Everything old is new again.
With the cost of goods such as clothing and furniture ballooning over the past few years, thrifting and antiquing have exploded in popularity. Purchasing used or vintage goods is back in style — and for good reason.
According to a CBS News story last summer, consumers are turning to secondhand stores at a higher rate to avoid yo-yoing tariffs and sticker shock for new items.
Mariah Huff, director of the YWCA Thrift Store in Greensburg, said that she has seen a boom at the store.
“In this time, everything’s a lot more expensive, and people need help in some ways,” she said.
Thrifting can just be more fun — hunting through an eclectic and quirky selection of dresses, purses or furniture can yield unique treasures and some laughs along the way. Plus, those handy with a sewing kit or paintbrush can customize or restore well-made older items more readily than the “fast fashion” often sold in malls and at online retailers.
Tammy Eshbaugh, owner of This & That Resale Shop in Lower Burrell, said that customers are looking for more affordable and durable options in furniture and decorations, but also just want to express themselves in ways that cookie-cutter retailers can’t provide.
“People are tired of everybody having the same thing. People like that vintage and different thing that you can find and that’s not going to be in everybody else’s house,” she said.
CNBC reported in October that clothing prices rose an average of 17% year-over-year between 2024 and 2025. The cost of furniture has risen 25% since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic and was also impacted by tariffs in the past year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
There’s also evidence that goods just aren’t made with durability in mind they way they were in the past. The craze of “fast fashion” stores, including H&M and Forever 21, has provided more affordable options — but with the caveat that they may fall apart after a few wears and will need to be replaced more quickly. Also, shoppers concerned with sustainability decry these cheaper-but-less-sturdy items as much more detrimental to the environment.
The same can be said for furniture, which has declined in quality and durability in recent years due to an evolution of materials and cost-cutting by manufacturers, according to Business Insider.
There are a lot of different types of secondhand retailers, from curated vintage boutiques to charity-driven stores and beyond. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, there’s a variety of great options for sniffing out your next great find.
This & That Resale Shop in Lower Burrell
For furniture fiends, the seven rooms at This & That Resale Shop in Lower Burrell are a haven.
Owner Tammy Eshbaugh put in a 25-year-long tenure in real estate sales before opening the store 14 yeas ago. Now she takes in furniture and home decor on consignment to fill her shop.
“It’s worked well with my real estate background and my contacts. They have clients call me when they’re downsizing,” she said.
The store stocks a combination of antiques, newer used pieces and brand-new unused items. From 19th-century rolltop desks to funky modern coffee tables, there’s a wide variety of wares — and they’re always changing. They also sell decorative items and some home goods.
“You’re going to get some things here that they no longer have in today’s box stores,” Eshbaugh said. She also said that instead of shopping from a website or chain store, her clients can look over the item they’re purchasing and take it home immediately instead of ordering it.
For would-be shoppers of thrift and antique stores, she suggests flexibility.
“I love it when people think outside the box,” she said.
2748 Leechburg Road, Lower Burrell.
YWCA Thrift Shop in Greensburg
The YWCA has a long history of empowering women in the Greensburg area, and its thrift shop goes a long way toward supporting that mission.
“It’s a little hidden gem, as our customers like to call us,” said Mariah Huff, director of the thrift shop for the past three years.
The shop sells clothes, shoes, accessories, house products, decorations, CDs, knickknacks and other assorted goods at a low cost. While they curate their selection of donations, they work to optimize the store’s wares to be as affordable for the community as possible. They also provide low- and no-cost items for people in the area who are in need.
“We have great donors who provide new donations all the time with tags,” Huff said. “We try to keep our staff and volunteers very organized and diligent about going through everything thoroughly.”
While they focus on clothing for women and kids, Huff said that they sometimes get in unique trinkets and household goods that are a lot of fun to browse for customers.
“You always can find something here,” she added.
221 S. Maple Ave., Greensburg.
Stone Age Collectibles in Greensburg
From collectors to young people just figuring out their sense of style, Stone Age Collectibles in Greensburg is a great place to check out.
Owner Brayden Reott became fascinated by vintage clothes and goods when he started working with a friend a few years ago.
“I realized the quality difference in vintage,” he said.
The store sells a variety of clothing items, but Reott’s favorite things to find and put on the racks are Pittsburgh memorabilia items, sports-related goods and concert T-shirts. He just took on a whole collection of 40 original concert shirts from the 1970s and ’80s that are particularly exciting.
While one would expect a store specializing in collector’s items to be pricey, Reott said that he tries to curate for a wide range of dollar figures.
“I have a $5 rack. I’d say my average sales price is about $20,” he said. “Most of our stuff is in the $15 to $30 range. … My clientele is mostly younger kids.”
“I find some things going back to the 1930s, even the 1920s, completely intact and everything. You’ll go to the stores nowadays and find a shirt that was three, four, five years old and it’s completely falling apart. Nothing’s really made with 100% cotton anymore,” Reott said.
139 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Greensburg.
Better Minds Mission in Garfield
Buying cool clothes for a good cause will always brighten your day, and Better Minds Mission thrift shop is the perfect place to do it. The Garfield store has been open for a little under a year and donates its proceeds to mental health charities in Pittsburgh.
“It means a lot to me,” said Bel Haberberger, manager of Better Minds Mission. “Last month, we donated to Persad (Center), which was awesome. We were donating to Upstreet, for teens’ and young adults’ mental health.”
But the store’s mission doesn’t mean you can’t find great duds at affordable prices.
“There’s people from all walks of life because we’re in the heart of Garfield. It’s important for me to be able to curate clothes for all different types of people,” Haberberger said.
Whether you’re into designers and very fashion-forward or just looking for something comfortable to wear, Better Minds Mission has you covered. They also sell shoes, vinyl, cassette tapes and knickknacks. They have a donation box outside from which Haberberger draws.
“There’s a lady who comes in who collects chicken figurines and things with chickens on them. Sometimes I’ll be like, ‘Oh my gosh, we just got a little chicken figure!’ ” Haberberger said.
5224 Penn Ave., Garfield.
Eons Fashion Antique in Shadyside
One hundred years of fashion await at Eons Fashion Antique in Shadyside, a 40-year-running vintage shop that has amazing pieces from the 1890s to the 1990s. Owner Richard Parsakian has a special fondness for the unusual, artistic and avant-garde.
“That is sort of my world, elevating the arts in Pittsburgh,” Parsakian said.
He concentrates on purchasing things on consignment from the public, all of it from Pittsburgh. If you’re going through your closet or basement and find something you think might catch his eye, you can make an appointment for him to look it over.
“I have a very green, low-carbon-footprint business,” he said. That sustainability is only supported by the older clothes that he chooses to stock.
He’s always excited to see pieces from more artistic designers, including Mugler and Yamamoto. He also has a unique reason for supporting secondhand and vintage shopping.
“We’re always ahead of the curve,” he said. “A lot of designers will always repurpose the idea of vintage.”
The cyclical nature of fashion means that a vintage bolo tie or Western-print dress is just about to come back in style, if it’s ever gone out. “Just look at the red carpet or the runway. All of the starlets are wearing archival vintage,” he said.
5850 Ellsworth Ave., Shadyside.
