Second-Hand clothing in Oxford: Exploring Oxford’s thrift stores

For second-hand clothing and fabric options, Oxford prides itself on two locations unique to Oxford, on top of the commonly-found chain Goodwill. Thread Up Oxford and Uptown Threads support local, second-hand sales with good prices for distinctive finds. Although all of these stores fall within a one-mile radius of each other, many students aren’t aware of the options.

Isabella Tracey, a first-year political science major, said she goes to Goodwill at least once a month but was surprised to hear there were other second-hand stores in Oxford.

“I thought Goodwill was [the only one],” Tracey said.

Shoppers looking for other options can check out these local thrift stores for novel and gently used finds.

Goodwill

203 S Locust St

Located near Kroger, Goodwill is a chain store and the largest and most well-known thrift store in Oxford. Since its opening in 2009, the store has sold infant to adult-sized clothes that are individually priced per item, usually ranging from $1 to $10.

Three walls of the store are covered in trinkets, appliances, books and more, with fitting rooms located in the back corner. The store is used by community members and students alike, and frequently has a multitude of customers at any given time.

Thread Up Oxford

5156 College Corner Pike

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Thread Up Oxford, located in the plaza next to Wendy’s, is a textile store, rather than the usual clothing store. Founded in 2021, the store has been helping upcycle Oxford. The small interior is bright, and lining shelves overflow with rainbows of second-hand yarn covering the walls.

Volunteers work diligently with Shana Rosenburg, executive director and founder of Thread Up. The team sorts through hundreds of pounds of shapewear and women's undergarments to be upcycled or donated to multiple charities in town.

Although the store is alive with volunteers and staff, many customers seem to miss it. This could be because of the store’s tucked-away location.

Thread Up also owns and operates Uptown Threads.

Uptown Threads

127 W Church St

Uptown Threads, located behind Circle K, is the home of Thread Up Oxford’s second-hand clothing store. The shop opened last fall. The packed store is dimly lit and filled with rows and rows of clothing. The store gets a limited customer turnout, despite having lower prices than Goodwill. The store’s items are priced by category for the most part, with most items sitting between $1 and $6.

rothra2@miamioh.edu