Chicago’s secondhand shops say they’re seeing a surge in sales as rising prices fueled by tariffs push some people away from buying new clothes and accessories.
For some, buying secondhand has long been a budget-friendly alternative. Resale stores and websites have seen business steadily grow the past few years. But President Donald Trump’s trade war appears to have accelerated a shift by some people to seeking secondhand goods.
Shop owners say they hope to see business keep growing even as they face cost increases on supplies like gift bags and tissue paper.
Richard Biasi, who owns Richard’s Fabulous Finds in Humboldt Park, said sales are up roughly 20% over this time last year. The vintage menswear shop offers clothing including suits from the 1970s and 1980s, hats, ties and pocket squares, as well as home decor.
Biasi said his customers are seeking quality items that are often hard to find at affordable prices, like a 1980s tweed suit at his store that will go for between $125 and $200.
“I think a lot of people are more conscious now and don’t want to buy new because new is not made as well,” Biasi said. “They’re coming to buy vintage suiting because it’s made better.”
Richard Biasi, who owns of Richard’s Fabulous Finds.
Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times
From 2018 to 2024, the secondhand clothing market has grown by 117%, according to Capital One. In 2023, the clothing resale market grew 15 times as fast as the general retail clothing sector, with online resale projected to grow by 17% a year through 2028.
“Some younger people love the fact that it’s not new because it’s better for the environment,” Biasi said. “It’s almost more chic to not buy new.”
The old stigma of wearing used clothing doesn’t seem to be an issue these days, he said, especially among younger people.
Yet, despite encouraging sales, he’s unsure what to expect over the coming months. Higher tariffs might, for instance, see people cut back entirely on clothes-buying, and the levies make it hard for Biasi to navigate his supply costs.
He recently stocked up on supplies like tissue paper, bags and shipping boxes. Because those items came from China, he said he paid nearly 20% more than he had before.
“That was a hard check to write,” he said. “But I’d rather have it. When you have such small margins, as many of us small businesses do, every penny adds up. There are a lot of small businesses that are going to suffer big-time. Some consumers are going to get turned off by prices. I mean, a $5 difference makes a huge difference to a lot of people.”
The status of the higher tariffs could change again. On May 29, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit allowed the president to temporarily continue collecting the tariffs under the emergency powers law while he appeals a trade court’s decision that he overstepped his authority when imposing certain levies.
‘Price is much, much less’
At Lost Eras in Rogers Park, Charlotte Walters, co-owner of the store that sells vintage clothing and antiques as well as costume and prop rentals, said more people are coming in looking for clothes.
“People are really not happy at all with the retail market,” Walters said. “One of the reasons we’re selling so much is people are worried about money. They don’t want to go buy new stuff.”
She said shoppers have shown interest in vintage items made with quality fabrics like wool and leather that they might not be able to afford to buy new.
Momo Burns, manager of the North Side store, said sales are modestly up. But she isn’t sure what tariffs might mean for the costume side of its business, which has suppliers in Canada and abroad.
“We’ve heard from our suppliers and costumers, and they’ve said to brace for price increases,” Burns said. “I feel a little concerned.”
For Terrie Gary, who was shopping at Lost Eras, cutting back on her clothing budget helps cover rising costs elsewhere.
“Clothing prices, food prices, they’re up everywhere,” the Rogers Park resident said. “It’s so expensive to eat healthy, and I try to eat healthy. So I have to kind of find the balance on everything.”
When Juan Martinez, who lives in Evanston, wanted a leather jacket, he decided to buy used.
“I’ll be coming more in the future,” he said o Lost Eras. “The items are good quality, and the price is much much less.”
Lost Eras offers shirts and blouses for $5 to $10 and pants priced at $20 or less.
Erica Whitman, who designs costumes for a theater production, said keeping costs down has been a concern for the show, which has a shoestring budget. She was at Lost Eras to find sunglasses for a character to wear onstage.
“Tariffs really weren’t on our mind back in March when we started to rehearse,” Whitman said. “We don’t want to be buying stuff on Amazon. There are so many cool, unique things that have already been made that you would pay a lot more for on the internet.”
Also, she said: “It is better for the environment. It’s economic, and it’s fun.”
Consignment interest up
Joanne Nusbaum, who owns My Sister’s Closet in Edgebrook, worries about the future despite higher sales and growing interest from people who want to sell items on consignment — for which they get 40% of the sale price, minus taxes or fees, for items that sell for under $300 and 50% of the sale price for things that sell for more than $300.
“Many of my customers have lost their jobs,” she said. “That’s really going to affect us.”
The consignment and resale store sells women’s clothing and accessories and children’s clothing.
In business for more than 40 years, Nusbaum said she’s seen people scale back before.
My Sister’s Closet owner Joanne Nusbaum.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere / Sun-Times
During the Great Recession that started in 2007, Nusbaum said her regulars cut back on spending, some having lost their jobs, others generally concerned abut the economy.
That has her nervous about the future. Banking giants like JP Morgan are predicting higher odds of a recession this year.
“In 2008, everyone said, ‘Oh, business must be booming,’ but my customers [were] affected,” she said.
This time, Nusbaum is counting on her store’s online presence to help sales.
“The people that have never shopped resale before, hopefully this time they’re more educated about the benefits, and they’ll start shopping resale,” she said.
With rising costs for items like bags, tissue paper and other packing materials, Nusbaum has started to reconsider offering bags to shoppers it’s become pricey.
“I think everybody sees that the prices are going up already,” she said.
Alejandra Lopez, who owns McShane’s Exchange in Lincoln Park, said her upscale women’s consignment store has seen more traffic and a noticeable rise in people bringing items to sell.
“Recessions are always really good for secondhand and consignment businesses,” said Lopez, who lives in Logan Square and took over the shop in 2020. “Even during the pandemic, people were still shopping.”
Beside saving money, many shoppers see environmental concerns as a reason to shop at secondhand stores. Fast fashion retailers like Temu and the now-shuttered Forever 21 have long been cited for encouraging a throwaway culture with its cheap, trendy clothing that often ends up getting tossed out after being worn only a few times and ending up in landfills.
Alejandra Lopez, the owner of McShane’s Exchange.
Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
“Interest in alternatives to fast fashion has increased over the years, especially with younger generations,” Lopez said. “It’s also significantly cheaper to buy used than it is at other stores.”
Nilüfer Lily Kaya prefers to stay away from fast fashion. It’s why she mostly shops at stores like McShane’s Exchange.
“When we contribute to fast fashion, it is just a small drop in the puddle of what is making the environmental crisis so much worse,” she said. “Whatever I can do in my tiny way to combat that is something that I’m really trying to do.”
Because she sticks with resale stores, Kaya said she isn’t too concerned with rising prices for new clothing.
“I don’t think on a personal level I’m going to be affected by it too much,” she said. “But I think that it is indicative of larger trends that our country is not doing well economically. So I’m worried on a grander-picture scale.”
Leslee Nissen said resale and consignment hunting has become the only way she shops. It was her first time visting McShane’s. She estimates that the recent change has saved her hundreds of dollars on clothes compared to what she’d spend at traditional retailers.
“You get so much more value with consignment,” she said while picking out a new top. “I just don’t want to pay full price anymore.”