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- [00:00]
A
Foreign. You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Today is Groundhog Day and that's a good thing. In today's fashion world, items are getting a second, third or even a fourth time spin. With the increased interest in thrifting, secondhand stores have become hugely popular and the vintage industry it's thriving. Journalist Emmy Sto, Emily Stokel has been on this beat before it was having a moment. She's the host of the podcast Pre Loved where she looks at the business of secondhand sales and at thrift vintage Raj retro and sustainable fashion space spaces. Did I get that right? It's pretty good. Her podcast is dropping a new season this week and we're glad to have her back in studio to look at what happened in 2025 and what we might experience in 2026. It's good to see you Emily.
- [00:54]
B
It's good to see you too, listeners.
- [00:56]
A
We want to hear from you. We're so what have you found at a vintage store that you love? Did you have a favorite vintage store in New York City? And tell us why? What's the best secondhand store you've ever been to anywhere? And do you have a tip that you would like to share? Our number is 2124-3396-9221-2433 wnyc. You can call in and you can join us on air or you can text to us at that number as well. 212-433-9692. How would you describe the business of thrifting in 2025?
- [01:31]
B
Bigger than ever before. It's just so wonderful to see something that really stands out to me. I was trying to think of one word that summed up the business of secondhand in 2025 and the word that came to mind to me was collaboration. Really being a highlight of the year. I saw so many multi vendor vintage collectives, even a few great ones here in New York City, launching new vintage markets. We even had the first ever National Vintage Store Day. Think like Indie Bookstore Day or Record Store Day. That happened in May and it's going to be an annual celebration, but vintage dealers coming together to talk about why we all love this and why it's so great to shop secondhand and shop local small businesses.
- [02:12]
A
What has changed the most about thrifting in 2025?
- [02:17]
B
I think probably that more people than ever before were doing it. I think if I looked back about 10 years ago, it was maybe a more indie, quirky, arty kids like me, certainly even Further before that, but now everyone seems to be interested in shopping secondhand. Fashion lovers, really true trendsetters and tastemakers, they're all looking to vintage pieces, which I think is so great to see.
- [02:44]
A
I wanted to touch on this first before we get more into the conversation. You recently had a piece go viral from your substack and it was picked up by a magazine about how secondhand stores and vintage stores have become community hubs in Minneapolis. Tell us a little bit more about that.
- [03:01]
B
Yes. So I have a lot of wonderful friends who are vintage dealers in Minneapolis. And of course, with the ongoing ice occupation of the city, I have been thinking of them every day. And what I've been seeing happening in Minneapolis is dealers transforming their stores into mutual aid centers, places where they can collect donations for people, supplies for people who, neighbors who are truly afraid to leave their homes at this time. And I think that really illustrates how vintage shops are so integral to their local neighborhoods. They're talking to neighbors and customers who come in all the time. They have this built in infrastructure to be able to tap people into resources and what's happening in the community. And I think that's such a wonderful reminder of the role that small shops play in our local communities and the importance of supporting them. Especially the importance of supporting wonderful shops. Doing this great work in Minneapolis, we're.
- [04:03]
A
Talking with journalist and host of the Pre Loved podcast, Emily Stokel. Listeners, we want to hear from you. What did you find at a vintage store that you love? Do you have a favorite vintage store that you like to go to? Tell us why? What's the best secondhand store that you've ever been to? It doesn't have to be in our area. Our number is 2124-3396-9221-2433 wnyc. Our phone lines have lit up. Let's talk to Layla from Montc. Hi, Layla, thanks for calling, all of it.
- [04:33]
C
Hi. My favorite thrifting piece would be this like teal juicy couture zip up that my mom got for me from depop. It's so cute and it just goes with every single outfit that I own. I love it.
- [04:47]
A
Thank you so much for calling. Let's talk to Sydney who's calling us from Brooklyn. Hey, Sydney, what's going on in Brooklyn?
- [04:55]
C
Hey, not too much. The thrifting's great around here. But my favorite thrift store store is Market Street Mission in Morristown, New Jersey. They have locals that work there. A lot of the items are from the 80s and 90s. It's very rare to find something from kind of this time period. The upstairs is primarily from like the 60s and 70s. It's a very small place, but amazing people, amazing finds. I've gotten a Prada bag there for like $35 and a couple of Juicy suits and I love it there.
