Thrift-Coming

          Going to the big retail stores and dress shops around can be seriously stressful for anyone. To avoid the stress and have some fun, I chose to instead go through some thrift shops to look for my Homecoming outfit. I went to stores like Goodwill, Ross, and OMG Thrift. Though I went to more thrift shops than I might’ve if I had gone to an actual retail store, I had a much better time. It was important to me to have a good experience overall since it is school. I was able to turn a stressful afternoon into a few fun days with family and friends. When I went out to such thrift shops, I went with my mom and a friend of mine, we spent hours looking through racks and laughing when putting weird combinations of patterns together. We are all looking to have some fun in highschool, so why not spend a few hours doing so and also looking for your Homecoming outfit?

         Not only is thrifting a fun activity, but it’s sustainable. We all know about the importance of sustainability and how it can help our world. You may find things in thrift shops that you won’t find anywhere else. Most people who work at these stores are also helpful when you ask, however, most of the time, they will not bother you. It is easy to find your nearby thrift shop and they are always taking donations to help out a cause of some kind. It feels even better when you get a dress or suit that you love and help someone else out at the same time. By shopping at thrift stores in Central Florida, I had a lot of options. I went to stores from Downtown Orlando, to small places off of Cassleberry, to places all over Altamonte. They are extremely accessible and carry things year round which makes it easy to get something for another event. Both this year and last, I got a dress for Homecoming and one for the Thespian banquet all on the same day. I personally love thrifting, and doing so for an event I’m excited about makes it even more fun. My recommendation: take some friends. The more people there are, the more fun you can have because you can always convince someone to try on something silly if it doesn’t fit you. Between the cheaper clothing, the sustainability, and the overall fun, I don’t think there is a better way to turn an otherwise stressful outing into something enjoyable.