by Kameron Kopecky–
Thrift store shopping, or “thrifting,” has become much more than a way for individuals to save money on clothing. Over the past decade, thrifting has turned into what many would consider a “fad” or “trend.” Individuals, mostly teens and young adults, head to thrift stores in search of vintage finds and retro threads at bargain prices. However, one Virginia Tech student is taking it all a step further.
Carter Davis, a junior at Virginia Tech, has started a small business called VT Thrift. Entirely operated through the social media photo sharing app Instagram, Davis uploads all of his thrift store finds to his profile and his followers can direct message him if they are interested in making a purchase.
The majority of purchases on VT Thrift come from Virginia Tech students. However, he has sent clothes to buyers from Tennessee, New Jersey, and even Texas. One offer even came from a follower in Germany.
A big reason Davis started VT Thrift was to give back. He is a member of an organization at Virginia Tech called Out of the Darkness, which works with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, or AFSP, to help spread awareness of depression and prevent suicide. The organization holds an annual Out of the Darkness Walk where individual walkers and teams walk around the Drillfield to raise money for the AFSP. This year, Davis used a percentage of VT Thrift’s earnings to put towards his donation to the Out of the Darkness walk.
“I wanted to show that I didn’t care so much about the money. I figured why not donate some of it to AFSP,” said Davis.
Davis donated $100 of VT Thrift’s earnings to the Out of the Darkness Walk and plans on donating a percentage of his earnings to a charity chosen every month by the VT Thrift followers.
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