Retro Never Really Goes Out of Style
KENNESAW, Ga. — Within five minutes of Kennesaw State University sits Ecologie Resale & Vintage, a thrift store intent on breathing new life into old, loved things — and that includes their community. For the past year and a half, Ecologie has been organizing seasonal festivals as opportunities for local vendors, musicians, and artists to showcase and sell their work, and they just celebrated their Spring Festival—their biggest one yet—on April 24.
The market for secondhand clothing is booming, perhaps now more than ever. Growing at 11 times the rate of the retail clothing industry, the $36 billion market for secondhand clothing is expected to exceed over double that current value by 2025.
Online outlets like ThredUp have made sustainable secondhand shopping easier than ever, and social platforms dominated by Gen Z users, like Instagram and TikTok, are changing the attitude towards thrifting. Given the undeniable impact social media has on almost all aspects of our lives nowadays, it’s not surprising that the internet is shifting the secondhand landscape—or at least, providing new access points.
The “thrifting” hashtag on TikTok has accrued over 3.9 billion views. Thanks to apps like Depop and Poshmark, the hunt for secondhand clothes can now be easily pursued from home, with barely more than a few taps on a phone screen. Thrifting influencers have become a thing.
Secondhand is cool again, or maybe it always was.
In 2011, when Nancie Vann founded Ecologie, there weren’t as many popular online alternatives out there. Thrifting hadn’t yet been rebranded into a trend. However, the community still existed, as evidenced by her daughter’s longtime love for vintage finds. It’s the circular tale of a small, family business. Vann was inspired by her daughter to start Ecologie, and now — over ten years later and fueled by their mutual passion for “slow” fashion — mother and daughter currently run the store together as partners. Ecologie’s seasonal festivals are their way of giving back to the community that continues to support them.
“Nancie is so sweet,” Mouse, one of Ecologie’s employees, attested. They were wearing a pink dress with fluffy, scalloped sleeves, ponytail gathered in a big, bouncy bow. There’s no uniform at Ecologie, but each employee’s outfit is always curated and unique. It’s probably the only intimidating thing about walking into the store. “She’s the best.”
This sense of camaraderie at Ecologie seems intentional, a part of their brand. Employees are friendly and approachable, the low background music wavers on the fringe of indie, and displayed by the checkout counter are multiple featured products sourced from other small, local businesses, like handmade soaps, earrings, and CBD bath bombs.
“Ray and Snow are actually going to be selling their soaps on Sunday,” another employee chimed in, pointing at one of the nearby displays. It’s obvious that Ecologie has cultivated a cradle of community over the last decade — their seasonal festivals are simply extending that reach.
“It is going to be our largest one yet,” Vann confirmed about the April 24 Spring Festival, before explaining how their open calls work. “They just need to shoot us an email if they want to sell.”
The same process applies to performers, all of which are local to the greater Atlanta area. To play the six-hour event, Ecologie settled on a lineup of two bands and two solo performers: Cult Baby, Bedside Pond, Jasmine Janai, and Noah Vonne.
Besides live music, the Spring Festival provided space for almost 100 vendors, as well as food truck options ranging from gourmet grilled cheese to Vietnamese street food. “We try to accommodate different diets,” Mouse said. “There’s a lot of overlap between vintage and vegetarians.”
While there might be some common interests among Ecologie’s clientele, the turnout at the Spring Festival demonstrated that there’s not only one type of thrifting enthusiast. Yes, an impressive portion of the crowd were sporting mullets — another retro trend on the comeback — or combat boots in spite of the sweltering heat, but there were also families attending, college students dressed plainly or to the nines, older grey-haired women picking through racks of clothes shoulder-to-shoulder with 12-year-olds.
“I’ve been buying secondhand since I was young,” Mouse said. “My parents are immigrants. That’s just the way we shopped.”
Whether secondhand shopping is a passed down habit or a newfound hobby, the close-knit community is passionate, diverse, and growing faster than ever. The only requirement to join seems to be an enduring love for Dolly Parton, whose smiling face popped up often at the festival — printed on anything from mugs to pillows to stickers.
“It’s the best feeling,” Madison McMinn said, showing off her handmade Dolly Parton earrings, “when people find me online and come looking for my work here.”
And that seems to be the purpose behind Ecologie’s festivals: bridging the gap between the developing online thrifting scene and its pre-existing brick-and-mortar foundation, resulting in an active community for all to participate in.
The dates for Ecologie’s next seasonal festival have yet to be announced, but you can expect it sometime in the coming summer months. Keep an eye on their Instagram page for updates.
