Another's treasure: Thrifting breathes new life into pieces, buyers' budgets

Sep. 10—Jeremy Lewan sees thrift shopping as a triple win.

It's a win for the environment, a win for his pocketbook and a win for his wardrobe.

The WNEP-TV Newswatch 16 meteorologist left a thrift store this summer during a special sale with four coats, a few suit jackets, several short-sleeved shirts, a sweater, a hat and two suitcases — all for $28. Since 2020, he's only worn secondhand or borrowed clothes.

When Lewan, 23, of Scranton, started his first on-air position out of college at WNEP last November, he worried that carrying on his thrift store way of life wouldn't be realistic. Seeing his role model, ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee, take a "no new clothes" pledge showed Lewan it's possible.

Everything he's worn on television so far came from a secondhand store or already lived in his closet. He sometimes borrows clothes from friends to wear for broadcasts, too.

To his surprise, the audience loves it. Viewers reach out to compliment Lewan's style often. Many couldn't believe it when they found out he's a thrift shopper.

"It's like giving a piece of clothing a brand new life," Lewan said. "It already had a life with somebody, and now you're taking on that piece. It's almost like an honor of wearing somebody else's piece of clothing and giving it a new life and wearing it to its fullest potential."

Whether it's for sustainability, cost savings, style or a combination of the three, it's becoming a popular choice to buy clothes secondhand.

According to the 2023 Resale Report from thredUP — an online consignment store — the U.S. secondhand market was valued at $39 billion in 2022, and it's expected to reach $70 billion by 2027.

Resale grew five times as much as the broader retail clothing sector last year, and it's projected to grow nine times faster by 2027, the report said.

Lewan started thrift shopping while studying at Rutgers University when he joined the F.A.C.E. Modeling Team (Fashion, Art, Confidence and Entertainment). This not only led him to become a working model on the side of meteorology, but a serious thrifter.

The team shopped at thrift stores together to find outfits for shows, or just for fun.

"First of all, we're college students, and we can't afford too much more than that," he recalled. "Also, that's becoming the new trend. Thrift store clothing — the way it fits, the old vintage styles — are coming back."

Beyond having extra money in his pocket and looking cool, Lewan saw a way to keep his wardrobe fresh while reducing waste and combatting fast fashion — inexpensive clothes produced rapidly at high volumes to keep up with the latest trends.

"I'm a huge proponent of promoting sustainability, and once I realized that thrift store culture isn't just about the style, isn't just about the saving of money, but is also about saving the environment, I realized that is the realm I want to be in," he said.

'All about the neighborhood'

Victoria Maybeck, manager of Upstairs Thrift at the Waverly Community House, 1115 N. Abington Road, meets customers who want something distinctive that no one else has, and high-quality items for a bargain. Lately, she's been noticing a lot of younger customers.

Upstairs Thrift sells clothing for women, men and children, housewares and more. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit community center and its programs.

Donations from the community go through the roof, she said, and people have told her they save their best items for the Comm since it's such a special place.

She sees regulars every week who come back to check out the ever-changing merchandise. This results in unique finds — like one customer who bought a wedding dress for $20 and had it altered.

"Thrift shops are all about the neighborhood, especially a place like this," Maybeck said. She noted that Upstairs Thrift differs from larger nonprofits, which distribute donated items across a chain of stores. "Whatever comes in here, stays here."

As a child of the '60s with the green movement and a thrifter herself, Maybeck said she hates seeing anything go to a landfill. Even if the Comm can get 25 cents for an item, it's better than putting it in the trash, she added.

"My whole house is full of secondhand junk, and I wouldn't have it any other way," she said.

A focus on vintage

Virginia Smith of Falls Twp. keeps her thrift stores a highly-guarded secret.

The 37-year-old's wardrobe is largely thrifted with a focus on vintage clothing. As a lover of vintage tees and denim, Smith called Levi's 512 slim-fit jeans from the '90s her Holy Grail.

