Arriving at the doors of Eco Thrift, Spanish teacher Gabriel Hernandez browses through the aisles with care, hoping to find a unique item to add to his collection. He keeps an eye out for toys to sell to his students with stamps during tutorial; excitement washing over him at the thought of coming across a rare toy.
After long days of teaching, Hernandez has grown fond of thrifting and appreciates it as a relaxing way to unwind. He usually shops at thrift stores near his house, such as Goodwill, Community Thrift and Eco Thrift, routinely going Tuesday through Thursday. He finds it therapeutic, allowing him to walk around and exercise from sitting most of the day.
“It’s a great way of forgetting about teaching all day,” Hernandez said. “It helps me get my mind off of a difficult day, and thrifting is a great way to forget about your worries.Buying vintage toys from thrift stores brings back memories of when I was a young child, and reminds me of a time when my life was simpler and worry free.”
When thrifting for his kids, he looks for whatever they request, such as school supplies or clothing. He aims to find trendy items to pique his students’ interest when shopping for them to sell with the point system he has. In his Spanish classes he has an extra stamp system that allows his students to buy his thrifted items by trading it with a stamp. Although he thrifts for others, he especially enjoys shopping for himself.
“When I’m looking for toys that I collect, then it gets exciting,” Hernandez said. “You get there with the anticipation, hoping to find a vintage toy from the 70s or 60s worth a million dollars. My favorite thing about thrifting is that I can find things like a 1977 Star Wars figure that you cannot find at Target, Walmart or any other store.”
Thrifting has taught Hernandez how to value someone else’s trash as his treasure. He loves seeing vintage figures and researching the items he is purchasing, finding it fascinating to learn about their history. He enjoys learning about unexpected information that isn’t typically taught in school or considered basic knowledge.
“You learn about the history of factories and companies. When I find a toy, I’ll do research. If I find a vintage Hot Wheels from 1969, I’ll research when it was made, who made it? Who was the designer? It’s interesting to learn all those things because those are things that you would not learn [normally],” Hernandez said.
Hernandez started his thrift shopping journey when he was younger after he came to the United States from Mexico. Since his family was in a new country, they resorted to thrifting to save money. At first, Hernandez was embarrassed about having to thrift but grew to like it because of the amazing memories he had created.
“I feel like everyone has joined me,” Hernandez said. “You know all these kids are going out looking for clothes. Thrifting is cool now, but when I was a kid, it was almost shameful.”
Hernandez has collected many different items throughout his thrifting journey, from Hot Wheels to Vintage Power Rangers, Ninja Turtles and GI Joe action figures. He takes pride in his collection and hopes to expand it whenever he shops.
“It takes a lot of effort to find vintage figures, so when you find something, it brings happiness and pride to [my] collection. I value everything I have now and don’t just purchase things to purchase,” Hernandez said. “I think you have to be passionate [about thrifting] because it takes a lot of work, dedication and time. You have to be persistent, passionate and patient.”
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