Nancy Licht, who says that Mid-century modern is her jam, has furnished her vacation rental in North Central with her thrifting finds (submitted photo).
Goodwill, Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul are well-known and well-established thrift stores. But today, they are joined by dozens of smaller shops across the Valley.
Nancy Licht has furnished almost all of her vacation rental in North Central with thrifting finds. Mid-century modern is her style, and she has found lamps, tables, artwork, linens, dishes, couches and chairs in stores from Goodwill to White Dove to SEEDS to the Assistance League shops. She knows what day of the week each shop discounts merchandise, and makes her rounds accordingly.
“It’s the thrill of the hunt,” she said of her thrifting adventures. “When I can find a treasure, especially one at a bargain price that I can use or that I can resell, I have had a successful shopping trip. I especially like to buy from shops that support nonprofits, like SEEDS supports programs for young adults on the spectrum. White Dove supports Hospice of the Valley and HALO supports programs for homeless animals.”
Sherri Williams is a business woman who takes a day off a week to volunteer at Thrift to Thrive, a shop that supports Thrive AZ. Proceeds benefit its Safe Sleep program that provides beds to children and youth in need.
“I come home feeling good about the day’s work,” Williams said. “The shopper, the other volunteers, those who bring in donations, all are working together not only to give unwanted items a second life, but to show children and teens that someone cares about them.”
Besides thrifting for a good cause, the Valley is home to dozens of thrift stores that are owned by savvy business people who rely on them to support themselves and their families.
Avery Greey is a Gen Z entrepreneur who saw an opportunity and jumped on it. During COVID, “Ewie Vintage” started out as a pop-up store under a tree in parking lot of a friend’s office. Social distancing was part of the vibe, as were carefully chosen classics, individual styles, Y2K and disco. Her Indian School shop is tiny, friendly and beautiful. She often has a line of shoppers out the door, and her social media channels are lively. Why?
“In this time of fast fashion and mass production, young men and women are drawn to vintage shopping to help them express their individuality through clothes. Plus – they just don’t make them like they used to!” Greey says.
Linda Betancourt is a recently retired fashion executive in Phoenix whose career took her to fashion capitals around the world, behind the scenes as a buyer and department store and brand decision-maker. She echoes Greey’s thoughts.
“Retail fashion used to be about the drama, the romance of presentation and discovery. Now it’s all about mass production and cutting costs,” Betancourt said. “When I was working in the industry, I shopped the big name stores and boutiques. But now? So many of them are gone or only carry mass-produced items that have no style. I love to shop thrift stores – it’s the thrill of discovering a hidden gem, and creating my own individual look.”
Tom Garcia, who grew up in North Central Phoenix, started shopping at Buffalo Exchange as a young student. Buffalo Exchange is one of the original vintage clothing stores in Phoenix, along with My Sister’s Closet.
“It’s a double-edged sword, thrifting. Some visits yield a vintage shirt or fun pair of sneakers that I otherwise would have never found. On the other end, however, there are a number of times I have come to trade yields little to no return,” he says.
Shoppers who lug boxes of books to Half-Price Books, where gently used books can be resold, often go home with all but one or two of the books they had hoped to be accepted for resale. “You just never know what they are in the market for,” Garcia added.
Auctions are another way to satisfy that thrill of the hunt for a bargain, and shoppers can fully engage without lifting more than the finger required to scroll the internet. Sherry Gage, a North Phoenix resident, retired from the medical field and makes her living scouring online auctions and reselling her finds. She is especially fond of auctions featuring building supplies, tools and artwork.
“Friends let me know what they are looking for, and I can usually find it on one of the online auction sites – for pennies on the dollar if they buy retail. For example? Bookshelves, cool antique lighting fixtures, books…name it and I’ll find it for you!”
Gage found stools from an old-fashioned ice cream shop on auction, and she bought them, thinking “somebody will love these for a home bar.” She found her customer in North Central – Candy and Chocolate Company. “They fit right in – the beautiful marble fixtures, tile floor and ice cream bar – all vintage and the stools look like they have been there for years.”
