Thrifting is popular among college students who are pinching pennies or looking for unique items at affordable prices. Luckily for UT students, Austin has a wealth of secondhand shops to choose from. 

“As a college student, it’s hard to find clothes that truly express my style. I recently got into fashion, and that’s why I thrift a lot,” said Nicolle Dacumos, an international relations and global studies senior.

The Daily Texan compiled a list of four local thrift stores for the inner bargain hunter in every student. 

Austin Pets Alive! Thrift
5102 Clarkson Ave.

Austin Pets Alive! Thrift store sells a large assortment of used clothing with an average price of $5. Not only are the clothes affordable, but they support the Austin Pets Alive! animal shelter.

“One hundred percent of the proceeds go to the animal shelter,” said Roxanne DeFranco, manager at the Burnet location.

The store is enforcing a maximum capacity, and asking that all customers wear a face mask and sanitize their hands. They also use an alcohol disinfectant spray on all clothing. 

Austin Pets Alive! Thrift will also be opening a new location on E. Ceasar Chavez in November or December.

Top Drawer Thrift
4902 Burnet Road

Another nonprofit thrift store is Top Drawer Thrift. All of the proceeds from Top Drawer go to an organization called Project Transitions, which provides affordable housing for people with HIV and AIDS. 

Top Drawer Thrift offers a wide selection of donated clothing, electronics, housewares, furniture and more. 

“We (sort through) a lot of our incoming merchandise and get to curate our store. Everything is displayed very well and it’s very charming and a wonderful little place,” said store associate Ben Zimm.

Currently, Top Drawer is open by appointment only for in person shopping and donations. Face masks are also required for entry and gloves and hand sanitizer are available. 

Pavement Modern & Recycled Fashion
611 S. Lamar Blvd.

Pavement Modern & Recycled Fashion is a buy-sell-trade shop. About 80% of their inventory is what people bring in and 20% is vintage apparel sourced by the store. 

“We are unique in the fact that we really try to cater to the public, style-wise,” said assistant manager Bennett Brown.

Brown said the store has a wide price range for their clothing, from about $8.95 to $150, depending on the item. However, most items are below $100. 

Pavement has a limited store capacity and is requiring face masks to be worn while inside the building. Hand sanitizer is located at thde store entrance and employees wear gloves when handling merchandise from the public. 

Flamingos Vintage Pound
2915 Guadalupe St.

Conveniently located on Guadalupe St., Flamingos Vintage Pound is within walking distance of campus. Here, you can find vintage and secondhand clothing. 

“We weigh everything out per pound so it actually ends up being a little bit less expensive than what people think,” manager Ashley Cooper said.

Cooper said their clothes range from $4 to $100, depending on what customers are looking for. Some vintage items are more expensive.

Not only is the location convenient for students, but Flamingos also offers a 10% student discount on Wednesdays. 

Currently, the store is only filling to 20-25% capacity. Shoppers are also required to wear facemasks and social distance in the store.