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Two girls giggle by a clothes rack that reads “Women’s long sleeves,” clothes draped across their arms as they weave through shelves of semi-worn garments. A schoolgirl with a bulky book bag peeks over at the tattered record section while waiting in line for the fitting room. A guy convinces his friend to buy the shirt she likes. Discreetly behind the pink columns of this thrift shop lies a more melancholic backdrop: the AHF Pharmacy. AHF stands for Aids Healthcare Foundation, and what you learn upon entering is that your smallest purchase is a part of the shop’s biggest mission: to rid the world of Aids. Using thrift shops as a way to procure donations for larger issues has become commonplace throughout the years. Establishments that were once used solely to clothe the impoverished now help sustain foundations that contribute towards other societal crises.
In the early 2oth century, Salvation Army and Goodwill, now prolific thrifting chains, discovered a way to turn people‘s seemingly dispensable property into goods for the poor. Just in 2022, The Salvation Army made a revenue of $540 million. The Salvation Army “junk shops” started when religious organizations began selling used goods and clothes to fund their outreach programs, which provided food and shelter to those in poverty. Thrift shops then became popular with immigrants who aimed to assimilate into the culture of the United States, but did not have the budget to do so. Today, thrifting is a huge hobby for the younger generations, and organizations like Out of the Closet are following in the footsteps of their predecessors, but with a more expansive mission.
Founded in 1990, the Out of the Closet thrift shop was conceived with the specific purpose of raising funds and awareness for those with Aids and HIV. For every dollar made at the shop, 96 cents is donated to the AHF. The store not only includes free HIV testing but a pharmacy that patrons can use after services.
To Grace Hefner, head of sales at the Brooklyn branch, a thrift shop doubles as a perfect clinic. “It kind of gives you the anonymity, because as much as we try to fight it, there’s still a stigma around HIV and AIDS and getting tested for it. So, you can come into this thrift store and get tested, and if anybody sees you or anything it’s just like, ‘Oh, I was out thrifting,’” Hefner said. Out of the Closet welcomes you into an environment of acceptance, with Pride flags displayed on its walls and the inclusion of a Queer media section in the shops. “A lot of people are searching for their identity, or a way to make themselves feel the best, and thrifting is a great way to affordably and sustainably do that,” Hefner said.
Returning Out of the Closet shopper and international student, Akshaya Sayeerjan, has discovered a love for the hobby through her move to the United States. “Over there [in India], thrifting is kind of looked down upon, like, ’Why are you buying somebody else’s clothes?’ It’s kind of a wealth status,” she said. Now, she’s grown appreciative of the pastime. “There’s kind of a charm that comes from used clothes, because people have lived in them, and you get a part of their life as you purchase them. There’s a sense of comfort in that it doesn’t go to waste,” Sayeerjan said.
Places like Plymouth Church have also used thrifting to raise money for large aims.
Plymouth Church in Brooklyn Heights has extensive history when it comes to humanitarian crises. The church was said to be a “Grand Central depot” for the Underground Railroad. Numerous slaves hid in the basement of the church. Beginning 12 years ago, the church began a Sunday-only thrift store called “Underground Thrift,” a name that plays on the history of the church. Continuing their legacy of slavery abolition, the church has partnered with Restore NYC, a nonprofit organization focused on ending human trafficking. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from the thrift store goes to organizations like Restore.
For Elizabeth Snypes, co-manager of Underground Thrift, clothes have become a main source of charity for the community. “Sometimes it’s an easier ask for clothing donations. They found that they gave clothing more than they gave time and money… in Brooklyn Heights, there was only one thrift store at the time, so it filled a need even within the community,” Snypes said. Profits are not the only way the shop gives back to these organizations. Twice a year, women who go through the Restore program get to shop at the thrift store, picking out whatever they want for free.
Jacque Jones, a volunteer, believes that knowing they’re benefitting a cause gives people a greater incentive. “I think that it makes people happier to donate if they know where the money is going,” Jones said. This is why she almost never negotiates the price, saying, “some people assume that, just because it’s used clothing, that means you can bargain for the price, and we don’t because we have a mission of raising money.” They estimate receiving over $40,000 in donations this year.
Customers at Underground Thrift have a large selection to choose from, from clothes by known designers to discount brands. “We keep our clothing very affordable. We’ve had high end dresses for under $100. That would be like $1,000 anywhere else,” Snypes said. Currently, a piece from famed designer Oscar de la Renta is displayed on a mannequin for $65. This not only supports the charitable cause, but is also in keeping with the original reason for building these shops: to make clothes shopping more affordable. Though the community benefits from such low-cost clothing, Snypes finds it has become more of a tourist attraction. “There are tourists that come to New York, and it is part of their list of things to do. They want to visit [thrift] shops. They can say, “Oh, I got it from New York,” Snypes said, laughing.
In our present day, consumerism and fast fashion’s environmental impact is a prominent issue. In New York City, 200,000 tons of clothes are thrown out every year. Thrifting allows for consumers to be fashionable without contributing to the environmental crisis. Consequently, with these discounted items comes resellers attempting to capitalize off of thrifting prices. One elderly customer who has been frequenting thrift shops since high school believes thrifting is like a treasure hunt. “I always find treasures, everything I have is thrifted,” she said, pointing to multiple items on her body. However, she believes the new generation has taken the fun out of the clothing chase. “These young people, to me, are killing the whole thing, because they go and they thrift and they sell it online at ridiculous prices. You kill the joy of the hunt,” she said.
The increase of micro-trends creates a double-edged sword for these shops, who aim for sustainability but want to stay on trend. “On one hand, the quickness of social media, and how trends are progressing so quickly, has created a lot of waste,” Hefner said, whose store has a small “trending” rack. “But on the other hand, it really has increased the amount of thrifting that people are doing.” But Hefner never strays from her main mission, exclaiming, “Sometimes we set things aside that people might want… it doesn’t matter how cute it is, if you’re, like, Shein or Cider, I am not putting you on that rack. Fast fashion is never trending.”.
With thrifting, what began as a way to access discounted clothing has now become a hobby that could save lives. There’s also an underlying environmental contribution, as thrift shops create less waste, something many openly advocate for — “Getting away from clothing that’s considered disposable, where there’s a huge amount of waste, where there is probably labor that’s not compensated,” as Jacque Jones puts it. “If it’s already been bought once, let’s buy it again, because not all clothing is meant to be disposable. So let’s keep it going.”