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Keegan Townsend poses in a relaxed, comfortable outfit, pulled together by a bright red jacket. // Photo by Hannah Asmussen

Hannah Asmussen
Making a stylish outfit from the thrift store comes easily to junior Keegan Townsend. Townsend, a psychology major, can be found skating around campus. He said that’s one of the reasons he wears sneakers a majority of the time. Townsend said he’s been thrifting since before he could walk. His mom taught him how to thrift and that no matter the store, there is always a clearance section. Thus, growing up, all of his clothes were second-hand and he estimated that now, his wardrobe is still comprised of mostly thrifted items. Luckily, Bellingham has a surplus of shops that sell second-hand clothing, making thrifting pretty easy and accessible. Townsend said two of his favorite spots are Value Village and Goodwill. Some other popular places to thrift at in Bellingham are Buffalo Exchange, Wise Buys Thrift Store, Labels Women’s Consignment and State Street Thrift and Vintage.
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Townsend made his denim jacket his own by adding quirky pins and patches. // Photo by Hannah Asmussen
“You can always make a good outfit on a budget,” Townsend said. A tip for thrift shopping from Townsend is going in with something in mind, because some thrift stores can be overwhelming. There are lots of clothes of all different styles and sizing can be different for each item.
“From there, you can find the best thing that fits your style,” Townsend said. His favorite thrifted find is a red bomber jacket that has “Skagit Valley Speedway” emblazoned on the back. He said he scored the jacket, which also features a race car emblem, at the local Value Village in Cordata. Townsend’s thrift store finds don’t stop with clothes either. He’s also found some cool accessories to spice up his looks. One of those is his red fanny pack. He said he wears it when he skates and often takes to class with him. “I can’t leave the apartment without it,” Townsend said.
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Townsend added rosy sunglasses and a beret to put together a sophisticated look. // Photo by Hannah Asmussen
A style tip  Townsend follows is to match his shoes to his shirt. Then, he’ll have his pants be a different color so they can stand out as a key piece of the outfit. By shopping second-hand, Townsend said he has saved some serious cash. Vintage denim jackets are definitely a classic item that can add a nice touch to any outfit, but they can be expensive. Townsend said he managed to add one to his wardrobe for a fraction of the retail price by finding his Levi’s denim jacket at Goodwill. Currently, new Levi’s jackets are going for around $50 to $100, so Townsend definitely found a gem. He made the jacket his own by adding pins and patches he found at the thrift store all over it. “There’s always cool pins in the pin bin,” Townsend said. Townsend has a knack for finding cool items at thrift stores, showing how secondhand clothing is just as fashionable and sustainable as the stuff from the department stores.
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