Revamping Your Wardrobe on the Cheap: Thrifting in Provo and Salt Lake

Spring is ending, colleges are letting out, and soon summer will be in full swing. If you’re looking for things to do around Utah that will get you out of the house, keep the kids occupied, or make use of your after-work free time, then this blog series is right up your alley. Each week I’ll post about a different set of places you can visit and activities you can do around Utah.

So, you may have thought that I looked like a hipster, and you’d be right. And because I’m a hipster, I’m going to tell you that I was thrift shopping before Macklemore made it popular (which is actually true). Thrift shopping is a great way to develop a unique style and get individual pieces for your wardrobe at great prices. So, here’s what you need to know about thrift shopping in Provo and Salt Lake City.

This Week’s Featured Destinations

Encore Thrift Shop

466 W Center St., Provo

Savers

81 N State St., Orem

Deseret Industries

1415 N State St., Provo

435 South 500 East, American Fork

Decades

627 S State St., Salt Lake City

Pib’s Exchange

1147 Ashton Ave., Salt Lake City

Encore Thrift Shop

Provo’s new-ish thrift shop, Encore, has a large selection of second-hand items for pretty good prices. The shop itself is decorated with thrift pieces, including a coat that Macklemore wore in one of his music videos, and all kinds of retro and vintage items.

When I first went into Encore, they offered a 15% discount if you instagrammed a photo of the store and tagged them, and if that promotion is still going it is definitely worth it. If you’re looking for vintage items, this isn’t really the place to go (see Decades below), but it is definitely a well-curated store that caters to indie fashion at very reasonable prices for well-curated thrift items.

Savers and D.I.

I know that everyone loves D.I. for thrift shopping, but I do think that Savers is an unsung hero. I like Savers because they offer a ½ price discount on a different label color each day of the week, and I find it to be less picked over than the Provo D.I. However, both stores are good for great thrift and sometimes vintage finds.

I’ve found nice vintage purses and shoes at both Savers and D.I., as well as more useful things like suitcases and couches. While D.I. has a lot more stuff to search from, and I do like the yard area that has a variety of weird and wonderful stuff, I like that Savers doesn’t have quite as much junk, and that its location makes it less popular and scoured through.

Decades

This is my favorite store in Utah. Decades carries a combination of thrift and vintage clothing, and they have an amazing selection. If you’re into vintage styles or are looking for a great party costume, Decades is the place to go. They have clothes from a range of decades, and vintage items are clearly labeled with the price and the year they were made.

As Decades’ stock is vintage and carefully sourced, they do have rules and etiquette for trying on and handling items so they do not get damaged, so plan ahead and be sure to treat the stock respectfully (not that you wouldn’t otherwise). Also, be sure to check out the sale rack in the women’s section at the back right corner by the shoes. I’ve gotten some great deals that just needed some small repairs to be perfect again.

As far as pricing goes, Decades definitely doesn’t match a thrift store for cheapness, but you will get high-quality items that have been carefully taken care of, cleaned, and handled, and if you are looking for an individual wardrobe, this is the place to go to find statement pieces.

Pib’s Exchange

Pib’s Exchange is place to both buy and sell clothes, and they stock a bunch of different types of clothes from a number of different brands. If you’re looking to sell clothes, you want to make sure they are in great condition and if they are by a reputable brand, that’s a definite plus. Pib’s is another great place to get individual and unique clothing that suits your style. Because they have a variety of different styles and brands, there’s something there for everyone, although it’s generally suited to more eclectic and indie tastes.

Thrift shopping is a great way to save money, and looking for vintage fashions can help you build a wardrobe of individual and unique items that make you stand out from the crowd. Building a new wardrobe can be expensive, which is why combining vintage and thrifted items with newer purchases can really help to offset the cost of creating a unique style. And, since Macklemore made thrifting popular, I’m certain we’re going to see younger generations looking for their fashion items in second-hand stores more and more.