Cheaper prices and unique gifts are encouraging Cypress College students to shop at local thrift stores this holiday season.
There are all kinds of thrift and trinket shops in Cypress as well as in neighboring cities. These stores can provide unique one-of-a-kind gifts to anyone on any naughty or nice list.
Thrifting is becoming a popular trend in southern California. According to Narts.org thrift store growth and popularity has been up 7 percent for the past two years. The prices are cheap and every store has something different and creative. Stores like Goodwill are a particularly good choice for parents and people shopping for young children. A lot of toys, games, and other child-friendly things are donated to them and they fix them up and resale them for a good deal.
“All year about the same amount of people come in,” said Jasmine Branch, 22, a Goodwill employee. “They might think our products are used and gross, but the majority of stuff we sell is new.”
Branch has suggested to management to have their store, as well as other thrift stores, market more so that people are aware that they exist.
If students want to try thrifting, there is a Goodwill store on E. Wardlow Road in Long Beach. The store is only a couple of miles away from Cypress College. There is also a thrift store called Grateful Hearts on Cerritos avenue in Los Alamitos, Ca. Students can also type “thrift stores near me” in any internet search engine where a list of local thrift stores will appear.
Students especially are rethinking the way they shop and are taking more consideration into how much they spend on everything. Michael Williams, 25, a local thrifter, wants to get every “bang for his buck” every time he goes shopping for himself or others.
“I do a lot of thrifting,” said Williams. “There’s a lot of quality and detail in thrift stores, you just have to look.”
Raychelle Gibson, 29, mother and part-time student, has a different reason. “I’d rather help the little guys out than give any more money to big corporations,” she said.
Whether students and residents want to save a buck or support local ‘mom and pop’ businesses, thrift shopping is worth a try.
