Picture this: waking up each morning to a new outfit. Just thinking about new clothes will excite almost every girl I know. If I had a new outfit for every single day, ninety percent of all problems surrounding my wardrobe would be solved. You can judge me for saying this, but when almost half of my wardrobe consists of Greek-life and DePauw shirts, it’s hard to always wear new outfits.
With the current transition from summer to fall, I desperately want to drive the rather short forty minutes to Indianapolis to find new pieces of clothing to add to my collection, but my crazy DePauw schedule leaves me absolutely no time. On one peculiar Tuesday afternoon, I found that there was a hole in my schedule, so I decided to venture into Greencastle in search of a store that could provide me with the shopping fix that I so desperately needed. I found a few wonderful little shops, like Rescued Treasures, and of course, I had to stop at Goodwill.
Browsing through the collection at Goodwill is always an adventure for me. Most people our age are either completely for or completely against thrift shopping, for reasons that I don’t understand. I view these stores as a hub for one-of-a-kind items just waiting to become prized possessions. Last October, my roommate and I ventured over to Goodwill and I found my favorite flannel in the men’s section. It is the most comfortable item of clothing that I have ever worn, despite the fact that it is approximately two sizes too big, but I digress.
That afternoon upon our arrival back to campus, I went about my day, proudly sporting my new flannel. It struck me during a meeting for Depauw’s Sustainability Leadership Program that I could find numerous flannels at our campus thrift store, The Thrifty Tiger.
Filled with DePauw spirit wear, old Greek-Life shirts, prom dresses, high-end jackets, versatile blouses, books, DVDs, shoes, and of course a large variety of flannels, The Thrifty Tiger is way better than Goodwill.
I understand if you are questioning me when I say that our campus thrift store is better than Goodwill. I’m here to tell you why. First, all of the clothes in The Thrifty Tiger were collected during DePauw Move-Out from residence halls and Greek houses.
Secondly, the store is run by students, including myself, who are members of the Sustainability Leadership Program here on campus. Finally, the majority of profits collected from purchased items goes to Putnam County Family Services which works to prevent domestic violence and child abuse.
If you ever need to spice up your closet and are looking for an affordable, local store, then come to The Thrifty Tiger, in the basement of Mason Hall. We are open Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Worried about not having access to Mason? We have you covered—all student IDs will allow access to Mason hall during store hours.
So come on over to The Thrifty Tiger and pick out your perfect outfit! Trust me, you will find some gems!