- [05:30]
A
Thanks for calling. Second time for Juicy. Let's talk to Lisa in Westfield. Hi, Lisa. Thanks for calling all of it.
- [05:38]
C
Hi. I love this topic. Thrift stores are right up my alley. I find it a treasure hunt. I look at it as a treasure hunt. I can't tell you how many great things I've gotten from my home and clothing. But the continual thing that I buy there are toys and books for my grandchildren and I can go and get them for next to nothing as they grow out of them. Donate them back to the same place, go buy more toys as they grow out. It is the perfect place for children's toys, puzzles, games, books. And this year I got on for myself. I got two designer winter coats. And so I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. I love thrift shops. I go to one called Unique in Union, New Jersey.
- [06:29]
A
You've got it. You've hit it all different levels. Thank you so much for calling in. That was interesting, her saying that she got two winter coats, vintage winter coats. Why is that a big deal?
- [06:41]
B
Well, vintage winter coats are just made so much better than winter coats that are made today. You know, it's so funny. I was just at Manhattan Vintage this weekend, which is a vintage show that happens in the city about three or four times a year. They've started to launch some specialty shows where they do vintage jewelry and denim and home decor. But yesterday at the show, what I noticed was people buying so many vintage coats. I mean, it's freezing, so I understand. But particularly I saw a lot of people even buying vintage furs. And that's interesting to me because of course, I would never buy a new fur. But to reuse something that has been around and really will keep you warm, I think that I was seeing a lot of people gravitating toward those. So just a little pro tip. If grandma or great aunt has a vintage fur sitting in the co coat closet that no one has reached for for a while, it really can be a great, very warm option this winter.
- [07:42]
A
You wrote about some predictions for 2026 on your substack. Let's go through a few of them. You wrote curation is king. You wrote that most secondhand shoppers are seeking clarity over clutter. What's an example of this.
- [07:57]
B
Yeah. I think that when secondhand shopping first started to become something that the mass, masses of people were adopting, there was this kind of like more is more era. We were, you know, looking to pick up as much as we could for a great deal. And of course that still exists, but I think now people are getting a little bit more intentional about what they're buying and they're wanting to find things that are picked out especially for them. I think part of this comes from how TikTok algorithm and the for you page has trained us to expect things to be served up especially for us. But I think small curated vintage shops really excel at this. And I love when I can walk into a place and I'm like, oh, this is so me. I know I'm going to find something great in here.
- [08:44]
A
So you know what the vibe of the place.
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B
Exactly.
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A
Whether it's a vintage handbag place or if it's only a 60s kind of place, the vibe is important. Yes.
- [08:53]
B
And I think those are the kinds of places that are really, really thriving right now.
- [08:57]
A
Oh my gosh, we got so many texts. Let's go. Okay. My favorite place to pick through clothing is American Thrift Warehouse in Passaic, New Jersey. A couple weeks ago, I picked up a mint condition pair of Sergio Valenti jeans from the very early 80s. I couldn't afford them in high school, but I only paid 7.99 and they fit great. This one is Bedford Galleries and Bed Sty. Best furniture in the city. Purchased these gorgeous chairs that were built for life. Made in the US That I'd never be able to afford new. My favorite thrifted item is a pair of new Steve Madden boots that I got for 10 bucks because the zipper was stuck, stuck. I just soaked it and it was perfect. I wore them every day and love them so much that I went on ebay and found another pair. When the first pair wore out, my son didn't know I'd done that, so he also got me a pair on ebay. So now I have three pairs that will last me for years. That's a great story. Another era thing that we should be looking at, according to your list is gatekeeping is back. First of all, what did you mean by gatekeeping?
