Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal | May 27, 2024 | wbjournal.com too many fast fashion items, as those are not the kinds of garments her patrons are coming to her for, she isn't averse to the idea. "Stuff will come in here that's, you know, Shein or even Forever 21, and I'm like, if it's still cute and I think it's still workable and I know a customer that I think would buy it, then I'm gonna move it," said McGrath. "Instead of just keeping it vintage and keeping it, you PHOTO | EDD COTE Will Daughtry, owner of Concrete Collection in Worcester, said he doesn't gatekeep where he finds his merchandise. When customers ask, he'll direct them towards the thrift shop or the little- known Sunday church yard sale where he scores his goods. How owners of Worcester second-hand shops are navigating in a fast fashion world Selling SUSTAINABILITY BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer W ill Daughtry got into the second-hand clothing industry explicitly for the culture, but it didn't stay that way. "In the beginning, it was fashion and glory. You're getting things at a premium low price; that was the beginning stages," said Daughtry, the owner of Worcester vintage and second-hand store Con- crete Collection. "But when you start to venture into the business world and you meet people, they want to know what you're truly in business for. And always in this space to not know anything about sustainability and the effects on the wasteful textile garment industry … kind of a bad business practice not to know and be educated about it." riing is skyrocketing in popularity, with estimates forecast- ing the industry's gross merchandise value will surpass the $70 billion mark in the U.S. by 2028, accord- ing to data from online thri store redUp. At the same time, the rise in fast fashion and brands such as Shein, the Singapore retailer val- ued at more than $50 billion, have made clothing more affordable and accessi- ble for the everyday consumer while contributing to environmental pollution and exploitation of workers. For Worcester business owners, operating a second-hand shop in the era of fast fashion means strategic buy- ing, knowing the consumer base, and educating the customers is all in a day's work. A tug and pull Reselling fast fashion is an absolute no for Maria Pappas, owner of the consign- ment shop Modern Muse in Worcester. Her love of fashion runs in her family: Pappas' father was a tailor who used to make clothes for her and her mother. "I started sewing early, early on, and I just loved having certain one-of-a-kind pieces," Pappas said. And it is these one-of-a-kind pieces Pappas looks to fill her storefront with, specifically pieces that will last. Fast fashion pieces wear quickly, and she wants her customers to be able to enjoy their garments for years. "I just wanted to find used clothing that was interesting and reinvigorate and have them become alive again," she said. In contrast, Molly McGrath, owner of Grime, a vintage and second-hand clothing shop in Worcester, is happy to resell fast fashion pieces if she thinks her customers will be interested. ough she's conscientious not to stock up on Maria Pappas, owner of Modern Muse in Worcester Molly McGrath founded Grime from a love of thrifting. F O C U S E N E R G Y & S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

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