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7 Reasons Thrifting is worth it With Noa Deane and Brendon Gibbens

Brendon Gibbens thrifting what youth
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No one just hands you Looney Tunes sweatshirts and vintage mom jeans to wear to Dane’s Loaded premiere (as Noa Deane did). You have to dig, scrap and hunt — sucker in mouth — battling hipsters, crazy aunts, aggro pickers and cigar-smoking old men at thrift stores and swap meets to find those types of treasures. And while many will write this off as a “hipster” pursuit (again, good luck with that bitter existence), the simple reality is that you can find rare, authentic, well-made things for really cheap. Noa debated a black velvet blazer for 20 minutes before passing and then moving on to a $150 original Nirvana shirt which he ultimately passed on as well (it helps to have some restraint too). And while you’ll see a heap of worthless consumerism gone stale, sometimes, buried deep in the graveyard of bad purses, stained Ninja Turtle tee shirts and broken mirrors is a magical piece worth giving a new home.

7 reasons to get to the swap meet, starring Brendon Gibbens and Noa Deane.

1. You can find good denim: Denim ages well. And I swear to God you can find a pair of jeans pulled straight off Kurt Cobain’s thrashing knee at these stores.

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2. Frames and mirrors: A good frame or a good mirror should look like it’s already lived through at least one medieval period. Home Depot and modern furniture stores can’t come close to offering a mirror that the wicked queen once spoke to.

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3. It goes great after a few beers: Truth be told, it’s hard to convince yourself of buying some of this shit without a cold beer to get your wallet out. Your negotiating skills will greatly improve as well.

4. Girls love it: If you’ve exhausted all your local bars, annoyed every hostess in town, it may be time to change your approach. And much the same way finding something rad in all the clutter, there’s a good chance you’re going to see some of America’s hottest hipsters strolling the aisles looking for vintage sunnies and rings. Say hi, ask for some advice. Buy them a beer.

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5. The cameras: We get asked a lot about what cameras we use, and truth is, most of them we find at swap meets and thrift stores. They all fire off unique things. They break. Come back to life. Ruin film. And then every once in a while, they shoot a photo that means something. “I always look for cameras and gear at these markets,” Brendon said. “High end and cheap end, it’s all there.”

6. You’ll get inspired: Brendon spent about 15 minutes going through bins of random family and vacation photos from the ’30s that some vendor had been collecting and got psyched to do a project with them.

7. It makes you hungry: Noa finished the day with a 4×4 with cheese from In ‘n’ Out and a hail Mary before his 13-hour flight later that day. Successful day in the shops.

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