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Thrift Town
"Anything you can imagine, I've probably found it at Thrift town. Silver-sequined dresses, red galoshes, Mickey Mouse pants - you name it!"
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to this Commentary!
By Lauryn Silverman
Thrift Town is not just any old used clothing store, it's THE used clothing store. The greatest in the world! As soon as we get there, the shopping adrenaline starts to flow, and our thrift binge begins.
Lauryn and Emily (on tape)
Oooh, that's really cute! Take it down. It's so cute! What does it say? "Little Folks Gospel Productions"? So cute. It'll fit, it'll fit.
A lot of the shirts say things on them. So we have to choose the ones that say something we want to wear on ourselves. And it's usually not Guess or Nike. Honestly, I could shop at stores like Urban Outfitters or Abercrombie and Fitch. But I feel better about spending my money at Thrift Town than at some chain store, and it's more fun.
EMILY (on tape)
Oh yes. Cowboy boots. That's so cute. 5 inch heels…
Blue suede with pink! Oh my god, wait! Hell no, they don't fit. They're $6, that's actually kinda expensive Thrift Town-wise…
LAURYN
No matter what your budget, the prices here can't be beat. They have leather belts for a dollar and purses for fifty cents. How could we resist? Plus, Thriftown has a great selection.
EMILY (on tape)
There are so many leather bags here, it's like 500 cows, on a rack…
I saw a bunch of bags at Urban Outfitters that were like the bags at Thrift Town. They were slightly more cute, but they were like 15 dollars.
LAURYN
We can get them for $1.50. Let's move over that decimal. That's hideous, that's hideous, that's hideous. I think my grandma owns that one.
LAURYN
Teenagers my age all want to wear the same things. When you buy something from Thrifttown, you know it's truly unique. Emily and I don't want to look like any other kid at my school. We want to stand out.
Orange clogs, I have the feeling; I just got the feeling, Emily! I get this feeling sometimes, when I know we can bring things into style.
EMILY (on tape)
Straight up clogs? Do they fit you?
LAURYN
Anything you can imagine, I've probably found it at Thrift town. Silver-sequined dresses, red galoshes, Mickey Mouse pants - you name it!
As I walk around the dress circle I see all colors of the rainbow. Four dollars? Oh my god, just grab it. There's no question. Just take it and run. Here are the wedding dresses. For 2.99. Oh no, that's $29. Sorry, that is pretty pricey.
A lot of this stuff we wouldn't even consider buying. But it's fun to try on used prom dresses, old lady wigs, and prescription aviator glasses.
OK, now I'm going to try on the suit. Let's see if it fits me. Will you hold this? ZIPPER SOUNDS.
EMILY (on tape)
Oooh I'm so excited. That's probably the most hideous thing I've ever seen in my entire life. Ohmigod, it actually fits you. Lauryn just won the lottery… I can't believe something so hideous looks stylish.
LAURYN
We take snapshots of each other wearing crazy outfits and striking poses. Last week I got one of Emily in skintight Pleather her pants and a green Christmas sweater with these big fluff balls hanging off it. It was hysterical.
EMILY (on tape)
This is a Christmas nightmare: an entire rack of Christmas sweaters with baubles. It looks like Santa threw up.
LAURYN
Santa had a hairball all over the sweater! I could see your mom wearing one of these.
EMILY (on tape)
My mom's Jewish, Lauryn!
LAURYN
Shopping takes so much energy it's almost like running a fashion marathon. Two or three hours later it's time to cross the finish line and head for the checkout counter.
EMILY and LAURYN (on tape)
OK, so do you wanna estimate on how much we spent today Lauryn? I'm gonna say 25 dollars. Nooo, 16 tops. The shoes were expensive, we only have 3 pairs, so that's 9. We did get a lot of stuff. Most of it's under a dollar.
LAURYN
For all of you who are thinking I'm just another superficial shopoholic teenager, I apologize… Thrift Town isn't about consumption, it's about creativity and self-expression. Some people write poems - we put together one-of-a-kind outfits. Some people paint with watercolors or oils - clothes are our raw materials. Last weekend I found a purple skirt and a lacy polka dot tank-top. You should see it - it's a masterpiece!
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