Cashing in on secondhand clothes fits the bill
Jenny Brannan / KAMSAN
Tricia Costello, Leawood freshman, and Lisa Ehling, Kansas City, Mo., freshman, watch as a buying expert at Arizona Trading Co., 734 Massachusetts St., examines clothes they brought in to sell. The recycled clothing market has become a popular way for KU students to dress for less as well as to make extra cash.
By Jenny Brannan Special to the Kansan
Lindsey Frey walked into Arizona Trading Company, 734 Massachusetts St., with a bag over her shoulder.
She unzipped the bag and dumped onto the counter a pile full of clothes, which she traded in for her choice of either clothes or cash.
"This is how I make a living," she said,jokingly.
Most of the items she brought in, such as sweaters and flannels, were out of season for spring, so the trip was not as productive as she had hoped. She did, however, walk away with a pair of jeans that she had exchanged for a light sweater.
Like many other KU students, Frey, Topeka junior, finds the recycled clothing market extremely useful while trying to beat the expenses of college.
Buying experts look at the items people bring in. After deciding which items they want to sell, the buying experts set a price. They offer either 40 percent of the selling price in cash or 60 percent of the selling price on a trade.
"Right before Spring Break we get lots of people selling clothes to help fund their vacations," said Andrea Moreau, buying supervisor at Arizona Trading Company.
Jeans, Levi's in particular, are the most popular item that secondhand clothing stores sell, she said. Students dig through piles of jeans to find the perfect pair that is worn in the right places with a small hole here or there to add character.
If they're a bit too long, they can cut them.
If they're a bit too big, they can cinch them.
There are no rules when it comes to blue jeans.
"You don't have to go home and wash them and make them look used," said Larry Billings, owner of the Antique Mall, 830 Massachusetts St.
Not only are they faded and beat up enough to have that broken-in charm, they're cheap too. You can buy a pair of jeans that are in good condition for anywhere between $3 and $20, compared with the $35 to $75 you can expect to spend on
new jeans.
"I've been shopping at thrift stores ever since I started buying my own clothes," said Alice Yeo, Prairie Village sophomore. "I can't afford to pay $40 for a shirt when I can find one almost like it for $4."
Yeo does not see herself as having a worm or grunge look. In fact, she feels her conservative style puts her at a disadvantage in the recycled clothes market.
"There is a reverse snobbery at those places," Yeo said. "If you dress funky,
they'll buy more of your clothes than if you come in looking preppy."
Some students prefer to dress in a more vintage flavor of clothing that can only be found at used-clothing stores. The time voyage is endless, from the hip-hugger jeans to the tight-fitting shirts with the wide collars that all the Brady kids wore.
Arizona Trading Company has a supply of vintage clothing from the '60s and '70s that they call dead stock. The items have never been worn.Instead, they have been kept in warehouse for the past few decades.
"They just don't make clothes like they used to," Leigh Mische, Overland Park freshman, said. "They don't make Levi 501 bell-bottoms."
Mische said that her mom was afraid that she would catch diseases from buying used jeans.
"She took me out and bought me a brand new pair of $45 jeans," Mische said. "That afternoon, I went to a thrift store and bought three pairs for 50 cents each. I've never even taken the new ones out of my closet."
Mische thinks the movement towards recycled clothing is a mixture of price, comfort and not having to worry about matching.
"You can look as ugly as you want and still look cute," she said.
The best bargains to suit a person's style might be buried under a pile of clothes that would be a mother's worst nightmare — all it takes is a little digging.
"Some of the stuff makes me want to vomit," Mische said. "I can't decide if I hate it or if I really love it."