From thrift stores to local closets
Orred sisters strive to make fashion affordable and accessible.
By Hannah Haugen | Clarion Correspondent
Tori Orred stood in front of her closet in awe at the amount of un-worn and unwanted clothes she had piled up in the corner, some gripping to a hanger slowly falling off as she moved them around. She yelled from her room for her sister, Erin to come and see the mess it’s become.
“How can I fix this? I don’t want to just give all this stuff to Goodwill?”
That’s when the light bulb lit up in her mind.
“I have the same problem”,” Erin said. “So why don’t we just sell them to people?’
From that moment on, Thrift.te has become an Instagram page for selling second-hand and thrifted clothes to locals in the Twin Cities area and even people from as far as Arizona.
“I remember growing up, I used to be so embarrassed if I saw someone I knew at a thrift store. Now, I run a thrifting page on Instagram. Who would’ve thought!” — Erin Orred, Thrif.te owner
Ever since Tori and Erin were younger, they have been close. Growing up, their mom would shop second-hand and go to stores like Goodwill, but they felt embarrassed to be there.
“I remember growing up, I used to be so embarrassed if I saw someone I knew at a thrift store,” Erin said. “Now, I run a thrifting page on Instagram. Who would’ve thought!”
Since starting Thrif.te, Tori feels as though her and her sister have become closer.
“I thought at the beginning it could have the potential to make us butt heads a little by being ‘business partners,’ but it has been so much fun,” she said.
As Erin sifted through second-hand clothing at the Goodwill in Roseville, as she did most afternoons, she came across a piece of clothing she had never seen before. She pushed the extra hangers away from the shirt so she could get a better look at what this exotic T-shirt looked like. Janice Joplin on the front with groovy lyrics that read: “Baby take another piece of my heart.” This shirt, tattered and bleached in random sections, stained with black paint and a massive hole on the backside, had Erin’s wheels turning inside her mind.
“I wonder if this is worth anything?”
She got in touch with one of her fellow thrifting gurus and asked him what he thought. He immediately freaked out and offered Erin $300 for the T-shirt. She was shocked. She pawned off the shirt to the thrifter who initially wanted it and made a profit of $297.
“I love fashion and clothing, because it is such a personal thing to each person, and I feel like you can share some of your personality by what you wear. I like how each year styles change, and it’s fun to create “art” in a sense by what you wear.” – Tori Orred, thrifter
Just like the Janice Joplin shirt, Tori and Erin find unique pieces of clothing that they share with others to encourage a creative outlet in fashion and encourage others to show-off their style through the clothes they wear.
The Orred sisters’ favorite part of their small business is that they are able to show their creative side through fashion. Both Tori and Erin say they didn’t know they were “creative” until they started to throw outfits together for the Instagram page and found thrifted clothes that match their personality.
The Orred sisters also use their small business to advocate that it is OK to shop secondhand. Buying used clothes is a new trend and is an outlet for creativity.
“I love fashion and clothing, because it is such a personal thing to each person, and I feel like you can share some of your personality by what you wear”, Tori said. “I like how each year styles change, and it’s fun to create ‘art’ in a sense by what you wear.”
Fast Fact Box: About Thrif.te
Who: The T & E at the end of “Thrif.te” are for Tori & Erin.
What: Erin Orred sold a vintage 80’s t-shirt to another thrifting company for $300.
Where: Most of Thrif.te sales go to students, mostly girls, who attend Arizona State.
Follow: @thrif.te on Instagram
Average Costs: t-shirts $12, jackets/sweatshirt $25, pants $20, shoes $40
Source: Tori Orred
Quote Collection: About Thrif.te buyers
Buyer: “@Thrif.te = BEST THRIFT EVER.”
Buyer: “These jeans are incredible! Thank you!”
Buyer: “Best way to brighten your day is forgetting you ordered something from @Thrif.te and it coming in the mail!”
Source: Thrif.te Instagram page
Timeline: About Thrif.te milestones
August 2018: Thrif.te started and more than 200 followers were gained on the first day (starting the small business was a huge milestone in itself)
December 2018: more than 1000 followers were gained and Thrif.te hit their $1000 mark in sales
Today: more than 2,000 people follow Thrif.te and they have sold more than 400 clothing items
Source: Erin Orred
