Growing up, Tristan Bego was known for treating the hallways of her school like catwalks. It didn’t matter that her clothes were from thrift stores. Budget constraints made her even more creative.
Thrifting has always been a way of life for the 29-year-old, so much so that a year ago, she and her partner Jenny Neal opened a store on Denver’s Capitol Hill. The Common Collective, at 613 E. 13th Ave., brings together 14 small businesses that sell used and custom-designed goods, from vintage concert T-shirts to retro embroidered sweaters.
“Saving is in fashion now, but when we were doing it back in the day, it wasn’t fashionable,” Bego said. “It was just a way for us to access clothes, but now it’s the best. As an entrepreneur, I love it. Plus, it’s much more sustainable and Denver is the No. 1 thrifty city. People come here specifically to save.”
This year, Denver was voted the best city for thrift based on thrift store availability, sales volumes and thrift-related Google searches, according to a analysis by StorageCafe storage space market.
Metro Denver has nearly 200 thrift stores — about 6.6 thrift stores per 100,000 residents, which is above the national average of 4.8 thrift stores per 100,000, according to the analysis. On average, Denver households spend $190 a year on thrift sales.
In the United States, Google searches related to the economy averaged 4 million per month from July 2021 to June 2022, double the search volume for the same period a year earlier, according to the analysis
The interest hike comes amid the pandemic and soaring inflation, which retailers say has increased the economic appeal of thrifted clothing. Thrift posts posted on Instagram and TikTok in which shoppers were photographed and filmed trying on their best vintage finds have also inspired newcomers to join the Goodwill junkies’ fray.
If you’re looking to cash in and sell some pre-loved clothes, The Denver Post talked to three thrift sellers about how they got started and what advice they have for newbies looking to get into the game.
“The best decision I ever made”
Renee Suiter, 55, had been casually selling items from her closet on the e-commerce app Poshmark for several years when the urge to turn her side job into her own business became too strong to ignore .
The Littleton resident was working for her husband when, one day in 2017, she packed up her car, drove to New Mexico, where she was from, and told her husband she would be there for a few weeks making a business plan to turn your Poshmark hobby into a career.
“I felt very dissatisfied with my everyday life to the point where I didn’t want to work for him anymore,” Suitor said. “I came home not knowing if my marriage would make it. I asked him if he would rather have a wife or an employee. He said he wanted a wife, thank God. It’s been the best decision I’ve made for myself as a woman, as an entrepreneur. I love it.”
This year alone, Poshmark has seen more than 48,000 Denverites get paid by selling items. In the past five years, there have been more than 193,000 active Denver Poshmark sellers, according to the company.
Suiter’s Poshmark store, called little queen, is now his full-time gig, performing out of his home. Suiter sources clothes from local thrift stores (looking for brands and bright, cheery pieces) and then lists her finds in the app.
Lululemon activewear, Free People floral tops, and Coach bags were just a few of the items Suiter had on sale last week.
Suiter starts his day at 5 a.m. so by 9 a.m. he has at least five new items added to his online store. It makes sure to interact with customers through the app the same way retail workers would talk to shoppers walking into their stores.
Suiter said he is older than many of the local dealers and finds himself mentoring younger dealers.
Here are his top three tips:
Merchandise photos matter. “If the photos don’t look right, they’ll keep scrolling,” Suiter said. She suggests putting the clothes in an aesthetically pleasing location, either using a flat photograph or a mannequin.
Learn about SEO. SEO, or search engine optimization, plays a critical role in titling merchandise, Suiter said. When listing an article, try to think of the keywords that people would type into a search engine when searching for that article, and then use those descriptors instead of getting fancy with puns to make your articles pop up more easily.
Write comprehensive descriptions. When a buyer looks at a description, Suiter wants them to see the brand, size, measurements, condition and accurate descriptions of any defects, from a missing button to a barely noticeable stain. “I have to be honest because I don’t want them to be unhappy,” Suiter said. “I’m trying to create a return buyer.”
Stick to what you love
Reselling remains a hobby for Leslie Cikra, 31, who runs a girls volleyball club as a day job and thrifts and resells on the side.
Cikra’s father owned a fur coat company and her mother worked at Saks Fifth Avenue, so fashion has always been a part of the Denverite’s life. The treasure hunt for a standout piece drew Cikra to vintage and thrift shopping, but when the hunt became too intense and Cikra ended up with more clothes than she could handle, she decided to start selling.
After the lockdown phase of the pandemic, Cikra was sick of wearing pajamas and loungewear all the time. She found joy in dressing to feel good and loved the eco-friendly added benefit of buying second-hand.
Cikra’s Poshmark, velvetyuccavntg, featuring vintage western wear, 80s pantsuits, and retro Levi’s jeans, to name a few. She also sells on Etsy and advertises pop-up porch events on Facebook Marketplace.
Cikra sometimes sells the clothes she has accumulated at local thrift stores instead of listing everything individually.
Maybe one day, Cikra will take her small business full-time, but for now, she’s happy to pop into thrift stores during her busy life and find the items that are almost too hard to let go.
“The most important thing is to stick to what you love,” Cikra said. “Develop your aesthetics. If you like vintage, if there’s an era that appeals to you, you bring a community of people who will be drawn to that vibe. Everyone’s aesthetic is so different in the economy community, and there’s room for everyone.”
Tristan Bego is co-owner of The Common Collective, a vintage clothing store in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, pictured on Sept. 15, 2022, in Denver. Bego became successful selling second-hand clothes and eventually turned it into a full-time business. The images are a triple exposure taken in-camera with a multiple exposure function. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
“Try all things”
While Bego’s storefront, tagline “making sustainable, black-owned, female-owned, gender-neutral business commonplace,” works for her, she encourages newcomers to find the medium that’s right for them, already whether it be selling through Instagram, pop- hosting events, eBay or even bidding while sourcing materials from local thrift stores.
Bego’s vintage collection, called February Jones Co., can be found in her store as well as on Instagram at februaryjonesco.
“Try all things,” said Bego. “To dream is to know what you really want. If you really want to do it, it has to be your passion, because you have to spend time connecting with your audience to be successful.”
Bego said Denver’s thrifting community can be competitive, but there’s always enough variety to go around and a good amount of support, too. Connecting with other thrift dealers on social media and at pop-up events is key to getting more involved in the business, Bego said.
Taking the time to sort through Goodwill bins and dig through lots of bugs, sometimes for hours a day, is what turns the side hustle into a full-time job, Bego said.
“It comes down to timing, luck and consistency,” Bego said. “I love that because you don’t have to work for anyone and it gives you entrepreneurial and creative freedoms.”
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