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“I spent most of my childhood attending private, conservative, religious schools that required uniforms or had strict dress codes. As a latina whose parents could barely afford the tuition at these schools, dress code requirements might be an ’equalizer,’ but I found it stifling. Intuitively I knew that ’fitting-in’ wasn’t going to be my mantra.
As the youngest of eight, it was rare I received new clothes. My next-oldest sibling was ten years older than me, so hand-me-downs also weren’t in the cards. My parents shopped at thrift stores (segundas) for everything from appliances and furniture. So, I learned to thrift from them.
My rebellion against school uniforms and fingertip-length skirt requirements seemed to inspire my skills for finding the needles in the haystack of other people’s discards. In high school and college, the dress code requirements subsided, and style opportunities opened up, which meant my thrifting skills also needed to level up.
Friends often admired my style, unaware that nearly all my clothes were thrifted, making their compliments even sweeter.
As a kid, in some ways clothing became both a method of self-expression and a shield of armor. This helped me in adapting to frequent moves with new schools and new friends.
As an adult, my thrifted style has continued to evolve. My body isn’t quite the shape I had when I danced ballet. I stopped coloring my hair in my fifties, and my concern about other people’s opinions has long given way to being comfortable in my own skin (or clothes, as it were). I encourage my customers to make bold style choices and to not be limited by the opinions of others, and love seeing them discover their unique style.
Often, people compliment my style but doubt they could pull it off. The truth is, they almost always can.
In all the times my customers have taken my advice and try a new clothing style, something bold, maybe even risky (for them), I’ve never had someone tell me it didn’t work, that they were insulted, or it otherwise failed.
I had a client who was a DJ, and she only wore black. She told me that she loved bright colors but thought she couldn’t wear them. I encouraged her to give it a try, so she purchased a number of brightly colored and patterned items. I was beaming when she messaged me some time later saying she’d tried wearing them and received numerous compliments from friends, family, and clients. That kind of feedback just makes my day.
Clothing, especially styles that push our boundaries of expression, has a unique ability to boost our confidence and bring out our true selves.
It may feel risky, but I challenge people to try it and continue to get positive feedback on how transformative it can be.
My first step into reselling was in 1990, when a friend who owned a resale consignment shop in Orange County, California offered me a small section of her store to sublet. During my seven years of reselling there, I gained a lot of experience and refined my thrifting, reselling, and styling skills.
We moved to San Diego some years later, to a neighborhood called Golden Hill, a name that reflected its glory in the late 1800s but not the run-down, discarded neighborhood it became a hundred years later. It was ripe for renewal by people who wanted to give it new life. We got involved with local artisans, makers, and clothing designers and soon found ourselves hosting artisan and reseller events in our home, which were fun, crazy, and way more successful than we ever expected.
The events eventually outgrew our home, so in 2010 I opened a retail shop called Make Good in our neighborhood, representing local artisans and reselling clothing. Our little store gained some recognition, including Best Retail Store by San Diego Magazine (2015), Best Retail Store by National Geographic (2015), winner of American Express Small Business Saturday retail store makeover (2015), and we were featured on Startup TV (2017). Due to health reasons, I had to close the shop in 2017, which was heartbreaking, but it opened the door to my next chapter – selling rescued clothing on Instagram and by appointment in my home. When the pandemic hit, it opened yet more doors of opportunity for me.
In 2020, we moved to Santa Barbara. Still in COVID lock-down, my online sales grew as I experimented with styling mannequins and posting to Instagram stories and reels, and eventually launched live sales, which I now host twice a week.
I love rescuing beautiful, quality, used clothing, much which would have otherwise ended up in a landfill. When rescuing clothing, key factors are quality, interesting patterns and colors, condition, and brands. I want to support brands that make quality clothing in sustainable ways that are good for people and the planet. I love finding well-made vintage pieces – re-homing them seems a privilege.
In my own style, I’m drawn to bold, colorful patterns, and mixing them in unexpected ways. On a rack they may clash, but when worn in the right way can result in exciting styles that surprise, and often defy definition.
I also love bold colors, interesting textures, and floral patterns. My childhood wasn’t great, but some of my favorite memories were spent in the outdoors. Maybe that’s why animal prints, especially leopard, are favorites of mine. It may be counterintuitive, but a good leopard print can serve as a wonderful neutral. It will go with almost anything.
My favorite brands include Maeve and Free People. From the 80s, I admire Alpert Nippon, Donna Karan, Versace and Vivienne Westwood. From the 90s, I favor Prada, Gaultier & Galliano, whose styles are often timeless.
Iris Apfel was a huge inspiration for me. She was a maximalist, an eclectic style maven whose look was wholly unique. Her style said a lot about the type of confident, individualistic person she was. The key to style is learning who you are, she said. That hits home for me.
Over the last fifty plus years, thrifting has changed dramatically. Decades ago, clothing was made to last. This meant fewer thrifted options, but once found, a good piece of clothing, when cared for, would last a long time. Today’s fast-fashion manufacturers have flooded the thrifted zone with cheap, poorly-made clothing meant to be worn a handful of times then discarded. Fortunately, thrifting is a skill I’ve refined over many years. Some people may wince at the challenge of digging through the lumps of coal to find the diamonds, but I truly enjoy it.
While it can be hard to find, there’s still great used clothing out there, for those willing and able to put the work into finding them.
My customers are usually busy professionals without the time to dig through thrift store racks, or lack access to decent thrift sources. I’m grateful they turn to me and allow me to help them save money and up their style game.
Prices at thrift stores are going up as well, the cause likely being supply-and-demand, as more people are buying used and many thrift stores are responding with higher prices. While some blame resellers, it’s more likely due to more people choosing to buy used instead of new, and that’s a good thing.
Still, an estimated 90% of donated clothing never makes it to someone’s closet and end up in a landfill.
My clients, many of whom never bought used before, often send me photos wearing the clothes they’ve purchased from me, proud of their bold, thrifted style. It warms my heart.
With the impending climate crisis and increased awareness of troubling environmental issues and irresponsible manufacturing practices, more people are opening up to the idea of used clothing. When people comment on my style, I usually tell them it’s all thrifted. After they get over their initial shock, it opens the door to a wider conversation about sustainability, occasionally converting people to giving thrifted and vintage a try.”
Follow Sophia on Instagram @makegood
Find with Gem
geometric sweater vest- beige brown cowboy boots
- patchwork maxi dress
- black Metallica t-shirt
- green vintage sundress
- tie skirt
- leopard print skirt
- orange suede jacket
- orange beret
- cropped fake fur coat
- black cowboy boots
- flutter sleeve dress
- plaid pants
- mustard yellow cardigan
- rose print fleece jacket
- tie dye mini dress
- purple fake fur coat
- Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirt
- Chingona
- light blue denim overall
- Missoni style shirt
- Alexander McQueen t-shirt
- afghan fur coat
- Aerosmith t-shirt