Only Smith's partner knows where she scores vintage finds to wear or resell at Riverbank Recyclables, her shop within On&On marketplace, 1138 Capouse Ave., Scranton.

Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Smith started thrifting as a teen. Being tall, she struggled to find long-enough pants until one day, she tried on a pair of jeans from the '70s at a thrift store. Knowing her friends' styles, Smith started grabbing clothes for them, too.

"I try really hard to not buy things new. I make a conscious effort because the fast fashion industry is such garbage and it's doing such harm to the planet and people and it's just not worth it," she said. "I would rather spend a lot less and walk into a thrift store and get something secondhand."

There's been an uptick in thrifting as more people realize this, especially with the "TikTok generation," she said. Users of TikTok — who are primarily Gen Z — can find tons of #ThriftTok videos with people posting thrift store hauls and tips.

"I think that buying clothes secondhand is becoming a lot cooler, whereas it was taboo when I was a teenager," she said.

For Smith, it's also a treasure hunt. Just recently, she found a fringe leather motorcycle jacket from the early '90s with skull-shaped clasps for the shop and rode that high for hours.

"Part of the joy of thrifting for me is the thrill of the hunt. I'm after that dopamine," she said.

On&On vendors influenced Matthew Kalina, 23, to go out and thrift more. The Scranton resident works at the marketplace and runs a furniture and décor booth called Jacked Up Vintage.

Over time, his interest in vintage expanded to clothing. Now like Smith, Kalina thrifts most of his wardrobe with a focus on vintage.

Sometimes, he challenges himself to find an obscure vintage item. When he finally gets his hands on it, it feels like he can do anything — at least in terms of thrifting.

"It's really surprising what you find, just so shocking what people are so ready to get rid of or have gotten rid of, and you're just there to kind of give it a new life," Kalina said.

He's seen this type of shopping become more popular — and competitive. Still, he's glad to have more people out there appreciating these items and keeping them from being thrown away.

"I remember when I used to be able to get things cheaper, and I'm sure people that were thrifting before me, they're like, 'We were saying that about you,'" he said.

Swapping styles

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hannah Radkiewicz, 28, realized she was guilty of overpurchasing clothes and could part with a lot of her wardrobe. As a former model, the Scranton resident had been really into fashion and buying new clothes.

As the pandemic ended and people could go places again, she also noticed that everyone in the community didn't necessarily have the means to buy a new outfit.

"I thought coming out of COVID, a great way to bring our community together might be to host something like a clothing swap," she said. "People can get new outfits that are new to them, without having to go purchase something."

Radkiewicz organized two clothing swaps at the Bog in Scranton — one in December and another in June — that each drew in a crowd. People brought clothes they no longer wore and exchanged with others as a form of circular fashion.

She's planning another swap for late September at Nay Aug Park in Scranton, which will include children's clothing. For details, go to @swapscranton on Instagram.

It seemed like people had been waiting for something like this in Scranton based on the feedback she received. Radkiewicz loved hearing strangers hype each other up as they tried on outfits and later seeing them post their clothing swap finds on Instagram.

Now, Radkiewicz mainly trades clothes instead of buying them new.

"I had a lot to give, a lot to pass on. Stuff that brought joy to me, I realized could bring joy to other people," she said.

Close the loop

Leftovers from the clothing swaps get donated to local nonprofits if their owners don't want them back.

Maybeck only takes the cream of the crop at Upstairs Thrift, but she makes sure any donations the store can't sell don't go to waste.

Smith donates clothes she's finished with, or if they're vintage, resells them. Lewan and Kalina also make sure to put their used clothes back into circulation.

"That's the whole point of the thrift store culture, is to have that closed loop, to have a circular economy where you buy something, you give it a life, and then you go and bring it back to a thrift store so that someone else can buy it and give it a life," Lewan said.

Contact the writer:

bwilliams@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5107;

@BWilliamsTT on X