Make sure you stay on top of all the latest re-emerging throwback trends.
With throwback trends becoming more and more popular, many people are flocking Uptown for recycled clothing. Track jackets with high school emblems from the 70s or corduroy pants that you just can’t seem to find at H&M or Forever 21 can be discovered between flannels and dresses.
Not only does shopping at vintage stores provide you with a unique selection of clothing that lessens the risk of seeing your mortal enemy wearing the same jacket as you, but the quality of clothing is just better.
Athens Underground is known around town as a go-to for quirky clothes from a variety of decades. The owner, Barbara Stout, said she shops at 150 to 200 stores a year looking for high-quality vintage clothing to satisfy her customers.
“(In) the older stuff, the fibers are much better, the weave of the cotton is better (and) the construction of it is better,” Stout said. “Look at buttons on real old things compared to cheap plastic buttons.”
Stout’s merchandise comes from auctions, yard sales and cleaned out estates. Only 1 to 2 percent of her stock is from donations.
Once she obtains pre-owned clothing, she mends, alters and cleans the clothing before it hits hit the racks — something she said not many thrift stores do.
Right now, we are living in a throwaway fashion culture. When something doesn’t fit, gets too dirty or we tire of it, our natural inclination is to throw it away. Shopping at vintage stores and thrift shops saves clothing from joining forgotten and unloved threads in landfills.
The way we run through our clothes is revolting. I can’t say I’m not guilty of throwing away a pair of pants once I’ve ripped the knees, but I think it’s important to try to mend and alter clothing before forsaking it to the trash can.
Even from an economic standpoint, shopping locally benefits everyone involved. Athens’ small businesses profit from the customer base that a small college town holds. Instead of money leaving Athens and going to corporations with low-quality clothing, the money can circulate in the economic pool of a small town with better quality products.
The artisans and craftspeople that participate in the Athens market are also benefitting from shopping locally through vintage and thrift stores.
So support local vintage and thrift stores, especially in Athens. Even after some of you graduate and leave, always be on the lookout for a small store that could have your next favorite and completely unique, new-to-you set of threads.
Courtney Mihocik is a sophomore studying journalism and a copy editor at The Post. Email her at cm674912@ohio.edu or find her on Twitter at @CourtneyMiho.
