20 Random Thrifting Facts You Should Know

 

How many of these random thrift facts do you know? Test your knowledge!

20 Random Thrifting Facts

1). Thrift shop – noun - Merriam Webster Definition of thrift shop: a shop that sells secondhand articles and especially clothes and is often run for charitable purposes

 2). August 17 - National Thrift Shop Day

 3). 1879: The Salvation Army comes to the U.S

 4). 1902: Goodwill Industries is founded in Boston

5). 1919: The term “thrift shop” is coined.

6). 1974: Buffalo Exchange opens first store in Tucson, AZ.

7). 1984- NARTS-- The Association of Resale Professionals. Founded in 1984. Has noticed an increase in resale shops. Helps members (shop owners) with educational and professional development.  Also provides consumers with an online SHOPPING LIST to locate shops in their city or towns when visiting.

8). 1995: eBay and Craigslist are founded

9). At a garage sale in 2000, a Fresno, California house painter noticed images of Yosemite National Park on glass plates of old photo negatives. After some negotiation, Rick Norsigian bought the lot for $45. He had a hunch the images were by the iconic nature photographer Ansel Adams, so Norsigian asked some experts. CNN reported that his find may have been worth than $200 million.

10). 2006: Nashville, Tennessee thrift shop find for $ 2.48 turned out to be a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Sold for $477,650

11). 2009: thredUP is founded ---an online thrift store for women’s and children’s clothing. 

12). 2011: The RealReal and Poshmark are founded for the resale of luxury goods, and as a peer-to-peer social networking resale platform, respectively.

13). In 2015, Zach Norris paid $5.99 for a watch at Goodwill, Phoenix. The watch was later discovered to be a rare 1959 Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Alarm. It sold for $35,000 

14). A bargain hunter picked up a $20 blue and white teapot in an online auction.  It turned out to be one of the first pieces of porcelain created in America. It was the work of John Bartlam, a well-known artisan from nearly 250 years ago. Though broken, the teapot sold at a  2018 auction for about $806,000. 

15). Re-wearing clothes reduces waste and pollution

16). Second-hand clothes are less likely to end up in landfills

17). Thrift stores make it easier to know where your money is going

18). Many thrift stores directly support charity 

19). Thrifting is cheaper

20). Second-hand clothing is often higher quality than comparatively-priced clothing

Bonus facts:

21). Thrifted clothing offers more room for uniqueness

22). Thrift shops allow for more creativity

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