Thrifting is the new cool these days as shoppers young, mature, and in-between flock to area thrift stores. Fashion-forward girls and women look for one-of-a-kind clothing. High school dudes search out retro shirts and sweatshirts. Moms try to keep up with their growing children.
Some search for specific things such as craft supplies, books, or glassware. Some are resellers, finding high-end items to resell on eBay or ThredUp. No matter the reason, more people than ever are shopping at thrift stores.
Local trends reflect a broader interest in second-hand shopping. Goodwill has seen an uptick in sales, donations, and customers, “which helps reduce waste while keeping affordable goods accessible for local families,” said Erica Eash, marketing manager for Goodwill of Greater Grand Rapids, which has 18 retail locations across five counties in West Michigan.
Legacy Thrift, which operates eight stores in Michigan, has seen an increase as well. Its Plainfield location has seen sales jump 113 percent from 2016 to 2025. “Thrift is a multi-billion-dollar industry and it’s only going up,” said John Scafe, national director at Legacy Thrift for seventeen years before retiring. He’s now the ad hoc regional manager for the Michigan stores and one in Indiana.
According to Capital One Shopping (capitaloneshopping.com), the U.S. secondhand market in 2025 (which includes thrift stores and secondhand sales) is worth about $56 billion, up more than 14 percent from 2024. Traditional thrift stores account for about 46 percent of the total secondhand market.
Thrift stores get their items via donations and are often nonprofit and support charities or social programs. Salvation Army’s eight thrift stores in West Michigan support the Adult Rehabilitation Center, a 180-day residential work/therapy program at no cost to qualified participants. Goodwill reinvests ninety cents of every dollar into its eight services and programs, including career training such as CNA certification, that support individuals facing barriers to employment, according to Eash.
Legacy Thrift supports ministries such as Bible League International, Unknown Nations, and Living Water. Individual stores support individual ministries. “We try to find and strategically support ministries that get God’s Word out into the world,” said Scafe. Prices are generally lower and quality can be inconsistent at thrift stores.
Resale stores are usually for-profit retail stores (brick-and-mortar or online) with higher prices on bought or consigned products. Think Gild the Lily in Rockford, Rock Paper Scissors Consignment Boutique, and Urban Exchange in Grand Rapids.
“I believe people are thrifting more because they want the economy of thrift. They save money,” said Major Ramona Arthur, administrator for business at Salvation Army. “A lot of people shop for retro or vintage items like a band T-shirt from the 1980s or a candy dish like Grandma’s.”
Arthur also points out that with the economy up and down and food prices up, “a customer can buy a pair of shoes worn three times, which means they can save that money and buy more food.”
For resellers like Carly Koster, thrift shopping was about making a little extra money. She frequented thrift stores looking mostly for high-end women’s clothing and shoes that she then sold on Poshmark. She did this for years when her children were young and her family did foster care.
She points to American Eagle, Abercrombie, Patagonia, Nike, Adidas, and footwear as selling well. Her biggest find was a vintage Coogi sweater she bought for $7.99 and sold for $350, though she says reselling is a lot of work. Each item sold must be purchased, cleaned, stored, listed, sold, and shipped, plus the research involved in staying up to date on trends and brands. Stores such as Goodwill have quick turnover, Koster calling it “a new store every week. There is constantly fresh inventory.”
Clothing is the biggest seller at thrift stores. According to the New York Post article “Budget-conscious Americans are thrifting in 2025” (nypost.com/2025/08/12/lifestyle/where-are-americans-thrifting-in-2025/), clothing purchases account for 71 percent, following by home décor at 45 percent, then home good, shoes, collectibles, and furniture (26 percent). Local thrift stores agree. At Legacy Thrift, clothing is top for sales; clothing is 50 percent or more of sales at Salvation Army, and women’s clothing is among the most popular at Goodwill, following by men’s and children’s clothing.
“The biggest thing that makes thrifting cool is that it allows you to create a home and/or wardrobe that is uniquely you while also benefitting your community and the planet,” said Eash of Goodwill of Greater Grand Rapids. “Thrifting is a great way for people to create a unique style that feels very curated and specific to them. And some people just really love the thrill of the hunt or the challenge of a DIY/upcycle project.”
Pointing to another reason thrifting is so popular: helping the planet. “Thrifting is cool now for the younger crowd because younger people are concerned about the economy and the ecology of the world,” said Arthur of Salvation Army. “We need to not put so much stuff in the dump that could be reused, not throw away things that could be used again.”
Eash adds, “Some people thrift because of the cost-savings involved. Others thrift because of their desire to give back, whether we’re talking about global sustainability or local impact. In 2024 alone we diverted over 20.3 million pounds from the landfill and served 2,158 individuals.”
Gone are the days of dark, dusty stores with junk strewn everywhere. Here are the days of well-lit and organized stores, curated content, e-commerce, and outlet stores. Salvation Army now has an e-commerce offshoot started in 2020 that sells higher-end items through eBay. Goodwill’s online platform (shopgoodwill.com) sells those high-end finds, with jewelry a high-performing category.
Stores are also selling to the customers they have. Salvation Army doesn’t sell furniture in Holland because no one buys it, but they sell furniture at the Northview store on Plainfield NE because the market it good. The Portage store sells a lot of the jewelry so most goes there. Goodwill has its wedding dress sale and other special sales.
And there’s the Outlet, or “the bins” as it’s called at Goodwill. Located on Prairie Street SW, the Outlet is full of unsold clothing, linens, shoes, and glassware filling large bins and sold by the pound. Other items are sold at big discounts. Salvation Army has its Buy the Pound Outlet inside it main store at 1491 Division Ave. where clothing and linens not sold in the stores are sold by the pound. Shoes are $3 a pair, and furniture is also for sale.
Staffing shortages keep the outlet store hours limited, but it will soon be open Wednesday-Saturday. Volunteer shortages are also a struggle for Legacy Thrift, which keeps it hours limited at certain stores. Also, according to Arthur at Salvation Army, donations are down perhaps because “people are keeping items longer.” Other thrift stores haven’t seen a decrease in donations, which keeps shelves and wracks filled and ever changing. And people keep coming in the doors.
“Gen Z and Millennials are especially impact-driven with their purchases,” said Eash, “and they also have the largest presence on social media so things like thrifting hauls and thrifting treasure hunts have not only given thrifting a ton of exposure, but they’ve helped change the public perception by giving it a ‘cool’ factor it hasn’t always had.”
Adds Scafe of Legacy Thrift, “The industry is exploding. People are finding great things at fractions on the dollar. Our country is so rich in products. We are so consumer driven and we waste a lot of money, but in our business that means we’re gaining a lot of things.”
To go on your own thrifting adventure, check out these thrift stores:
- The Acorn Resale Shop, 6780 Martin View St. NE. Donation-based resale shop helps children attend camp and classes at Camp Roger and Camp Scottie.
- New 2 You: An Upscale Resale Shop, 2929 29th SE. Supports Grand Rapids Christian Schools.
- Mel Trotter Ministries Thrift Stores, numerous locations. Proceeds help fund the programs of Mel Trotter Ministries. Look for clothing, furniture, and home décor.
- Mission India Super Thrift, 2146 Plainfield Ave NE. Proceeds support Mission India’s work to share the gospel of Jesus and plant churches.
- Rustic Market Thrift Store, 389 68th SE. Store proceeds go to patient care at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services through the Patient Assistance Fund.
