by Zack Mink
Thrifting for second-hand clothing has become a hobby and part of the culture for many Cal Poly Humboldt students, making the community an eclectic and stylish one. This combats the destructive industry of fast fashion. At Arcata’s new thrift store, Daydream, you can buy high-quality clothing and make money by clearing out your own closet.
Daydream, is a new buy-sell-trade second-hand clothing store on the corner of 9th and H St. across from the Arcata Plaza. The store provides a space for students and locals to make some cash while discovering a new sense of style. The warm-toned inviting store opened two months ago and is one of three local second-hand clothing stores co-owned by Jayna Nix and Ben Blair. Open seven days a week from noon to 6 p.m., you can go in to buy, sell, or trade any time before 5 p.m. and walk away the same day with cash or store credit.
What makes Daydream unique in comparison to the many other second-hand stores in the area is that they buy everything from the public and provide compensation either with store credit or cash on the spot. This process can be quite quick and is guaranteed to be completed within a single day. The store’s warm, clean, and inviting energy is represented in its curated racks of vintage clothing, rows of used trending shoes, and a wall filled with scented candles and accessories. Styles range from cottage-core to street style to retro and everything in between.
Unlike the duo’s other stores, Redwood Retro and Modern Finds, both in Eureka, Daydream brings a focus to the art, styling, and sustainability of fashionable clothes. Rather than organizing the racks by gender, they are organized by size, style, and even season. This not only represents their push for gender and size inclusivity, but it encourages buyers to be more intentional and thoughtful when purchasing seasonal clothes that will last a lifetime.
The buy-sell-trade business model is also unique as the entire store relies on customers and locals bringing in their clothing to exchange.
“It creates a community hub where people come in, hang out while we go through their clothes and shop,” Nix said.
Daydream’s high standards for buying and trading clothing does highlight a downside of this model, which is that the sizing availability takes a hit when locals don’t have petite or plus-size clothes to bring in.
“We can’t control what people bring to us or the sizes we have… although we want to have more size inclusivity,” Nix said. With this being said, they are always looking for more variety in the sizes that are being traded and sold.
Despite facing challenges curating wide size ranges, Nix’s goal to recycle as much high-quality, sustainable clothing as possible is easily attainable with their buying standards and community support.
“Part of our mission is sustainability and recycling clothing. We try not to accept more
of the fast fashion brands and the buy-sell-trade model creates a space where we can recycle… what we already have,” said Nix.
Rather than buying clothes from fast fashion brands or selling old heirlooms to help partially cover monthly bills, Daydream is the place for students and Arcata locals to step up their style game, be financially responsible in a struggling economy, and stay committed to having a low impact on the environment.
