Volume 4: I've Got a Dream
The Thrifty Duckling
This little shop was built on a dream, an ideology, a principle.
See...I read this book once called Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline. After reading it, I found myself unable to shop conventionally. Fast fashion companies like H&M, Forever 21, Zara, Old Navy and more were no longer an option for me. And without a lot of other options to turn to, I found myself standing in front of a Goodwill.
As a kid, my family and I had always frequented thrift stores, but back then if was out of necessity rather than fashion choice or ideology.
Returning to the world of thrift felt familiar, it felt comfortable. I love to comb through racks and racks of clothes. I love the hunt. This, I expected to love. What I didn't expect was the journey this book took me on. A path that would lead me to the world of sustainable shopping, ethics, a "save the planet" mentality, recycling, reusing and overall trying to create less waste in my life.
No easy task, to be sure. It takes a lot of mindfulness. For example...have you ever thought twice about those little plastic things that connect a price tag to your clothes? Neither had I. But, of course, now I can't let one fall to the ground or make it's way into the trash. Microplastics...a word I'd never heard of or thought of let alone worried about.
The truth is, when you're exposed to the dark side of something you enjoy, it becomes increasingly difficult to merely enjoy that thing blindly. Ignorance is a kind of bliss. But it's a bliss beyond my reach, because I'm no longer ignorant.
Reading Overdressed created a fire in me. It created a need to educate myself. To read more about the fast fashion crisis happening, especially in America, today. I went further into the global impact that my cute new t-shirt had on climate change. And I dared to ask myself "Who Made My Clothes?" I didn't like any of the answers I was seeing.
Hence the switch to a method of shopping used, recycled, vintage, and resale clothing.
My dear reader, I don't tell you all this to shame you and your shopping habits! I don't tell you this to sell a shirt from my shop. I tell you this because when you become exposed to deep truths...you cannot help sharing them with others. You cannot help hoping that you'll see understanding in other people's eyes. You cannot help dreaming of making a change.
Or, at least that's how it has been for me. So, there you have it...the reason for my thrifting. It's not a perfect solution and we've miles to go before we sleep. But I'm doing what I can with the time I've been given.
If you decide to take the path to deeper understanding, I warn you about losing the bliss of ignorance. But I offer you in exchange, a friend, a support group, an ear to turn to about how hard that journey is. I know exactly what it's like. And I'm here!
Story of a Small Shop: Volume 1 "Can I Even Do This?"
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