A vintage store has opened in a popular Washington, D.C., neighborhood, making it the District's latest retro retailer as U.S. consumers dedicate more of their budgets to resale holiday gifts.
Garlic Girl Vintage had its grand opening at 1830 Columbia Road NW in the city’s Adams Morgan neighborhood, selling glassware, candle holders, kitchenware, reworked plant vessels, costume jewelry and more. The brick-and-mortar spot follows Vintage Vintage Vintage, a store opened this fall in a former bank at 1348 Fourth St. NE near Union Market.
The roughly 1,100-square-foot space for Garlic Girl is opening during a cultural shift to “circular shopping,” or the purchase of pre-owned goods that typically cost less than when the items were new. The trend comes as consumer confidence dropped to its lowest point since April, according to the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index for November survey released Tuesday.
Consumers plan to allocate nearly 40% of their holiday spending to secondhand gifts, according to a report this fall by Oakland, California-based ThredUp, one of the largest online resale platforms for apparel, shoes and accessories. The study was conducted by GlobalData via a survey of 2,000 consumers. It’s a jump from the 30% shoppers typically spend on resale in their everyday shopping, the report said.
With savings front of mind for more shoppers, some vintage and thrift store chains offer Black Friday deals. Buffalo Exchange offers clothes, shoes and accessories for 75% off at some locations this month, and some Goodwill locations also have a Black Friday discount.
Garlic Girl "is curated with small living spaces in mind,” owner Vanessa Pius said in a statement to CoStar News. “Whether you’re taking your treasures home on foot, the bus, or a rideshare, we’re here to help the people who want their homes to feel fun and personal.”
One of the top reasons for turning to resale finds is saving money and getting better value, but thrifting can be more than that, ThredUp notes.
“Secondhand gifting isn't just about saving money; it's emotional," Kristen Brophy, ThredUp's senior vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "It allows you to find something truly unique or nostalgic that carries a story, which often means more to someone than a brand-new item. Consumers are finding that the best gift doesn't have to be new, it just has to be special.”
Overall, this year's holiday season is expected to break spending records, even as purveyors of low-cost items grow.
For the first time, spending is projected to surpass $1 trillion, according to the National Retail Federation. And 186.9 million people are planning to shop during the Black Friday weekend, another record.