Over the last several years, Utah has seen a new trend emerging primarily among college students — clothes thrifting.
“For the most part, because it is in a college town there's mostly college students shopping here,” said Brianna, who did not disclose her last name. She has been working at Plato’s Closet in Logan since last May.
“When we go through the clothes that people bring in to sell, we definitely try to look for like, the higher end brands, and like, good quality clothing,” Brianna added.
“A lot of the people who sell at Indy Clover are college students,” said Maria, an assistant manager at Indy Clover, another popular thrift store in Logan. Maria also chose not to disclose her last name.
Indy Clover vendors set up their booths every Saturday, bringing in new options and new customers.
“Especially here in Logan, where a lot of college students, like, are not making as much money, right, it's a really good way to like shop secondhand and still be cool and trendy,” Maria said.
One student felt that thrifting helped her feel stylish at an affordable price.
“Honestly, as a broke college student, thrifting is a lot more affordable and I feel like you can find some pretty high-quality pieces for not too much money,” said Jillian Peterson, a student at Utah State University.
“Thrifting allows students to really be individuals and show their personalities,” said Lacee Boschetto, an assistant professor in the Family Consumer Science program at Utah State University.
“Utah kind of gets a bad rap for having a very stereotypical aesthetic,” she added. “And so, I think thrifting is a way where people can really just step out of that aesthetic and still be true to themselves and their identity, and just to really have fun and to be eye-catching.”
Online thrift store ThredUp says the thrifting market has grown from $28 billion in 2019 to $56 billion in 2025.