Feature Story

(DENTON, Texas- Sept. 16, 2021)  Fast fashion is a fad that is polluting the planet with destructive emissions. The best way to avoid contributing to this harmful industry is through sustainable clothing shops. 

Salvage Secondhand Shoppe, located off the Historic Denton square, is a pre-owned clothing store that focuses on sustainability and community resources.  

Walking in the space unveils racks of brightly-colored clothing with unique patterns and tables filled with crisp blue jeans ready for a new home. An orange wall with a big green recycling symbol painted shows exactly what this business represents.  Owner Juliana Di Gennaro started thrifting back when she was in high school and found a passion for these pre-owned clothes. 

“I quickly found a love for finding unique pieces and I found my sense of individuality,” explains Di Gennaro. “When I would shop at fast fashion places I would end up seeing people wearing the same items.” 

When it was time to buy different clothing, Di Gennaro couldn't just give away her great finds. Instead, she listed them on Depop, a popular fashion app, with hopes of finding another appreciative owner. 

In February 2020, a booth at the Downtown Mini Mall opened up and Di Gennaro took this opportunity to sell her pieces in person. Sadly, the pandemic shut down this business not even a month later. 

A different opportunity arose in December of last year when Circa 77 was having a closing sale. The pandemic hit this vintage clothing shop hard, and it could no longer stay in business - leaving an available space where it once stood. 

Di Gennaro took the chance to carry on the legacy of this 15-year-old store. She bought the exact space where Circa 77 stood and converted it to Salvage. The secondhand store opened its doors in February 2021. 

Walking into Salvage reveals a vast array of clothing, from blue jeans to sweatshirts and items that look like they belong in a different decade. Anything from wide-legged flare pants, multi-colored tweed trousers, to silky soft button-ups fill the shelves and are all ready for a new home. 

There are no marked sections for men or women’s clothing within the store. Di Gennaro believes clothing has no gender.  “Anybody can wear anything as long as they feel good in it,” she says. “We are coming into a world where people can be whoever they want to be and I feel like it’s unfair for us to make them feel like they have to be a certain way.”  

The community’s well-being is very important to Salvage and what it believes in. Each month the “Small Wall” is updated, a shelf set with different products all produced by other small businesses in the area. Here are sets of funky earrings, hand-knit face masks and other crafted items by multiple creators.  

On the wall across from this section is where the art gallery is located. Here different artists and their work are featured each month. 

This part of Salvage is very important to Di Gennaro because of her first-hand experience with the difficulty of solely selling online.  

Another one of the business’s strong beliefs is sustainability. This means avoiding fast fashion and focusing on giving used clothing a new life.  

The Office for Social Responsibility of the China National Textile and Apparel Council found that “More than 50% of fast fashion clothes will be discarded within one year of purchase.”  

Salvage works against fast fashion effects by recycling clothing and giving items a second home. 

Racks are squeaking with moving hangers and feel-good songs play as someone finds the next unique piece to add to their collection. Unlike a normal clothing shop experience, everything is handpicked for its individuality and ready to go to a new home.