Goodwill - New Fashion Trend?
Story by Jessica Valadez // Art by Thuy Ngo

I grew up in a middle to working class family on the east side of San Jose and had a good childhood. But during my high school years my mother became unemployed from a company where she had worked for 15 years. One less income in the household forced my mother and I to live off of my father. Because my mom did not have a high school diploma, she had the most difficult time trying to get a job. There were times where money became tight -- my parents had to pay bills, I had to work two jobs and we both tried to pay my way through college. It was incredibly harsh when the holidays and special events came up and we were scrounging around for change just to try to buy a gift. Then one day my mom came home with clothes she had bought, I was thinking to myself, “Where did she come up with the money to buy that stuff?” I looked at that clear plastic bag and seen a blue Goodwill logo on it. What was my mom doing shopping there?

I knew we couldn't have possibly been that broke to be shopping at a second hand store.   Soon enough it became a routine for her to go and see what “new” items they had. I, on the other hand, was embarrassed.   She was bugging me to go with her, so one day I finally went. I looked around and it was not like the retail store I worked at. There was old, worn out shoes, played out clothing (not my styles of choice), and stacks and stacks of junk. Why did my mom like it here so much? The store had huge, clear windows and there were tons of people looking in. And there I was, trying to hide behind the racks of clothing. My excuse was if I seen anyone I knew that I was looking around for old clothes because I was putting together costumes for a school play. I didn't want anyone to see me, what would they think? After stepping out the door, I never wanted to look back. Every time thereafter when my mom went I waited in the car.

Then I seen my manager with the cutest belt and I asked her where she got it at. “The Goodwill,” she told me. I was stunned! Something that cute was at a second hand store?   Then it was like a domino effect, all kinds of people were talking about how they got this and that hella cheap at the Goodwill. Even peers of mine that didn't have to worry about ever going broke were shopping there. It was like the thing to do to keep up with the latest fad. I caught myself getting caught up in the hype, back in that same store, looking at what I used to look down upon. I wasn't embarrassed anymore, people were accepting the fact of others wearing hand-me-down clothing.

Apparently, it is “in” to shop at the Goodwill and other second hand stores. I don't know if this is a trend that may end when a new fashion wave hits, but the experience has changed the way I think about how I shop. Why not get nice clothes at a cheaper price?