Get Thrifty Arc Podcast Host Gives Five Tips for National Thrift Day

Over the past decade, Gen Z has helped to transform thrifting into a $28 billion-dollar industry — one that's as subversive as it is stylish, fighting consumer culture with upcycled fashion and sustainable, eclectic one-of-a-kind pieces. Denver has cashed in on the recycled-clothing wave, establishing itself as a thrift mecca with handfuls of locally owned shops — including Westword's top ten picks — whose offerings range from vintage Western to Y2K heaven.

No one knows the value of the Colorado thrift scene better than Arc marketing director and Get Thrifty podcast host Maggie Scivicque. Scivicque started at Colorado's nonprofit thrift-store chain as the marketing director in 2012 after working at Papa John's for most of her career. "I really wanted to be in the nonprofit space," she says. "It definitely feels better at night to sleep knowing we are helping a lot of amazing people."

In 2016, Arc funded her return to school for an MBA at CSU, where she dabbled in audio content creation. Scivicque and her team used her newly honed podcasting skills to come up with a unique way to connect Arc with a wider range of audiences, and Get Thrifty was born in 2020.

"We started feeling like this younger crowd started shopping us and really saw the value in thrift," Scivicque says. "They care about recycling in a different way. They want to be unique. They don't want to look like everybody else. I know teenagers that wouldn't be caught dead in regular fast fashion. They really want to contribute, so a podcast was really a way to start talking to those people and having a conversation around how cool it is to thrift."
The podcast project was paused when COVID struck months after starting, but Scivicque managed to pick it up again in late 2021. She's spent the past year and a half talking reselling, thrifting travels and sustainable styles with such fashion icons and business owners as Andi Jenkins, Lady Forge and Misty Pate.

Scivicque's passion for thrifting is evident in every episode and is reinforced by the collection of secondhand Dolly Parton memorabilia scattered around her office. "I'm a huge Dolly Parton fan. So that's what I'm always looking for. We end every podcast with a shout-out to Dolly Parton because she is the queen," she says. "I call her my vintage queen. She grew up definitely shopping thrift."

For Scivicque, thrifting is as much about socialization as it is about sustainability. "The people you meet in the thrift store are like nothing else," she emphasizes. "I love chatting with the customers. I love checking out every aisle and finding something unique."

One of her favorite parts about being the Get Thrifty host is discovering the unprecedented international reach her podcast, and Arc thrift stores, have. Scivicque's favorite episode, number 76, is with feature guest Valérie Maout, a French woman who runs a thrift shop benefiting the blind in County Cork, Ireland.

"She had been listening to [Get Thrifty] for a long time, and a family from Colorado walked into her Irish thrift shop," Scivicque recounts. "She could tell by their accents that they were from the United States, and she went, 'Oh, my gosh, do you guys know Arc thrift stores? And of course, they're from Colorado — they do know Arc thrift stores. And she said it inspired her to reach out."

And today, Thursday, August 17, is Scivicque's favorite day: National Thrift Day. In preparation for the nationwide thrifting party, Scivicque shares the top five thrifting tips (a question she used to ask every guest) she's learned from the podcast.

Her first tip might surprise frequent shoppers: Don't have a plan. "It's going to be a treasure hunt. If you go with a list, that's a harder thing to accomplish, so keep an open mind," she says.

Scivicque also recommends walking through every department and hitting every category, from clothing to electronics.

"Number three, don't miss the bottom shelf. ... That bottom shelf is a really special place, and the good stuff often gets buried there," she says, explaining that items that are too heavy or fragile can't be placed on the top shelf.

Scivicque's fourth tip is to be patient and take the time to hit multiple stores — a feat that's easier while shopping at a thrift store that's centrally located.

Finally, she emphasizes the importance of bringing donations when you shop. "Donate at our back doors so you're truly part of the recycling efforts of Colorado. If you're planning to go shop, clean out something from your own closet and bring it when you come," she says.

"The best part of my job is really the people we help," Scivicque concludes. "Our ambassadors are a trip. They're so much fun; I love working with them. We have over 400 people with [intellectual and developmental disabilities] working at our stores, and they're the lifeblood. It's really hard to hate your job when someone with Down syndrome is working next to you and thinks it's the greatest place on Earth."

Click here to download an Arc coupon for $20 off a purchase of $50 or more, valid only on August 17.