“Not a Thrift Store” – Teen’s unique shop in a bus visits Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- A unique traveling thrift store visited Colorado Springs on Wednesday and will be in Fort Collins and Denver the rest of the week.
"It's just fun to have a nationwide event where people from all over the country just because of like she said, the internet just draws so many people in it," said Rainde Brackett, Colorado Springs thrifter.
The idea of a shop in a bus started a couple of years ago when a 15-year-old Utah teen decided he wanted to buy a school bus.
"So my little brother, his name's Kason. He's not here right now. But when he was in high school, he had bought a school bus to convert and hang out with his friends in," said Trae Stevens, co-owner of "Not a Thrift Store".
After buying the bus, Kason got an idea and wanted to raise some money. He put clothes inside the bus and started to sell them. He posted a video on TikTok and Instagram and it immediately went viral.
"Tons of people showed up at our house and eventually we had to shut that one down and we bought a traveling line all our traveling around selling clothes," said Stevens.
Since its launch a year ago, "Not a Thrift Store" has traveled across the state of Utah and now its mission is to visit neighboring states.
"I've always been that girl that wears something that's older and it's a lot stronger. It's a lot sturdier than the stuff they make these days," said Brackett. "And it's also something that's not going to go into a landfill and decompose after three times, you wash it, you know?"
When people show up at "Not a Thrift Store" they'll be able to find all kinds of vintage clothing items.
"I thought to myself, I've been thrifting since I was a little girl. I know some people like me when I was younger. It's just what they can afford at the time. But like being older now, I love getting the chance to reuse clothes from other people. Like one man's trash is another woman's or man's treasure," said Brinley Hester, Colorado Springs thrifter.
"Not a Thrift Store" has two more stops in Ft. Collins and Denver before returning home to Utah.
