Skip the Crazy Mall Lines & Shop Secondhand this Holiday Season

Forget the madness of Black Friday: instead of fighting the crowds at the mall looking for deals, I went for a totally different kind of post-Thanksgiving shopping experience. I spent my morning at an uplifting, community-focused thrifting event right in my neighborhood.

It was called Gifts & Thrifts and it was an awesome annual event put together by the Collective ARC LLC, the coalition started by pro soccer player Aiden McFadden. The whole event was a celebration of sustainable style and local generosity. 

Aiden shared his motivation for starting the annual Gift and Thrifts event. “I loved to thrift and I soon realized that there is too much stuff out there,” stated McFadden. “We should all be able to just swap clothing instead of buying new.”

Aiden invited anyone from the general public to come and take whatever items they needed for free. The event had over 15 tables and three racks of clothes with a variety of sizes and styles. There were also name brands like Athleta, Gymshark, Old Navy, Nike and more, as well as plenty of one-of-a-kind vintage pieces. There was truly something for everyone!

The selection also covered everything from chill everyday outfits and professional office wear to fancy clothes items like elegant dresses made for wearing to a wedding or other formal events. Every single item there was kindly donated by people in the community, highlighting a cool cycle of reusing clothes and giving back, instead of just buying new. Browsing the neatly stacked clothing and accessories at the event, I found a future Christmas gift for a family member!

I spoke with some volunteers at the event to learn more about why they decided to attend. They shared that after working in retail for years, they were frustrated by the excessive amount of plastic used to package clothing– specifically, how each individual item arrived at the store wrapped in plastic. They viewed this as a tremendous waste. Events like this offer consumers a much-needed alternative to the waste generated by purchasing clothes from traditional retail stores.

I agree with this idea. It takes a tremendous amount of resources to create a single item of clothing. There also is so much clothing in the world being thrown out or burned due to overconsumption and fast fashion practices. Clothing is one of the fastest growing waste stream in the United States. 

As the holiday season quickly approaches, I think it is important to think secondhand first when purchasing gifts. It is better for our wallets and the planet. Gifts and Thrifts is a great example of being able to find a variety of items for everyone on your shopping list. Thank you to Aiden and the Collective ARC LLC for putting together this great event.