Love at First Sight: Thrifted Treasures Abound in Hillsdale
Written by Anna Baldwin
No woman speaks any words as proudly as “Thank you, I got it at the thrift store!” The great consumerist reversal of our time is that “thrifted” is the new name brand, and the less money you pay for an item, the higher you value it. Hillsdale student shopping culture is no exception to these rules. My friends and I go thrifting every weekend we can, and I am always sure to run into at least one other Hillsdale student doing the same thing. Thrifting in Hillsdale is an activity that can only be understood through experience.
My first encounter with a Hillsdale thrift store was from afar. My freshman roommate thrifted before I did, and though she invited me to go early on freshman year, I foolishly thought I had better things to do. She returned with a gift for me. “I thought this looked like your style,” she said, and handed me a jacket. It was the ugliest shade of lavender in existence, at least four sizes too big, lined with blue flannel and corduroy, and covered in signs of wear. It was love at first sight. From that moment, I took every opportunity to visit Hillsdale thrift stores. Now, after completing nearly three years of college, much of my wardrobe is clothing from Hillsdale’s second-hand stores. From business casual pieces to fun jackets and unique sweaters, I have found pieces that will be in my closet for a long time. Even in years to come, I will still be wearing little pieces of my time at Hillsdale everywhere I go.
I quickly found that I am often more successful shopping at second-hand stores than buying new items. I needed a pair of heels to go with my President’s Ball dress last year, and I’d been hunting for the right pair for months. I am six feet tall, so I knew I wanted a pair of one-inch heels so I could wear fancy shoes and still communicate with my short friends. Apparently, size 10, light pink, one-inch heels are an extremely rare commodity. I searched all over the internet and found nothing. One weekend my friends and I went thrifting, and I casually decided to check out the shoe section. Right in the middle of the very top shelf were a pair of size 10, light pink, brand-new one-inch heels for six dollars. Hillsdale Community Thrift had done what the entire internet could not.
Sometimes, the best part of thrifting is not finding clothes, but making memories or having a good laugh with friends. My first time thrifting at Hillsdale I found a prom dress that was bedazzled head to toe in the brightest aqua and orange sequins, with a long extravagant train and one giant embellished shoulder. I tried it on just to amuse my friends, and it was huge and made me look like I was being eaten by some sparkly sea creature. I did not buy it, but the picture we took is priceless. Another time my friend tried on a wedding dress. It fit her perfectly, but, having no occasion for it, we left that purchase for another day.
The women of Hillsdale are not alone in thrifting culture, for the men of Hillsdale find a use for second-hand clothing as well. Not long ago, my brother, Jack, ’28, surprised me by borrowing my car to take his friends thrifting. However, he returned with items which surprised me! Jack had bought a hot pink outfit for a dorm event, complete with a pair of size 6 hot pink women’s sneakers, which didn’t fit his feet in the slightest.
Of course, thrifting is not the easiest or most convenient way to build a wardrobe. It takes patience and endurance to sort through a long rack of sweaters made from grandma’s curtains to find the perfect one for Michigan’s long winters. It takes an eye for true beauty to look at a shabby overall dress and see the potential. It takes courage to purchase someone’s thrown-out pair of trousers and give them a second chance at life. Thankfully, we learn all of these virtues at Hillsdale, and if they are not reflected in our papers and assignments, they are at least reflected in our shopping.
Anna Baldwin, ’25, is from the countryside of Tennessee, where she spends her time managing her chickens and drinking coffee on the front porch. At Hillsdale, you can find her managing her assignments and drinking coffee at Penny’s.
Published in February 2024