Take My Jeans… Please

by

It’s May. The time to spring-clean which, for me, means emptying out my closets and passing on the gently-worn-but-no-longer-fitting clothes to someone else to love. Especially my jeans, which have survived my hopes of losing weight or growing taller or simply waking up one day with a perfect body. The jeans that are like new, but taking up way too much room in my closet. Out they go!

But where to? I was dismayed to discover that the Sally Ann, aka the Salvation Army Thrift Store, that had been beside Tag’s on Fourth Avenue for many years, had closed in April.

I can’t really blame them when it, supposedly, cost more to provide a venue for used clothing than they brought in by selling them. Such stores in southern cities have a buyer for apparel that doesn’t sell, companies that recycle textiles into cleaning rags or shred them for ultimate use in insulation.

Can you see my jeans keeping a brand new mansion warm?

Value Village stores in urban areas are laid out like large department stores, with racks of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing arranged by size, category, and season. They have paid staff who sort and cull the donations, like the stuff my mother brings to the Winnipeg store.

Both Value Village and large urban Sally Ann stores also have a large customer base to draw from. Their expansive, well-lit aisles are always busy. And they have the reputation of being a site where smart shoppers go for a deal, while at the same time contributing to the needs of the organization and their users.

Whitehorse doesn’t have a big enough population to support a huge used-clothing market like Value Village, but we do have a handful of stores that specialize in used clothing and goods. I went on a mission to see if one of them would take my jeans. Here are the options I found:

Sequels Consignment

I tried Sequels Consignment shop at 100, 303 Strickland St. They get around being inundated with unsellable stock by having strict criteria for accepting clothing to be sold by consignment. On the website, owner Tracy McLellan has one page devoted to what brand names they prefer: nothing from Reitmans, Mark’s, Denver Hayes, or Warehouse One, for example.

If your items meet the specs, then you must make an appointment online for a 10 minute drop-off slot. You may bring up to 15 suitable items, that are clean, pressed and/or steamed and each on its own hanger. You may have only one appointment per month and if the slots are all filled you must wait until the next month. Your items must be no more than three years old.

Renueva

I found a new little shop at 508E Main St. called Renueva, which stocks recycled clothing. Proprietor Karin Martinez Gomez started it as a sewing and alterations service and expanded to selling vintage and reworked items. She calls used clothing “treasures” to be altered, recycled and loved. As a bonus, she is also a certified second level reiki therapist and speaks Spanish. I asked Karin if she would consider taking used clothing to sell and she is happy to, either on consignment or by donation.

Second Show Kids Consignment

I stopped by Second Show Kids Consignment at 4200C 4th Ave., but they were closed when I did; they are open only 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. But their policy for accepting clothing is clearly posted on the door. Seems another used clothing outlet was learning from experience. As well, their website says they can’t take any clothes that came from Walmart, Superstore or Target, as there would be little wiggle room in the resale value – and resulting consignment payout for the person who brought the clothes in.

The Free Store

I swung by Raven Recycling to check out their free store. It was clean and almost empty – which is not surprising since their last day was May 8. I was disappointed to hear they would close, too, especially after they had just received funding to staff the free store.

However, according to their website, they will take textiles (fabric, clothing, sheets and shoes) to be baled and shipped to a broker in Vancouver for reuse and recycling.

All For You Consignment

I called All For You Consignment, located at the bottom of the Two Mile Hill. They take furniture and wool sweaters on consignment, but all other clothing has to be donated because, as the owner lamented, everyone expects to pay only one dollar.

Whitehorse Flea Market

The Whitehorse Flea Market had its first event on May 6, next to Changing Gear, at the top of Two Mile Hill, next to ChangingGear, in the old Cliffside Gardens location on the highway, heading north. I tore up there to see if it would be a viable idea to sell my jeans there. Tables at the first sale were all taken; many folks took advantage of the opportunity. The atmosphere was jolly and the ambience friendly. The many tables boasted a variety of bright and esoteric offerings. But I couldn’t see myself sitting there pushing my jeans. Perhaps I could hire someone but that would put me in the same boat as the Sally Ann. More expense than return.

Sell it Yourself?

I considered having a garage sale. Even the thought made me tired. I’m not one for sitting on a kitchen chair in my driveway and negotiating the price of sentimental items. No, I will not take a quarter. And, yes, my jeans are memorable.

I tried Kijiji. It’s either feast or famine. While the site is easy to use, and free, the anticipation of a sale is crushing. Your item sells immediately or never. And, it’s difficult to photograph jeans so that they look particularly inviting. And, no, modelling them was not an option.

I thought of just throwing my jeans away but that offends my sensibilities and my recycling gene. Besides, I don’t know whether they’re supposed to go in the grey garbage bin or the green compost bin. And, can you imagine having to remove the metal buttons first?

So, here I sit with a pile of jeans on my lap. While the Sally Ann and the Raven Free Store are no longer an option, I can check with Sequels to see if my denim measures up – that is if I can get in this month or the next.

I can donate them to All For You so they can sell them for a dollar or donate them to Renueva to be sold as-is or reworked.

I can try shrinking them so they’ll fit at Second Show (haha) or I can plan a yard sale and hope it doesn’t rain. I can book a table at the Flea Market and visit with the other vendors. I can post denim photos on Kijiji or take out an ad in one of the newspapers. Or, perhaps, I can lose weight or grow taller or wake up with the perfect body and just keep my jeans.