Our Secret Sourcing Methods for Vintage Snapbacks and Clothes
One question we get asked a lot at our vintage clothing store is how we acquire some of the items we feature, like the endless vintage snapbacks that no one else can seem to find on the internet. Previously, we would just hop in our time machine and cruise back to clothing stores in the 1990s or famous sporting events to buy vintage apparel. But ever since our plutonium plug got busted, that is no longer an option. So, we had to find other alternatives.
Some of the ways we find and buy vintage clothes may be obvious to you, and you might’ve even used some of these methods yourself. But just in case you were thinking of starting your own vintage snapback and clothing store, or you just don’t believe that we no longer use time travel to acquire all our retro hats, we’re going to spill the beans on how we source our gear.
Thrift stores
One of the first and most obvious ways Snag & Stitch acquires (or has acquired) vintage hats and clothes is by running the racks at thrift stores. Like many of you, our love of retro apparel has existed for a long time, way before Snag & Stitch was even conceived. We used to spend countless hours thumbing through clothing racks looking for those rare finds and unique snags. First, for our own personal use and enjoyment, but then, to stack the shelves at our vintage clothing store. Unfortunately, thrift stores have taken a hit over the course of 2020 and into 2021, so a lot of people, including ourselves, haven’t been frequenting them as much. Luckily, you have us to satisfy all your retro needs!
Craigslist
Believe it or not, Craigslist can be used for more than just creepy middle-aged dudes who want to watch you sleep. It can also be found to buy and sell vintage clothes. Our generation may not think much of the historic classified ads website, but for people in their late 30s and 40s and up, it was, and at times still is, the main way to buy and sell items. Given the fact that people in this demographic were around in the time frame where a lot of our vintage hats and retro clothes come from (the 80s & 90s), this works out very well! Sure, we might come across someone who collects different types of cat hair, but every now and then we will strike gold with an OG trying to clear some inventory from their garage! This brings us to our next sourcing method - yard sales.
Yard sales
We’re not sure if anyone gets excited about garage sales as much as we do. You can find everything from old vinyls or exciting pieces of art, and most importantly, vintage hats and clothes. We might not be flying across the country or cruising neighborhoods looking for flyers on the regular, but when the opportunity presents itself, we will always make an attempt to swing by someone’s yard to see what they’re selling. And we encourage you to do the same! Who knows if you might find a funky new lamp for your apartment or quite possibly, a dope vintage snapback.
Networking
The vintage clothing biz is nothing like the fast food or phone service industry in the sense that competing brands come at each other’s throats any chance they get. And we are very fortunate for that. Throughout the course of Snag & Stitch’s history, we have made relationships and even friendships with a lot of other vintage snapback stores and people who sell retro clothes. We’ve grown into a community of like-minded individuals who all share one common thing - a love for vintage apparel! It is not uncommon for us to buy, sell, and trade with other shops and store owners when one of us finds something we like. It’s how the ball keeps rolling and how we keep our inventory of old school snapbacks and vintage clothes fresh for you all. The best part about it is that although we may be competing with one another, it’s all love, and we all want to see one another do great.
Finding fresh vintage snapbacks and clothes is what we do, and we love every bit of it. But we won’t lie to you, it can become very tedious and at times frustrating. Whether it’s dealing with a shipment of retro hats that turned out to be in lousy condition or haggling over prices with people who might not understand the market, running and supplying a vintage clothing store is no walk in the park. But it’s all worth it when we finally get it into the hands and on the heads of you all, the Snag & Stitch faithful. So as long as you guys keep digging our gear, we’ll keep hunting for vintage snapbacks and clothes, wherever they may be.