How the Thrifting and Resale Boom is Playing Out in Central Houston

Outside the trendy resale store Pavement in central Houston’s Montrose neighborhood — the city’s thrift corridor — I sit with Kaiya Krikstan, who shows me the gifts she has in her shopping bag reusable:

“I got tank tops, Free People, you know…” She got a t-shirt, a romper, “a cute little jacket for my morning meditation.”

Not a bad deal for only $80. For Krikstan, a chemistry student, the price is right. “When you go to the mall or something, and everything costs $30, $40, $50. It’s like, “Okay, well, I can only get one thing.” »

Krikstan traveled an hour from Galveston to shop here. Sometimes she buys second-hand clothes online from the resale site Depop, but she prefers to shop IRL.

“It’s rare that I get to like, find good deals on clothes,” she said. “I really don’t have anything in Galveston. It’s like goodwill. And you just hope that someone in town has something nice to get rid of. So it’s nice to come to Houston and acquire things.

She’s not alone in her search for affordable second-hand goods. A new study by eBay found a 400% year-over-year increase in sales of clothing, shoes and accessories that say “thrift store” in the description.

Gen Z and millennials are driving this era of “recommerce” as they look for great deals and more sustainable ways to shop – for everything from sneakers to bedside tables.

Further on, I find Clemon Sheppard, who works as assistant manager at the Out of the Closet thrift store – where, he says, the prices are even lower than those at the trendiest stores around.

“In fact, it’s probably the only reason everyone comes to us,” he said. “The thrift stores there have some stuff, but their prices are a little, you know, being a thrift store is a little crazy.”

Prices here top out at $20 for costumes. “These are all our long-sleeve button-down shirts – they would be $10. Short sleeves would cost $8.

And behind that store is the Second Blessings resale boutique, where sales of used furniture, clothing and jewelry support community charities. Since the church-run store expanded in 2022, manager Mike Dohoney says sales have really picked up.

“Over 50% increase in our sales – over 50%, closer to 75%,” he said.

After years of working here, Dohoney said he’s seen a whole new movement take off around second-hand shopping, especially for things like furniture.

“What’s really weird is I thought it was just older people like me or, you know, people in their 40s, 50s, maybe 60s. But we have seen an influx of millennials,” he said. “They want to buy things that will last or have lasted.”

Compared to something new – made from chipboard.