Nothing beats the feeling of coming home and telling everyone ‘you’ll never guess how much I paid for this’,” says avid thrift store shopper, Vanessa Osterroht.
In fact she loves thrifting so much that she even started her own online thrift store as a side hustle.
“I started my own clothing thrift store at the beginning of lockdown as a side hustle. It has been so rewarding to change people’s minds about second hand clothes, and seeing them realise the difference in pricing. You’re saving up to 70% on clothing when you thrift,” said the Umgeni Park resident.
Thrifting really took off for Osterroht in 2009 after she moved out of her parents house and realised she needed to save a few bucks. She also says thrifting is her way of being more friendly towards the environment as carbon emissions from textile factories are destroying the planet.
“My mother is incredibly thrifty, and I learnt how to hunt for gems from her. “Bonnie’s Best Buys” had nothing on my mother growing up,” she said.
“I think there’s more to thrifting than just saving money. Things made these days aren’t of the same quality that our parents and grandparents had access to. Our world is filled with fast fashion and fast furniture. We change our styles constantly so changing our wardrobe or our home decor means nothing. Things aren’t built to last because of that,” she said.
She said ‘fast’ fashion and decor are creating one of the single biggest problems our world has.
“Clothes end up in landfills and the clothing and textile industry create an enormous amount of chemical pollution and increase carbon emissions,” she said.
“Imagine what life will be like in 30 years time if we continue on this way? It’s totally unsustainable, and if we’re not all in this together, we’re not going to get it right. We cannot waste our precious resources because there is no “undo” button once we’ve gone too far,” she added.
The first item Osterroht purchased from a thrift store was a thick-stemmed crystal vase from the SPCA.
“I paid R20 for it. I couldn’t believed they didn’t realise it was crystal,” she said.
The most expensive item she purchased is her 1970’s Teak Wood lounge set. The entire set cost R5000 but Osterroht says she knows it is worth much more now.
Osterroht said her most prized possession is a South African Naval Blazer.
“The big gold buttons are glorious and the patches sewn on the arm have always made me feel proud to wear it. I hope the good Sir to whom it belonged to doesn’t mind me wearing it and knows that it’s being taken exceptional care of. It’s made me loads of friends along the way, as the chaps who recognise the badge always have a story or two for me,” said Osterroht.
She said apart from being easy on the wallet and so great for the environment, thrifting shows you who you are as a person.
“I honestly can’t remember the last time I purchased something from a department store apart from underwear and shoes. You will never catch me paying R500 for a top. It’s the absolute best. You have to try it,” added Osterroht.
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