SMALL BUSINESS
In Albuquerque, Gen Z is buying secondhand and selling it too
Younger people are reshaping the resale market, a Bank of America Institute report finds
One person鈥檚 old clothing is another鈥檚 drip.
That鈥檚 the mindset Gen Z has when walking into a thrift store.
鈥淚 could sit in a thrift store for hours, combing through every rack because it鈥檚 almost soothing to me,鈥� said 23-year-old Cassidy Kurowski, who grew up going to thrift shops and garage sales with her family. 鈥淵ou never know what you鈥檙e looking for, or even if you go in looking for something, you never know what you鈥檙e actually gonna come out with.鈥�
She鈥檚 part of a much bigger wave of young thrifters chasing their next great find. A found secondhand fashion transactions rose to 22% from a year ago. By generation, millennials spent the most, followed by Gen Z.
But the younger generation is not only buying retro clothes 鈥� they鈥檙e also selling them.
Consumers selling their clothes at secondhand stores grew 16%, a trend that has been on the rise since 2025, the report found. Gen Z accounted for about 41% of those sales.
Kurowski found In The Middle: Thrift Reimagined, an Albuquerque store at 5333 Menaul NE, through social media. The shop allows people to rent booths for $35 weekly, where they can sell their own pieces.
鈥淚鈥檓 a big fan of going through my closet every few months and getting rid of stuff that I don鈥檛 wear anymore, that I know someone else will love,鈥� she said.
Last year, Kurowski took things a step further, launching her own fashion venture,, which sells items made from thrifted and sustainably sourced materials. She promotes the business almost entirely through social media.
鈥淪ocial media is one of the biggest influences on our generation,鈥� Kurowski said. 鈥淚 think it encourages people to go back and support their community.鈥�
Thrift stores have taken note 鈥� and taken to social media themselves.
鈥淲e have a lot of influencers who鈥檝e come in and a lot of community members who have seen us through social media and come in and sell,鈥� said Jessica Lucero, owner of In The Middle. 鈥淲e really build that relationship with everyone.鈥�
Kelli Hulslander, owner of Your Other Closet at 5850 Eubank NE, has been in the thrifting business since 2016. While she taps into social media occasionally to reach Gen Z shoppers, her store鈥檚 customer base tells a different story 鈥� one that spans generations.
鈥淲e have a really unique situation where the majority of our shoppers are retirees or older,鈥� Hulslander said. 鈥淭hey come shopping because they understand the idea of secondhand value,鈥� Hulslander said. 鈥淏ut they bring their nieces, their nephews, granddaughters, and it becomes an event for both of them.鈥�
Hulslander said she鈥檚 seen how young people are shopping at thrift stores because of word of mouth.
鈥淲e have seen younger people coming in, and they want to find that unique piece, but I鈥檓 also seeing how they are trying to get into the industry and sell secondhand 鈥� and that鈥檚 really cool,鈥� Hulslander said.
For 22-year-old Katy Tolesa, thrifting has become part of her everyday life. She was thrifting for purses at In The Middle, where she found an orange Nicole Miller bag by the end of her shopping trip.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 where people love to go shopping,鈥� Tolesa said. 鈥淚nstead of going to the mall or a department store, people are more into thrifting.鈥�
Karmina Conde is a news reporter for the Journal. You can reach her at kconderuiz@abqjournal.com
