Depending on whom you ask, thrift store shopping is either a thrilling exploration to find treasures untold, or it’s a huge, time-sucking pain in the ass to locate one good vintage t-shirt. Thriftonista, a new Denver company, subscribes to both world views. TaRosa Jacobs and Rebekah Adams, two new mothers who met in their home birthing class, started Thriftonista because they love to shop, but realized that not everybody else has the patience for it.
Using their MySpace page and their blog, the pair have created an online clearinghouse for the hundreds of unusual vintage pieces they continually find at estate sales and thrift stores. Once they clean up the clothing, they post photos of a model wearing the pieces, along with a negotiable asking price (the current prices range from around $15 to $65). A customer makes an order, and Jacobs and Adams ship it out with brownies, cookies, or a package of fresh kettle corn.
Since the pair is continually on the prowl for vintage pieces, Jacobs and Adams also offer up another service for the fashionably busy. If there is a particular item that a customer has in mind—say, a leather jacket circa 1980—they will look for it as they make their rounds. Kind of like a personal shopper, but without the expense of actually hiring a personal shopper. Jacobs also goes the extra step with her fledgling business by reaching out to hundreds of would-be thriftonistas over MySpace. That’s how I found out about her. But—mushiness alert!—the best part of Thriftonista is just how nice these women are, and how much they want you to find a item that you’ll not only like, but adore. Warm cuddlies over pit stained t-shirts? The Cat’s Pajamas will take that any day. -- Naomi Zeveloff
