Well, well well, did you know today which is March 2nd is National Old Stuff Day I wonder if David is off this week if I could talk him into going to Canton Trade Days a Flea market full of old stuff to look through this week. Last week we went to Traders Village and I was able to get my steps in. So it’s time to get up and move again and Canton Trade Days is the perfect way to do that. Would you like to come with us?
National Old Stuff Day,, is the day when people across the Country clean out their closets and garages, rediscover old treasures, and declutter their lives. Just in time for spring cleaning, National Old Stuff Day is a great opportunity to devote a day to tend to your closet, garage, attic, and other cluttered spaces that don’t get a lot of attention. But you don’t have to stop at things you may want to change an old habit or try a new activity. Get creative with new ways to organize, appreciate, or get rid of ‘old stuff’ in your life!
HISTORY OF NATIONAL OLD STUFF DAY
Did you know second-hand shopping was popular in Elizabethan England, where desirable upper-class clothing could be purchased at one of hundreds of London’s resale shops. Which would allow people to save money because fashion changed quickly, and those with means purchased tailor-made garments or hired servants to make clothes for them.
Most Britons, however, couldn’t afford the luxury of new clothing and because clothing was meant to last, purchasing an outfit was a big investment. Second-hand shops served the majority of Londoners, who could buy up the clothes cast off by the upper classes. Clothing was sometimes sold multiple times, with garments getting cheaper as they became more patched and ratty. Nevertheless, having ready-made clothing available for a few pennies was a vast improvement over having to sew everything yourself.
Beginning in the early 20th Century, Christian nonprofits and charity organizations essentially invented a new business sector by linking charity to capitalism and commerce. Seeing the need for second-hand clothing and household items among the urban poor, progressive reformers used this as an opportunity to link used goods to charity and use sales to raise money for various causes.
Thrift Stores quickly wised up to consumer tastes, using department-store-like displays to reduce the stigma around used goods and encourage middle-class shoppers to patronize the stores. Slowly, Thrift Stores became a fixture of American culture as Americans gained increased access to mass-produced, disposable goods, Thrift Stores offered a way to assuage consumers’ guilt by justifying their purchases as charitable and frugal.
Thanks to the environmental movement, increased awareness of mass consumption, and the elevated popularity of thrift store shopping in pop culture, thrifting has become a fashionable hobby. The stigma around used goods has largely dissolved as ‘vintage’ replaced ‘secondhand’ and shoppers increasingly seek to reduce their consumption of new goods. Did you know that today, there are over 25,000 second-hand stores in the United States?
NATIONAL OLD STUFF DAY ACTIVITIES
- Even the most minimalist among us can benefit from taking a good look at our space and to keep from becoming overwhelmed start with the small things first like your desk and discard pens and paper you don’t need.
- When you’re ready to donate your old stuff, do it with purpose and pick specific causes you believe in to donate to for example, Dress for Success which collects suits for job interviews.
- I have a question for you. Do you have an unhealthy habit you’d like to change or a new habit you want to take up? Which could be a dietary change, a new hobby, or a new way of thinking then you should use today to set an intention and commit yourself to altering one habit over the next year.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THRIFT STORES
- Did you know around one in five Americans regularly shop at Thrift Stores, and many pride themselves on buying used and finding secondhand treasures.
- Our donated clothing may not always see a second life in fact, over 80% of second-hand clothing eventually ends up in landfills or incinerators. Can you help us stop this by shopping at a Thrift Store or two or even three.
- The Thrift Store industry makes a lot of money in 2014, and Goodwill Industries alone made more than $5 billion in sales..
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL OLD STUFF DAY
- Purchasing used helps you spend less and acquire interesting items you may not find elsewhere.
- Giving an old item a second (or third) life is a great way to avoid producing new things and using up precious resources.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
