You're listening to life kit from NPR.
It's 2016.
I'm on hour three at a thrift store.
The fluorescent lights are bouncing off the white walls of the changing room.
I'm sweating, vision is blurry, and I'm losing steam.
Nothing humbles you quite like the experience of thrift shopping for jeans.
And then finally, the last pair I try on, she was it.
High waisted mom Jean, medium blue wash, really good denim quality.
Perfect fit.
Like a treasure hunt.
And that's why I love thrifting.
That's Mary Jacobs.
She's based in New Orleans, Louisiana.
She loves thrifting so much, she made a career out of it as a secondhand stylist.
So people pay her to go thrifting for them.
I'm a lifelong thrifter.
I've been thrifting since I was a kid.
My mom's been a thrifter her whole life, too.
And it's like an adventure, you know, I love finding something and seeing another life for it.
There are a lot of reasons people thrift.