Molly Gregory walks into the Salvation Army in Strongsville, Ohio, and starts to feel a bit overwhelmed by the cluttered racks and heaping piles of used clothing.

She takes a few laps around the large, organized and trendy store to calm herself and get a feel for where her favorited items are located.

After finding the perfect piece of clothing, it motivates her to keep looking for her next treasure.

Gregory feels the excitement as her cart fills up with thrifting treasures, and as she leaves with a good haul she immediately looks forward to her next thrifting experience.

Gregory, a sophomore economic and business analytics major at AU, is part of a growing trend of college students thrifting for their wardrobe and upcycling clothes where they can. Gregory said thrifting is popular because it is sustainable for the environment, an affordable option for purchasing clothes and a great way to find those vintage pieces that are coming back into style.

Thrift store shopping, or thrifting as it’s called, has been a trend for the last few years, but has recently been on the rise, especially among students here at Ashland University. 

“My favorite thing about thrifting is finding pieces that are coming back to life,” Victoria Keller, a senior intervention and education major at AU, said.

Keller has her own business called “Thriftnthrivin” where she goes to different thrift stores around the area and finds trendy clothing pieces to resell on her business Instagram account. 

“I started finding stuff that maybe didn’t fit me, but I would think, ““I know so and so would love this,”” Keller said. She has been running “Thriftnthrivin” for three years and has sold to people all over the United States and six countries.

Although Keller mainly thrifts for her business, there are also many AU students who go thrifting for themselves. Gregory is a good example of this because she buys most of her clothing from second hand stores or from sustainable companies she said.

“I have been thrifting for at least three years,” Gregory said. “I can get unique pieces that fit my style, which is ‘vintagy,’ for cheap; it also helps the environment. It hits all the boxes,” she said. 

Both Keller and Gregory said there are many thrifting tips to help beginners who are looking to start second hand shopping. 

“Go through every section, go with a friend, make it fun, do not put a time limit on things, have an open mind, don’t be afraid to try on pieces,” Keller said. 

Gregory also suggested making a pinterest board and “pinning” all of the clothing pieces one would want to find at the thrift store. Taking a look at the pinterest board before going thrifting will help keep them in mind while shopping, she said.

“Take your time, expect to spend a lot of time there, try stuff on,” Gregory said.

Adelyn Coder, a junior fashion merchandising major, Coder said the Ashland University fashion show this spring may incorporate some second hand clothing pieces. 

“Instead of going out and buying fabrics, maybe we could go to Goodwill and upcycle the clothing and make it into a new garment,” she said. 

Upcycling has been a rising trend. Many people purchase clothes from thrift stores and transform them into a different piece of clothing and add their own twist, Coder said. 

“I am not a thrifter personally. I use the clothes in my wardrobe and cycle them through,” Coder said. 

There are plenty of thrift stores around Ashland University including Goodwill in Ashland and Volunteers of America in Mansfield if one is looking to begin their thrifting journey. 

“We thrift so much and so many people our age are huge consumers. I want to encourage people to donate or resell old clothes because they will go to someone else’s closet and become a part of the cycle,” Keller said.