- [10:03]
B
Right. So I think with social media, we kind of went into this era of like share everything online, people linking to their outfits and I think we're starting to see a rejection of that. People wanting to maybe be more personal with their personal style. I think with the Internet and with influencers on social media, Media, we're seeing a lot of the same thing all the time. And the true style tastemakers that people really look up to are the people who have one of a kind finds. And oftentimes that's vintage. I actually saw this quote going viral on Substack recently, which made me think of this for the trend piece, which was, if you can link to everything that's in your closet, you really need to be buying more vintage. And that just, that just sums it up right there. Like, if you want your personal style to be so unique that no one else can find it, vintage truly is.
- [10:53]
A
The way, let's say you're going to a vintage store. It's sort of, sort of the antidote to all things digital. It's like a real analog experience. What do people get when they go to a vintage store and they're looking through racks? How they know, why is it worthwhile for them to do this when they can go online and just sort of search it out or they can go in person?
- [11:17]
B
Yeah, the collars will have to tell us, but I love an in person hunt through the racks. I like to be able to touch things and see the qual of the pieces and try it on. I also really love to talk to other people in the store. I love when there's a good story that comes along with the piece. And, you know, vintage store owners just have some of the best stories in the world. That's why I've interviewed so many of them for my show. But I just think nothing beats, like you said, that analog experience of being in a vintage store and getting to experience it all.
- [11:50]
A
Let's take some more calls. Let's talk to Megan in Hastings on Hudson. Hi, Megan, thanks for taking the time to call, all of it.
- [11:59]
C
Hi, thanks for having me. My neighbor was just texting, was like, you have to get on the show. We live in Hastings on Hudson, and I help run a nonprofit thrift store here. We pop up the first Saturday of the month at our local community center, take donations, sell them back, and all the money goes to the Hastings Food Pantry. It's a really fun project, and we're really looking to spread the word because clothes are, you know, endless, and we should keep everything local and we keep prices really, really low so that everybody can afford clothes.
- [12:29]
A
That's a great, great service you're providing. And it's back to what you were saying, Emily, about the stores becoming community hubs and how important community is. Let's talk to Rita from Congers, New York. Hey, Rita, what's up?
- [12:44]
C
Hey. Hello. I volunteer at Angel's Attic in New City, New York. It's a nonprofit run by the United Methodist Church of New City. Our thrift shop is a place of, I think, gathering of volunteers, customers and donors. We see often same faces over and over again. Our prices are the lowest in Rockland county and we, you know, provide a service. We have a lot of immigrant people in neighboring neighborhoods have a straw Spring Valley and people are able to buy things, warm coats and clothing that they wouldn't have been able to otherwise.
- [13:40]
A
Thanks so much for calling in. Did you want to respond to any of our callers?
- [13:43]
B
Well, I just think that's so beautiful to hear about these community thrift shops that everyone is running. I think that what you are providing to your community is such a valuable service, a place where people can connect and we can recirculate things. And it's just a reminder that everything we could ever need is is right there in our local neighborhoods.
- [14:05]
A
Listeners, we want to hear from you. What did you find at a vintage store that you love? Do you have a favorite vintage store? Tell us why? Our Phone number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. My guest is journalist and host of the Pre Loved podcast, Emily. After the break, we'll hear why the T shirt bubble might burst. You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. My guest is journalist and the host of the Pre Loved podcast, Emily Stoeckle. We're talking about all things thrifting, secondhand, vintage, whatever you want to call it. On your list of predictions for 2026, you wrote the T shirt bubble will burst. What kind of T shirts are we talking about?
- [15:00]
B
So these are largely vintage band tees that if you've ever been to the Goodwill bins, for example, this is like the Goodwill outlet stores where all the clothes come rolling out in bins. You'll see what I kind of cheekily refer to as the Bins Bros, the young teenage boys who are digging through the bins looking for all the vintage bandies that they can find. And those tees have really started to fetch crazy prices online. Hundreds and hundreds of dollars, sometimes even thousands of dollars for rare ones. But I think as with everything, you know, we've seen this with sneakers before. Now with T shirts, we're probably starting to see the ceiling of what some of those things are able to fetch. That being said, if you have vintage mantis from the 90s hanging out in the back of your drawer. Doesn't matter how ripped up, torn up they are, now might be the time to be pull them out and see if you can move them.
- [15:54]
A
You also mentioned the rise of the shrewd consumer. What are consumers looking for when they are buying something?
