Hi! Thanks for dropping in. 

I’m Marlo (a pseudonym for those who don’t know me), based out of Chicago and an avid thrifter and traveler (during more normal times). I especially love hiking on my travels and in my free time, which is where Hiker comes from in the name, Thrift Hiker. Thrift Hiker is a part time passion project. I’ll be keeping up this blog and also maintain a few virtual secondhand shops (see the Shops tab). I’m also passionate about renewable energy and work in solar energy fulltime. 

As mentioned, I’m a thrift and travel lover. I’ve created Thrift Hiker to talk about these two interests and how they intersect. I’ll be sharing what secondhand looks like around the world, talking to other thrift enthusiasts, trying to understand local thrift cultures, and sometimes showing off my own vintage collection. 

I’m lucky to have visited many places, and to have married a globetrotter who encourages my travel and thrift lust. When traveling, I try to find and visit as many secondhand stores as possible and talk to the shopkeepers about what secondhand is like where they live. Sometimes, secondhand isn’t found in shops but on tarps on the street or in outdoor markets and can look much different than what you’d expect if you live in the USA. With Thrift Hiker I want to create a more global awareness and community around secondhand. In the next couple weeks I’ll be sharing a conversation I’ve had with a local Polish thrifter and in the future, I have more discussions and pictures to share from other continents like Africa and Asia!

People in the U.S. are one of the biggest consumers of new clothing and supporters of fast fashion and less than 10% of our clothing donations are sold in thrift shops (Mike Lee, ABC News, The Truth About Where…). A majority of donated clothing is exported abroad, about 700,000 tons (Beth Porter, What Really Happens…). Thrift Hiker will also try to show and discuss some of the impacts of this exported clothing abroad and why some countries don’t allow the importation of used clothing.

My introduction to secondhand started with my mom taking (more like dragging) my sister and I to the Salvation Army Thrift Store when we were growing up. My mom would thrift many home furnishings and then reupholster them into stunning, unrecognizable pieces. She also mixes in thrifted gifts for my sister and I at Christmas, which we cried about when we were little but now I appreciate the Thriftmas idea and do the same (minus the crying!). One of my first and oldest friends (we met in pre-k and she’s one of my best friends today!) was also taken to thrift stores by her mom and eventually we started going together ourselves. Thrift shopping started becoming an adventure, where the past would meet the present, and where unwanted treasures were waiting for me to discover.

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Once I entered high school and college, I started needing more expensive clothing for events and interviews but didn’t have much money. So, I went to thrift stores and started finding beautiful vintage pieces that you’d never be able to buy new. I also met college friends, who are now some of my best life friends, who I’d thrift with and look for fun outfits and costumes with for college parties.

My grandma, we called her Grandmimi, was also a fashion and vintage inspiration. We both wore clip-on earrings and she’d let me dig in her jewelry drawers, wear her colorful scarves, and gave me her old clothing. Don’t worry, I didn’t dress like a Grandma; Grandmimi had a fun and colorful taste! She saw how excited I was to wear her things and I loved hearing about when she wore the pieces she gave me. 

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Vintage clothing started to become a part of my identity.

Then, in Junior year of college I went on a life changing abroad program where, with 30 other students, traveled to 3 different cities, in 3 different countries and continents. Each student had to choose a topic to study across these countries and I choose used clothing and that’s when I began to realize the extent of the secondhand economy and its global reach. I’m excited to soon share some of my research and photos from this abroad program on this blog.

After I graduated from college I moved back to Chicago and into a family owned building. This building was bought by my Great Grandparents who lived on the 1st floor and my Grandparents lived on the 2nd. My dad and his 6 sisters grew up in this building. After my Great Grandparents passed my Great Uncle moved into their apartment, and lived out his life there. Eventually, my Grandparents’ floor became vacant and the cousins were slowly moving in! I moved in here with 3 other cousins after college and after multiple generations of family members living here a lot of stuff had accumulated.

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 While living in this apartment I slowly started helping the family organize many of these old, vintage and antique items and started researching the value of these things and slowly began reselling some stuff and restoring others. 

This ongoing exposure to used and old things while growing up, combined with seeing, firsthand, how the life of our goods don’t end after we donate them is something I want to keep exploring, thinking about, and sharing with you! I hope to further inspire my fellow and especially new thrifters. I want to encourage everyone (and I need to be better about this) to be more conscious of our purchases–especially of new items. Slow fashion needs to be woven (and I mean literally) into the fabric of all our clothing and lifestyles. Join me on my journey–my hikes, my Thrift Hiking.