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Be a Seed For Change, Seattle, WA

Keeping all names confidential ...

I went on my 2nd buy this last week and to be quite honest - to scope out what other small business owners of "thrift" are selling etc. I set out to compare, contrast and buy but what I found was surprising, a bit disappointing. I live in an area that could cross the line of middle  toward upper middle class.

 Therefore, I was not sure what price point I would be facing.  I was looking forward to going to my favorite 2nd hands, but i only went to four shops as one of the most popular went out of business right around the 2008 economic crisis and other; the biggest and the oldest in my area decided they were done with the whole 2nd hand business and had great stuff and prices ... 

I parked my car ready to be amazed but was overcome by the smell and ok, yes 2nd hand does mean an acceptance of 2nd hand odors and this shop has great vintage items like women'shats dated 2012 - back to 1920. They had some luggage too but then they decided to dedicate a whole section to very new trendy items that were very ethnic and very expensive separated from the thrift side.  I found most of my own comparable 2nd Act items were competitive or in slightly better shape and of course as a vintage shop, they offered a wide range from that house dress look some of our moms probably wore to some very beautiful vintage jewelry.  I spotted some sheet music but that was not on the list. So, I walked a few blocks down to what used to be a favorite 2nd hand shop for designer clothes because of the abundance for smaller sized women and it was packed though like the 1st shop, it was in transition with a tag sale making room for recent donations.  good golly the smell!

  I looked at my phone and had to get going, the walk down to a very small store was wonderful as the weather was just as fabulous as the metro parking space ... free. I admit I drive past this store all the time but the hours are not usually conducive as they have limited weekday hours.  It was open thank goodness though sort of dark as most of the clothes are black gray and white but in a good way, since I wear a lot of black white and red etc. the biggest issue was size and not that the clothes weren’t great but the sizing just did not seem accurate for the prices as all sales were final , sometimes the risk works out, but ...  I took a pass at the last one.

It was a great morning to go hunting for deals and great surprises and while I came home without a 2nd hand item I did find out that one of my favourite markets moved across the street and has so much more to choose from and parking, it was insane and wonderful.

it was not a failed trip by any means.

So, after a couple of hours of an eye opening experience … safe to say everything at www.beaseedforchange.org offers is clean, fresh fab finds, not tried on by hundreds of people and we are not against negotiating our prices.

Sometimes bigger is not always better and more inventory isn't either unless of course it's about furniture, tiles and kitchen stuff ... actual household items then that feeling comes over me ... heavenly 

stay tuned as there are more buy trips to come

Be a Seed for Change

Buying from Be a Seed for Change makes you a part of our movement to ... Recycle Reuse Reclaim Reduce - The amount of materials going into Landfill and our Eco-Footprint

Second hand or flea market shopping has been in the news a lot lately, but as folks join the movement to keep material out of landfills or reduce our eco-footprint some push buy made in the US of A others believe reusing is best. However, the idea of wearing toxic fashions let alone recycling it is a disturbing thought given what we know and at the end of the day, it always seems to go back to making that dollar dollar 

There are a few who do 2ndhand because of financial issues, some wear it for personal reasons  and even more who are on that path toward total sustainable living, but as a whole 2nd hand, up-cycling or Eco-friendly seem like great names but being ethically stylish? I guess that means intentionally buying, wearing, devoting your dollar dollars to sustainably made only. The fact is …it is a lot tougher than folks think. Have you looked at your labels? The dictionary states that being ethical means acting in an ethical manner from an ethical point of view.  Again, the fact is being “ethically stylish” is almost a mission impossible.

Before you say she needs more education don't get me wrong.  I definitely get being “ethically stylish,” "acting with intent" but when store buyers, the fashion industry and whatnot go out of their way to use cheap labor and or toxic material being ethical demands that the industry cooperate. Unfortunately, this fight is just beginning. I have bought and overpaid for a dress or two; tried buying American made only as well, but found myself buying because of the cute factor first then finding out later that it was not made in the US of A or out of sustainable material, which definitely offends the “ethically stylish “code.  The fact is fashion corporations decided outsourcing was more cost effective, cheap material maybe not sustainable meant more for the money;  remember when big name models, entertainment folks and designers were caught using sweatshops. I know Levis are made both in the US as well as imported, believe me 501's are my favorite but the prices can be insane though more sustainable. I buy them.

Lately, I have to say hearing the fashion industry in all its forms, say they are selling or being more ethically stylish is frustrating.  There are reports of companies and brands, which sell USA, made, but may among others in the industry possibly be using toxic materials, which made the giant move toward 100% Organic, Natural or Sustainable take several giant steps backward.  We need to buy and sell local, but again, almost a mission impossible as" Made in America" is not only more expensive the labels are far and few these days , the material is often blended with stuff we cannot pronounce . The history of the fashion industry and American Made is definitely a love hate thing as designers and stars back in the day were wearing fabulous clothes rarely found on the racks, only to find out they were actually getting their clothes made in some well-known and unknown countries ...  and sustainable; probably not.

Yes, "Made in the USA" faded out to a blank whiteboard and the NYC garment district was but a memory for quite a while. There were some great “Where and what are they doing now" shows with older "go to" fashion designers, clothiers stating the fabric just is not the same nor are the people. The opportunity to make more clothes with cheap labor & material seemed to have become addictive and the image of what was going on in those countries is not good.   Fashion is a work in progress, but learning that unfair labor practices and or that companies are producing great looking garments, but possibly using toxic material in 2013 is sad given all that has happened to the industry over the last fifteen years or so. Thus, making it tough to be ethical let alone wear fashion that is ethically stylish or sustainable.

I believe in reuse reclaim repurpose redecorate  and reduce ... which keeps all material out of landfills 

beaseedforchange.org

The calendar says Spring and sure enough it feels like it some days , right around 3pm if the sun is out  which lasts about 4hrs and as the sun goes down the temps seem to drop quickly and if you are not layering or have a coat then you will be miserable. Today, the drizzle became an all out down pour with dark skies then the rain stopped the clouds cleared and the sun came out while the temps pushed upward to upper 50's ... not bad if you live in Washington State.

So, why all the weather talk?

It's Spring in the Emerald City and while layering is a thang, there are some favs ... well, my favs ~