- [16:03]
B
So I think this goes back to how we were talking about. People are being more thoughtful about their shopping. They're thinking about the cost per wear of a piece, so they're taking the price of the item and thinking about not necessarily, oh, I have to get the cheapest, cheapest, cheapest deal for everything. But is this piece something that I'm going to wear over and over again and get lots of use out of? I think people are thinking about clothing quality more than ever before and looking for higher quality pieces, especially as we're seeing a huge decline in big fashion brands, fast fashion brands, as the quality of that clothing declines. I think we're just seeing secondhand clothing. You know, they don't make it like they used to becoming all that more the most desirable choice.
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A
Yeah. You wrote about a bag on Instagram where these people unbox this new bag and all the comments were had a lot to say. Will you share those with us?
- [16:59]
B
Yeah, absolutely. So I saw this video of an influencer and they were unboxing a bag that a big new luxury brand had sent them. Maybe I won't name the bag, you don't have to spill the tea on the brand on the air. But they opened the bag and the zipper popped right off.
- [17:20]
A
Brand new bag out of the box.
- [17:22]
B
And then this is the craziest part, the brand sent the influencer another bag to replace it and it broke again. And this really started such a conversation online. People were really chattering about this, how the quality of brands, even luxury brands has declined so, so much. And I think in reaction to that, we're seeing a lot of people choose vintage instead. You know, if you're shopping a, say you're shopping a vintage Chanel bag, for example, those vint bags are made with 24 karat gold plated hardware on them as opposed to something that you get new where the quality of the bags just doesn't match up.
- [18:04]
A
Yeah, people are like, oh, you should have bought vintage. You're gonna spend that kind of money?
- [18:08]
B
Exactly, why not?
- [18:10]
A
Could you give us just an example of something that people could look for in a piece of clothing in a store to tell that it's good quality?
- [18:17]
B
I think you should really turn it inside out and take a look at the seams. And I think this is kind of a you'll know it when you see it thing. But if you're looking at say, a sturdy pair of denim or a really nice vintage blazer, you're going to see that those seams are meant to last and that they're going to hold up well. I think some of this you can learn really by touching and feeling the clothes, you can tell that something feels like it's quality and it's made to last. And when you compare it to fast passion pieces, it's just not going to feel as heavy, as durable. And I think eventually once you start to notice those things, there's just no reason why you would ever go back.
- [18:57]
A
This is a good text. Whenever I travel, instead of buying souvenirs, I make it a point to go to local thrift secondhand shops and find a piece, a sweater coat From Paris, a 60s styles dress from Stockholm, and the list goes on. On that way, anytime I wear whatever I've gotten, I get to remember that trip in a very special way. Let's talk to Laura. Hi Laura, thanks for calling, all of it.
- [19:23]
C
Hi, thanks for having me.
- [19:25]
A
Tell us what you bought.
- [19:28]
C
Well, I have just today I'm wearing a beautiful peach silk sweater and a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans for less than $10 that I got at the thrift shop that I volunteer at in Wiblaw in the Bronx, St. Stephen's we've been around since 1994.
- [19:48]
A
Thanks so much for calling in. Let's talk to Erin in West Orange. Hi Erin, thanks for calling all of it.
- [19:53]
C
Oh, hello. Hi. Thanks for taking my call. I just wanted to say there are just so many things I love about vintage shopping and I've been doing it for 30 years. From the most, you know, unique, special finds like black cowboy boots from the 1970s or a beautiful silk lined faux fur black and purple coat to recently a Liz Claiborne alligator skin purse that's shiny and black and just really interesting. And my favorite part, I think about it is that it feels like a dopamine hit to my brain. I love the part where I get to forage and like kind of search and explore. I feel like, kind of like an archaeologist. And then when you find the animal thing, it is such, it is such a thrill and I just love it so much and I'm passing it along to my 13 year old.
- [20:55]
A
Aw, that's a great story. Thank you so much for calling in. All right. You're a journalist, Emily. You had to find something in the story which didn't necessarily bode so well, and one of your predictions was sustainability is at a stalemate. It's reported that the reason people buy thrifted is it necessarily tied to being good for the planet? Was it ever good for the planet? Did it switch what happened there?
