogs out there, it gave me quite a heads up on how to thrift. One big mistake I made was going there without having anything in mind to buy… resulting in me wanting to buy everything.
Since the store was so big, it was pretty overwhelming at first. However, I soon caught up on how to find what I liked. I was able to find one-of-a-kind clothing that I would have otherwise never gotten my hands on. I slowly walked along each aisle instead of going through every piece of clothing there; this worked out best for me. This way, I only reached out for textures, colours, patterns, and styles that really stood out to me. Everything was organized into categories of clothing which took me by surprise. Each aisle was coded by size and style, making it easier to navigate at such a large store.
What surprised me the most was all the home décor I found. I will be moving into a different room in a few months, so I have been looking for inspiration and affordable decor. I found cute little art pieces, painting frames, and mantelpieces that can spice up my room.
I am one of those people who loves to go shopping even if I don’t buy anything and thrifting might just be my new favourite thing. Retail therapy is real, and thrift stores might be where I will revel in it without hurting my wallet too much. It sounds like a dream to put on a pair of air pods and be left alone to slowly go through each aisle to find that one unique piece my closet desperately needs.