Within five minutes of campus, the North Country offers multiple options for thrifting. Right in downtown Canton, there are two thrift stores across from each other.
The Church and Community Program operates the Second Chance Thrift Shop at 7 Main Street and is open 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The St. Lawrence University Rotaract club volunteers at the store on Wednesdays and Fridays. They help with sorting, pricing, tagging and organizing new donations, as well as volunteering at the connected food pantry that distributes to eligible citizens from surrounding towns.
Second Chance is always shifting through inventory to get rid of what’s not selling and off-season items to make room for new donations, so it is easy to find different things each time you go. Sometimes they even reduce their already low prices and may have special deals on Wednesdays. You can find almost anything if you look closely.
Right across the hall is the St. Mary’s Thrift Store, so you can hop between the two shops for even more choices. There are also thrift stores in Potsdam.
An even closer thrifting option is located right on campus, in a barn behind the Java House. The Barn Good Thrift Store sells mostly student donations or items that have been left behind, for only a few dollars.
It also reduces waste on campus because it encourages students to bring their old clothes to the store instead of throwing them away. And it is helpful to a college student budget because of the affordable prices, especially if you need something on short notice and do not have time or money for shipping.
This store is open daily, and the hours are available on their Facebook page and in SLUwire emails. This is a great place to get some inexpensive (and maybe even vintage) SLU merchandise because you can always find some scarlet and brown shirts on the racks.
Thrifting is a really great way to shop for many reasons, including the positive environmental impact, as millions of pieces of clothing become waste each year. Not only can people donate their old clothes to thrift stores to prevent adding to the large amount of trash, but purchasing used pieces means that less new clothing will be added to the planet’s waste. Many thrift stores also recycle clothes that are never purchased when clearing out their inventories, which most large retailers do not.
Also, when purchasing items from thrift stores, retailers who may use sweatshops in other countries or have factories with extensive amounts of pollution do not benefit from the sale. Usually, like at the stores in Canton, proceeds from thrift stores go to charities and benefit the local community. Overall, thrifting is good for your budget and the planet.