Walking through the big red door I was astonished to see the amount of unique items that were inside this store. From vintage clothing to antique dishware, The Red Door consignment store was packed with unique items with all types of price tags. 

The front door creaked open, the smell of wood and aged fabric filled my heart with nostalgia. I was quickly brought back to the moment as the owner, Sharon Kangas, greeted me in her store. 

I slowly guided myself through the precisely cluttered, homey store, admiring the range of items and prices.  

The ambiance was something warm — like grandma's house on Christmas Eve.  There was something there for everyone to enjoy. There were kids' clothes hanging from the ceiling and nursing scrubs hanging from the bathtub. 

Ten years ago, the store was a home until Kangas purchased it and set her dream into motion. 

Kangas describes herself as a jack of many trades. She is often changing careers and learning new skills. Her careers varied from cosmetology to real estate, but most of her life was dedicated to childcare. She was an early-education teacher and a nursing teacher. She even ran an at-home childcare center for 20 years.” I have always just enjoyed doing different things,” Kangas said. 

“The retail business is in our blood,” Kangas said. Many of her family members own and work 

out of their own retail stores across the state. 

As her retirement creeps up on her she expresses her enjoyment working and owning the store for the past ten years. She has a deep connection with all of the items that come and go through The Red Door. Kangas especially loves when young people share that love for vintage items. 

According to Popular Science.com, “Thrift shopping may have once been on the to-do list of people in poverty or otherwise on tight budgets, a rise in eco-conscious thinking and the tempting price tags of second-hand goods has caused young people to pop to their nearest charity shops.”

Second-hand stores weren’t always trendy. It started as a “charity shop” in England. People would donate their clothes and other necessities to help the visually impaired people in their community. It wasn’t until 1897 that the Salvation Army was born.

This once-degrading shopping experience has flipped into a viral trend. Now, the term thrifting came into the conversation to be more cost-efficient, sustainable and fashionable.

The thrifting culture has changed drastically over time. You have people looking for certain tags or brands of vintage clothing, books, furniture, glassware, home decor — the list goes on.

Duluth has over 20 second-hand stores. The thrifting culture in Duluth is a hobby or lifestyle for many different types of people. Thrifters range from elders to students. The only credential you need is the love for vintage and a good deal. 

A couple blocks down from The Red Door Is Dannie Duluth. These women have vastly different stories but share the same love for timeless items. 

Walking through Dannie Duluth was something similar to The Red Door. The space was so packed with clothing you had to have a game plan before entering —otherwise, you might be overwhelmed. The ceiling was lined with old suitcases and the walls were plastered with her most unique clothing pieces. Though Dannie Duluth wasn’t once a home, it still has that nostalgic feeling. 

Danielle Langguth always had an eye for fashion. When Dannie Duluth opened its doors 25 years ago they were “successful right from the first day we opened,” Langguth said. “Right now we have over 10,000 consignors. People who consign here get money for things they don’t use anymore, so it’s a win-win.”

Langguth is from a small town in Canada. She worked at a fishing lodge cutting grass and cleaning cabins. “It was not my style,” Langguth said. While she was bored and unsatisfied working there, she knew she was destined for something bigger. 

 Langguth started her fashion journey in Santa Cruz, California. Coming from a small town in Canada, this was a big change for her. After being exposed to the abundance of consignment stores there, she realized she loves getting deals on fashionable clothes. 

So in 1999, she decided to pick a town close to the border and open her own consignment store. She packed the biggest U-Haul truck she could afford filled with her collection of vintage clothing she bought in California. Langguth and her sisters traveled across the country with a packed U-Haul truck and a dream.

Langguth decorated her store with huge signs that read “Consignment from California!” On her first day, she sold over $5,000 worth of merchandise.

As time went on, she started to appreciate the sustainability of consignment stores. “It’s all about recycling here and getting a really good deal,” Langguth said. “More people are starting to become more educated about the fact that it’s so good for the environment.”

Today, fast fashion from online shopping is taking over. As seasonal trends are ever changing, companies have been producing more clothes than ever before. According to SustainableDiscovery.com, online stores like Shein, Temu and Amazon are selling tons of clothes that take years to decompose, which adds to environmental pollution.

By shopping at second-hand stores, you can give a new life to used clothing and limit the amount of waste going in landfills. So, thrift shopping allows us to recycle and reuse clothing, instead of turning it into waste.

 Your love for vintage can save the environment.