Secondhand shopping is in my blood and I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember. My grandma loved to find name brands for a fraction of their department store price and would announce the bargain price of her outfit to anyone who asked… and to some who didn’t. She passed her skills onto my mom, who can pick out a silk top in a sea of polyester in five seconds flat. The three of us would always check out the Wooster Goodwill (any other Ohioans out there?) when we were together. We’d fan out over the store and hunt the racks for the hidden gems, then reconvene at the shopping cart ready to rave about what we’d found. Since then, I’ve taken my love of deal hunting across the globe and gone secondhand shopping in Uganda, Lithuania, and our very own Goodwill of Greater Washington.
When I moved to DC after college, I started shopping at the two Goodwills in Arlington. I’d ride the 16 bus to the Columbia Pike Goodwill and load my cart up with clothes and shoes. The Columbia Pike store always seemed to have the best boots for the best prices and I tripled my boot collection in less than year. Like my grandma, I loved to find higher end items for less, and my all-time favorite Columbia Pike find was a pair of brown leather boots I bought in 2008 and still wear today. When I took them to the cobbler to be resoled, she commented on how high quality they were and was literally speechless when I told her I got them for $15 at the Goodwill. As you can see, I take after my grandma in feeling the need to broadcast my good deals to unsuspecting bystanders. In fact, it was that love of bragging about bargains that prompted me to start my Instagram.
A glimpse into my rack for Edited pop-up shop.
Goodwill will be launching their annual trunk show at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery. The retail pop-up will operate from 11AM – 7PM on Thursday, August 25 and Friday, August 26. I was invited to help curate items for the event! If you follow me on Instagram at @gotitatgoodwill, or watch my YouTube videos, you know that my style is a mix of trendy and classic, with an emphasis on solid colors and stripes. In fact, if you’re looking for my rack at the pop-up shop, just search for the stripes! My rack is stocked with clothes that are easy to wear: think lots of cotton, breathable fabrics, and a minimum of synthetic and dry clean only items. You’ll find many neutrals with pops of color, brightly colored skirts, and a mix of the eighties and nineties nostalgia prints that are so in right now. When it comes to brands, I prefer to buy quality because when I find something I like, I want to wear it all the time, so I need a piece that’s going to last. I loaded up my racked with a mix of brands, including Rachel Roy, Ted Baker, Michael Kors, Topshop, J. Crew, H&M, and Everlane, to name a few.
Finally, I believe Goodwill is a place where everyone can find something, whether you wear XS or 3X. On my rack, you’ll find clothes in plus size, petite, maternity, juniors, from size 0-24. And for those of you who prefer new items, I’ve got you covered with several new with tags items. So no excuses! Come out and shop, get some great new clothes to finish out the summer or get a head start on your fall wardrobe and support the important work Goodwill is doing right here in our community!
Sign-up here to attend the Goodwill Edited Summer Trunk Show: http://goodwilltrunkshow.eventbrite.com
A teacher by day, a thrifter by night, I love going to Goodwill and finding great things. Whether it’s organizers for my classroom, pots for my kitchen, or sweaters to relax in, I know I’ll find it all at Goodwill. You can follow all my favorite DC Goodwill and other secondhand finds on Instagram @gotitatgoodwill.
