It’s Sunday morning, 11 a.m., and you’re sweatily sandwiched between the button-downs and graphic tees at Salvation Army, arms about to give out from the haul of the last two hours. The battle has been treacherous, but nonetheless, you emerge victorious, holding a musty dusty pair of vintage Y2K low-rise Levi’s you just wrestled out of the arms of a person in the denim aisle.
Thrifting is an art that requires honed skill, patience, stamina, and, on rare occasions, the utilization of blunt force. SUNY New Paltz may not be home to Ivy-League level athletics, but our student body is composed of D1 competitors when it comes to thrifting.
The options available in the itty bitty hamlet of New Paltz are scarce but make for competitive tournaments when the weekend rolls around. One of the only – and thus most popular – options in town is the Salvation Army. Located at 61 Chestnut St., you’re bound to find a rowdy crew of thrifty girlies hungry for blood and deadstock 90s baby tees on any given Saturday. By the time you’re finished tearing through the racks, you’ll be sweaty, dehydrated and likely caked in dirt.
If you swing by Twice Blessed Thrift, located in the church of the same name, you’re more guaranteed to sink rather than swim with the limited inventory. However, it’s worth a thorough sift if your head is in the game.
Directly next to Salvation Army down a dirt path is another tiny church thrift shop, where the chances of victory are even slimmer with their bizarre hours of operation; nonetheless, if you wanna take your thrifting career all the way, digging in the darkest of corners is a necessity.