I need new pants!

Can someone please help us make a decision so I can buy new pants!

Eating locally has had its benefits for me in so many ways and has now manifested into my shrinking waist line. Which leads me to my current internal back and forth about where I can go to buy new clothing. Typically I would have hit the mall, riffling through the sales rack's at the back of stores for something cheap and cheerful. That convenience has now been removed while I attempt to live as locally as possible and I must seek alternatives to find new cloths. Here in Prince George that means used clothing. I am left with good old clothing swaps, Kijiji and a plethora of thrift stores as my friendly alternative to purchasing new goods. But even when I look at thrift stores I find issue with them. My favourite (featured in the photo's) in town has been Value Village because their selection is like no other, but did you know that Value Village is a for profit thrift store and worth $1.5 billion a year? That doesn't fit in with our local model but where do we draw the line. Salvation Army is also a chain store but is a non-for-profit like St. Vincent de Paul and many other charity thrift stores, should those count as local if they are charitable even though they are chains?

Why I buy second hand:
Buying used is good for your wallet saving you tons on the retail value of most clothing. Like a gorgeous tweed Michael Kors jacket I bought at Value Village for $25 that normally retails for $300.  It is also good for the planet to purchase second hand as it not only reduces the waste of that garment but also means less cloths need to be produced because of it. Not to mention most thrift stores donate portions of sales towards charities like St. Vincent de Paul in Prince George. My last and guiltless reason would be that I don't feel guilty about having too many cloths when I know they cost me less and went towards a good cause, this means you can have a more diverse closet and a higher turn over of your wardrobe.

So now I put it out there, best thrift shop suggestions?

Happy hunting,

Melanie

"I shop at thrift shops probably five times a week." -Macklemore