The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: thrift stores

  • Krave: an inclusive thrift

    Krave: an inclusive thrift

    by Zack Mink

    The neon green storefront and addictive beats of classic 90s hits pull you in first. Taking a step inside, you can choose a colorful basket to fill with local art, food and toiletries from the mutual aid pantry, and affordably priced clothes. After spending ten dollars, you spin the prize wheel and win an extra 10% off your entire purchase. This is the experience you can expect at Arcata’s new curated thrift store, Krave. 

    Krave is located at 1073 H Street in downtown Arcata, open Wednesday-Sunday, providing clothing and nicknacks at accessible prices along with mutual aid support for those in need. 

    “The agreement we have made… is I’m going to charge fair prices for these things so that they can go to other members of our community,” said Kai Flores, the owner of Krave. 

    Flores designed Krave to specifically cater to queer people, plus-size people, students, and “underprivileged folk.” It’s a place Flores says they would have wanted when they were younger. Now, they get to live out their dream, providing the safe space they would have wanted as a kid, for others.

    “My goals for Krave are to make it a safe space and for people to feel like they’ve found their community,” said Flores. 

    Along with providing a safe space for young queer people, Krave is a safe space for people in need. This is why Flores always has a stocked mutual aid pantry filled with food, blankets, hygiene products, drug test kits, and other essential goods. Flores prioritizes this because they want everyone to have a shopping experience even with no money to spend. Especially with the prominent unhoused population, this thoughtful addition is something that is not common but is very helpful for those in the area. 

    Photo by Zack Mink | Krave mutual aid pantry

    Another aspect of shopping that Flores has changed is the organization. In order to truly create a safe space where anyone can be comfortable, all of the clothing is organized by size or color. This avoids using gender labels and allows anyone to comfortably try on any piece of clothing, bringing a new level of inclusivity to shopping. 

    In addition to a gender-inclusive shopping experience, Krave is size-inclusive. The plus size section is as expansive as the straight size section giving everyone the same variety of second-hand clothing.

    “Same size, same amount of cool stuff,” Flores said proudly.

    As Krave continues to grow, Flores plans on expanding the community support that they provide. Flores hopes to become a vending space for occasional pop-ups highlighting local small businesses, and plans on hosting more events establishing a safe space for queer people. 

    As Flores reflects on their journey as a queer person and business owner in Humboldt County, they appreciate how far they have come and how much they can now help others grow.

    “I love the fact that every day I see a bunch of queer kids come into my store, coming to life because they can just be themselves,” said Flores. “They’re respected, they’re loved… they’re celebrated.”

  • Thrifty Arcata

    Taking a tour of the local thrift shops in Arcata during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Directed and produced by Skylar Gaven.

  • Fashion Forward: Halloween Style

    Fashion Forward: Halloween Style

    Secondhand stores and DIY costumes make great options for spooky season

    Any secondhand store can acknowledge that people don’t wear costumes for just one night, they recycle and reuse the pieces for other occasions and sometimes even the next year’s Halloween.

    At the intersection of 11th and H Streets in downtown Arcata sits Vintage Avenger. This vintage boutique sells primarily secondhand items. Walking into the shop, you may be surprised to see some of the treasures hidden within.

    Behind the counter sits the owner, Nancy Tobin, who says that people in Humboldt like their costumes to be more unique than the plastic packages you may get from a superstore.

    “People don’t really like ready made costumes anymore,” Tobin said. “They kinda like pieces they can wear, like ethically sourced items you can wear for other occasions, not just specifically for a costume.”

    Vintage Avenger can be your first stop in finding a costume for Halloween. They have some items you can wear as everyday fashion, too. | Photo by Rachel Marty

    Ready made costumes, the ones packaged in plastic and sold in stores, are generally designed to match and work together as a unit. This makes the individual pieces of the outfits harder to reuse and style with other items.

    “We try to be as much into recycling as we can,” Tobin said. “Anything gold, silver, sparkly sells fast.”

    Vintage Avenger’s racks are stuffed with up-cycled pieces, fur coats and exotic dresses, and the racks tie in to the extravagant patterns that decorate the walls of the store.

    Tobin said her concept of up-cycling costumes causes her to arrange the store accordingly and make decorative pieces visible to the daily shopper.

    Humboldt State student Jennyfer Bonfil said her costume this year will be mixed of up-cycled materials and new purchases.

    “I am going to be a DIY version of Mother Nature,” Bonfil said. “I shopped at Forever 21 online and SCRAP [Humboldt] for my costume.”

    Another college student, Rose Meyers says she made an effort to not go shopping this year.

    “I’m going to be one of the PowerPuff girls with my roommates,” Meyers said. “And we’re making [the costumes] ourselves.”

    Shopping locally is great way to support the community and local economy, but online shopping is another option to look for costumes if you intend to buy. Ordering online can be perfect for simple basics such as blank t-shirts and tank tops that you may need to build your DIY costume, but you can often find entire pieces if you look for them.

    When buying online, be cautious about sizing and cheaply made items. Also make sure to consider the shipping cost and time factors. In general, companies can send items within five to seven days, but if you need something expedited, expect shipping cost to increase for one to two day shipping.

    While cost can be a priority, especially for college students, make sure you’re purchasing from reliable places. Sometimes you can get lucky and find something that closely resembles a more expensive version of pieces found in-stores, but understand that there are drawbacks to cheap costs and cheap clothing.

    With Halloween just over a week away, now is the time to get those costumes together. So shop around, check out a few local shops, make something out of clothes you already own to lessen the stress on the environment and your wallet, or buy online for a (possibly) quick fix. Whichever you choose, remember to respect people and cultures, be safe and have fun.