Getting The Gift of Loving the Thrift at Thrift and Gift on Vassar Street
Reporting and photo series by Lucas Lugo
For a long time I have never been able to understand thrifting as a trend. Teens going to the bins because they think it “sounds fun” is far from why I did—going out of necessity my whole life and being taught it was shameful to buy something secondhand was not trendy to me.
It wasn’t until I moved to Reno, entered the Thrift & Gift on Vassar, and looked for my first college outfits that my eyes opened to the fun thrifting can be when it’s not just a building with clothes and housewares in it.
Being in Thrift & Gift is like stepping into a universe from the I Spy books. Everything colorful and textured from every era exists in there, in rows of racks and shelves of cluttered yet organized visual delight.
The space is also cozy. You can see everything, even the signs, being made with a bit of personality. My favorite spot inside is Edna, a mannequin dressed to the nines in a vintage spring outfit, sitting in front of the vintage clothing aisle.
So it’s definitely already a step up from the fluorescent-lit Savers I’d have to go to if I wanted a back-to-school outfit, where everything was either off Amazon or some decades-old shirt souvenir.
Their merchandise is so unique and diverse that it challenges your sense of style for the better—my first visit there had me leaving with a new obsession over upcycling any pair of jeans into bellbottoms. Buying from their dedicated section for textiles and sewing makes it too easy with all the selections of thread and fabric.
Speaking of buying, the prices for all these special, one-of-a-kind items are wonderfully affordable. I easily had a completely new outfit for $10-20 without giving up being fashionable, something only Thrift & Gift has offered in my thrifting experiences.
A special quality of the store itself is how it also uplifts the community in thrifting. Thrift & Gift is run by the 1701 Group, a volunteer organization almost 400 members strong with 11 philanthropic programs. Their support goes to students, seniors and veterans in need. One program, called the Senior Sampler, sits right in the store as its own gift shop, full of consigned items crafted by local seniors who receive the full revenue when their items are purchased.
The store itself also hires seniors to staff the store, giving them a stable income for their living and a quiet, calm workplace every week. They’re taught to highly prioritize the customer, meaning to not save merchandise for themselves from the retail floor or the back. There’s also magic in the back of the store. Excess donations are given to other non-profits, making sure nothing gets thrown away.
When I leave the store, I don’t leave in a hurry, and I don’t rush to hide the brand of the bag. I always leave with more than just having clothes—I leave with a renewed spirit of self, now having a store with a true interest in wanting me to express myself.
This is from the perspective of someone who has never found thrifting to be a trend or a treat when it was the only way for me to have new clothes, but this place always makes it feel like it is and more. The 1701 Group’s Thrift & Gift embraces being more than just a store, rather being a whole experience of enjoying and appreciating everything, and asks you to do the same for yourself and your Reno community.
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