Credit: Rugrag.com

In a magnificent op-ed piece, Zahra Bolouri writes about secondhand American goods embraced by the impoverished people of Mozambique.

“It’s more than a market, it’s a celebration of color and humanity and the longing to be beautiful,” Bolouri writes. She too discovers a treasure within the piles: a pillowcase with linen-covered buttons.

Credit: Deidre Schoo for The New York Times

In a previous blog post California resident Mercedes Estevez calls the empire state out on its abysmal thrifting opportunities. Her advice to New Yorkers is to stick to department store clearance aisles.

Sarah Maslin Nir of the New York Times has a different experience.  As Nir sifts through last decades’s castoffs, she finds an Emilio Pucci mini dress.

“I caught my breath,” she writes. “It was $5.”

It is a true steal, but also a rare one. Nir says: “While you might not find Pucci perfection for a fiver on your first outing — or even your 10th — the hunt is half the fun.” For some, the hunt is an exhilarating experience, while others, like Estevez, may find it to be impractical and time-consuming.

For those unable to book flights to the West Coast for a more abundant selection of thrift, Nir links to a photo slideshow of favorable New York thrifting outlets.

Rent is Too Damn High Campaign (Theodorakis/News)

For those making $7.25 an hour, which is minimum wage (and nearly three times less), one would need to work 120 hours a week. In other words, it would be impossible.

But isn’t it assumed that many people pay more than 30% for housing costs, particularly students and post-grads? It is interesting to consider this when trying to understand the trends of shopping among different demographics in this metropolis.

Irina Gorelik

Irina Gorelik is a Staten Island resident who thrives on doodles and the handmade. She has trained her eye to recognize value in things that others find mundane.

“I once had a spool of thin green wire and thick gold wire,” she says. “I got the idea to spin the wire into a bird.” It is awkward and does not look like a commercial item—and she loves it for this reason.

This stitched-together aesthetic also comes through in Gorelik’s clothing choice.

“I love the handmade look,” she says. She finds it homey and comfortable.

“I shop at Buffalo Exchange sometimes and I love the Housing Works Cafe Bookstore,” she breathes. In places like this, Gorelik finds worn titles, such as A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Sweet ‘Stache: 50 Badass Mustaches and the Faces Who Sport Them.

Gorelik does not shop at thrift stores solely to conserve money, she says. “I’ll pick up something at the Gap or American Eagle if it fits my style.” She thinks that this is becoming more of a trend with larger corporations.

“They’re beginning to catch on with the current trends,” says Gorelik. “Young people don’t want to look sleek and gelled down. Stray threads are kind of nice. Who’s worried about fraying already frayed jeans?”

Gorelik lives in a middle class neighborhood in the New Dorp region of Staten Island while holding down a job at Starbucks and attending Hunter College full time. She is pursuing a B. A. in Psychology, but has no intention on discontinuing her artistic activities nor her frayed jeans policy once she graduates.

"Stressed is Desserts spelled backwards" is one piece of "homemade garbage" featured on Regretsy

Time Out New York writes about April Winchell’s new book, Regretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF, which is based on her blog of the same name which parodies the well-trafficked DIY site, Etsy.

“When you make coats for farm animals or wall art with masturbating dinosaurs, people aren’t going to find you with a keyword search,” writes Winchell, a comedian. Regretsy has actually gotten some of the questionable items sold, such as this Sexy Vampire Reusable Pad.

The Housing Works Cafe Bookstore will be hosting a Regretsy book-signing and auction on April 28th. The “art” are all donations and the proceeds will go directly to Housing Works.

Consignment stores want things that sell.

Masha Skreydel

As she browses through dresses at the Buffalo Exchange in Williamsburg, Masha Skreydel pauses to inspect a sun dress with slight frills at the sleeves. She pulls it from the rack nods at its multi-colored, speckled design. Spring is around the corner and she will not end the day without at least a week’s worth of spring outfits.

“I mostly shop at vintage and thrift stores,” she says, balancing her finds–a plaid skirt, a yellow tank top, a flowery tunic and the speckled sun dress. “It’s fun, the things that you’ll find.” She points at a pair of leopard print pants with her free hand.

To Skreydel, thrifting is a hobby and money is only a slight concern. “I think it might actually be an addiction,” she says. “I mean usually I do it with friends. I’m alone today only because I was bored.”

Working Men

Casey B. Mulligan of the New York Times shares some wisdom on the origins of the recession and the decrease in consumer spending and employment. It has been something of a chicken or egg question. Mulligan asks, “Was spending or the labor market the fundamental driver in this recession?” He ultimately concludes that decreased spending was likely a result of layoffs and hours cuts.

Image Courtesy of Arancia Project's Flickr

“We don’t have much to add, except a warning to get there early to have plenty of time to dig through Housing Works’ prodigious stacks (seriously, they took us down to their basement storage room once, and you have no idea how many gems they have). Today, they’re pushing their film, theatre, TV, and radio genres in vinyl, book, cd, and book form. There’s gotta be a Monty Python Flying Circus in there somewhere…”

- Leah Taylor

This sale is taking place all day today and tomorrow. Take advantage of the beautiful weather and give it a browse.

Also, here is a fine list of shopping outlets. Scroll to the bottom to find the Vintage, Thrift, & Resale section.