- [21:22]
B
Yeah, I know. I hate to read that as well, too. We've seen all of these consumer reports coming out over the years that despite the fact that more and more people are shopping secondhand than ever, we're still seeing more and more clothing being produced than ever before. And so I think what's happening here is it's not that secondhand shopping has become any less sustainable. It is just inherently the sustainable choice. But I think what we're seeing is people kind of changing the reason why they're choosing secondhand shopping. And so my word of advice to vintage sellers is to think about that marketing. So instead of shop second hand to save the planet, talking about that value for money, the quality of the pieces, the uniqueness, and then the sustainability, I think we're seeing customers a lot of times think of that as a bonus, like a gift with purchase. But that doesn't mean that it's any less of a sustainable choice, just that I think we're probably going to start seeing kind of a marketing shift as the world of secondhand reaches that kind of mass saturation point. It's still always going to be a rejection of fast fashion, a rejection of big fashion. But we're sort of coming to this point where now that secondhand secondhand is like more and more people's first choice, we have to change the way that we talk about it a little bit.
- [22:52]
A
Your podcast, you have done over 300 episodes of your podcast. When did you start?
- [22:59]
B
I started doing the podcast in late 2018. So I'm coming up on. Is that eight years.
- [23:08]
A
That's amazing. And it's changed over time. You've interviewed people who are in the business who have started their own stores. But then you also interviewed the chief sustainability officer of ebay. How has almost like your guest list changed over the eight years?
- [23:27]
B
Yeah, I mean, the thing about this show and doing it for so long is I'm never gonna run out of wonderful people to talk about because there's always something new happening in the world of secondhand and interesting characters and fabulous stories to tell. I loved being able to do that episode with the chief sustainability officer at ebay. Cause again, going to this point about sustainability, we have a real way of making this industry more inherently sustainable. So in that episode with ebay, we had a lot of conversations about ways that they can build more sustainable infrastructures, better shipping methods, and big platforms that have a lot of reach and power, like ebay, have the ability to do that, which is going to make the secondhand industry even more sustainable for all of the small dealers out there. So I think something that I'm seeing in this space is secondhand fashion just kind of reaching this, like, maturation point, this point where, like I said, more people than ever before are choosing to shop secondhand for a wider variety of reasons.
- [24:39]
A
Excuse me. Let's talk to Rachel on the Upper west side. Hey, Rachel, you got a minute?
- [24:44]
C
Yes. Can you hear me?
- [24:46]
A
Yep. You got one minute.
- [24:48]
C
Okay. I used to live on West 78th Street. There was a Goodwill store on West 79th street, which every three or four weeks got the clothing from a soap opera from ABC TV. I don't remember the name of the soap opera, but there were clothes from an exotic character called Delilah, which I looked for and got many of. And they were all worn only once. And they were very unique, one of a kind clothes. And I still have a jacket and a bathrobe from that time. That's 15 years ago.
- [25:28]
A
Such a good story. Thanks for sharing it. We've got about a minute left. Anything you want to share with folks?
- [25:33]
B
Well, I just wanted to say when I first moved to the city, the housing works on the Upper west side was one of my favorite places to shop. And there are so many wonderful housing works shops throughout New York City. But that is definitely one where I have scored some fines over the years, that's for sure.
- [25:51]
A
I'm wearing this for you. Are you 1992 Anna sue jacket? Just saying. My guest is Emily Stokel. You should listen to her podcast, the Pre loved podcast. Her substack is great as well. Thank you for coming in.
- [26:05]
B
Thank you for having me.
- [26:07]
A
And that is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart. I appreciate you listening and I appreciate it. Appreciate you. I'll meet you back here next time. This is Ira Flato, host of Science Friday. For over 30 years, the science Friday team has been reporting high quality science and technology news, making science fun for curious people by covering everything from the outer reaches of space to the rapidly changing world of AI to the tiniest microbes in our bodies. Audiences trust our show because they know we're driven by a mission to inform and serve listeners first and foremost with important news they won't get anywhere else. And our sponsors benefit from that halo effect. For more information on becoming a sponsor, visit sponsorship wnyc. Org.