Story by Naomi Wood, Photos by Jessica Livesay
This doll awaits to eat your soul inside of Denton Thrift.
Photo by Jessica Livesay
Thrifting isn’t something that started in our scrappy college years. We were born into the lifestyle of weekly hunting and gatherings of cheap goods. These habits might have been aided by watching our parents swan-diving in a dumpster behind Hobby Lobby at a young age, but we’ll leave that to the past. These days we're not always sure of the legality of dumpster diving, but thrifting is the next best thing. While thrifting might not quite be as dirty or cheap, it's normally just as fun.
Being a college town, Denton has a lot of curbside goodies when recent graduates skip town, but the real treasures lie inside our second-hand stores. However, like all towns, there are some shoddy places that you should steer clear of as well:
Thrift Here:
Twice as Nice is great if you're looking for more than just clothing. They have everything from furniture, used roller blades, linens, curtains and house wares. Don't fret, though. If you’re in the mood for scouring through their clothes, we think they have the best duds around. Their monthly calendar is super helpful, too. Every month they have things like 10 books, DVDs or Games for $2.00.
The Antique Stores over by Rose Costumes have several great thrift sections, each specializing in different things. You'll find lots of paintings and Anthropologie-esque furniture for way less than Anthropologie prices. We’ve also seen a lot of great random furniture pieces that look like 19th century props.
The cleverly named Thrift Store on Dallas drive is a bit on the pricey side, but has the best vintage furniture in town. If you’re looking for that one Victorian piece to complete your living room, or even just an antique side table, you'll be in luck here. If you’ve got a little extra dough to spend, check out their paintings section too.
While Rose Costumes is known for their plethora of unique costumes, they also have a great thrift section, that gets updated every weekend. It tends to move around the store from time to time, so ask the always-nice employees if you can't find it.
Ruth’s Room on University is the mecca for used books in town (besides Recycled). Their vintage sewing machines and furniture are always great quality (and hardly ever smell) keep us coming back for more.
Vintage baby shoes sit on a shelf in Ruth's Room off of University.
Photo by Jessica Livesay
Not Here:
Contrary to popular opinion, we happen to believe that Mini Mall 1 & 2 are completely overwhelming. They make us feel like Alice after she's gone down the rabbit hole. We have collected a few treasures from these sister stores on the square, but you’re more likely to find a bag’o beanie babies than a French impressionist Monet replica. The old military photos are cool, and if you’re looking for jade jewelry, you’re in the right place. But if you manage to leave the mini-malls without vertigo, you’re doing it right.
Goodwill - Because duh this place is corporate, and all donations fund the salary of mega-CEO owner Mark Curran. You’re better off donating and buying from the Salvation Army, which all proceeds go to Adult Rehabilitation Centers across America.
Plato’s Closet only caters to those who are interested in used women’s and men’s clothing that is of the Forever 21-genre. You’re better off just waiting for a 50% sale at Forever 21, if that's your bag.
Denton Thrift is hit or miss with their massive clothing selection, but it smells like diapers. Their sports and housewares section is pretty bare bones. Also, we've embarrassed ourselves many times with those pesky poled carts.
So that's our opinion on thrifting in town. Feel like we left something out or disagree with something we have to say? Let us know in the comments!