Second-hand shops have come a long way since the old-school Goodwill store, with places ready to sell you a new frock at a budget price, or help you clean out your closet and make a few bucks.

Buying second-hand has become increasingly popular, especially among younger shoppers (whom retailers care about the most), with sales growing dramatically in the past five years. Online sites like Poshmark and The Real Real, with their high-fashion goods, have helped to validate the idea of buying used, and also show that vintage clothing can often be better made, more interesting, and more individualistic than conventional stores. Designers often revive retro eras from the past — why not just buy the original version?

There's also a rising awareness of how eco-unfriendly the apparel industry is. According to FairPlanet, the fashion industry emits global carbon emissions, and is the second-largest consumer of water. The biggest waste: 85 percent of all textiles go to dumps each year.

All of these factors combined — sustainability, a reverence for past decades, a desire to be more individualistic, and the smart-shopper drive to save money — make a strong case for buying used.

Plus: It's fun! Scavenging through racks of clothes and stumbling across that perfect one-of-a-kind piece can feel like a treasure hunt, with the happy ending that you're giving that garment, tossed aside by its previous owner, a new home.

These Fort Worth shops represent a variety of vendors, from high-fashion resale to charitable shops where your goods and dollars go toward people in need.

2nd Street USA, Inc.
Newest outlet on the Dallas-Fort Worth resale scene is this Japanese luxury consignment brand, which is preparing to open at the Foch Street Warehouses in the West 7th St corridor. Founded in Japan in 1996, the chain made their U.S. debut in 2018 on hip Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, and is now found on top shopping streets in California, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas, including Deep Ellum, Greenville Avenue, and Frisco. They're known for unique and hard-to-find fashion items, including rare and ultra-trendy inventory from Japan.

Berry Good Buys
Owned and operated by SafeHaven since 1988, Berry Good Buys has a charitable component: Women and children in shelter and other SafeHaven programs can shop at the store at no cost — whether they need furniture for their new apartment, clothing for an interview, or shoes for their children after fleeing home in the middle of the night. For the rest in search of a good deal, 100 percent of the proceeds give safety to survivors. It's an old-school thrift store set up like a department store with furniture, books, kitchen gear, clothes.
1701 W. Berry St. 817- 921-2793

Family Thrift
FTC is a Texas-wide chain with stores in Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Brownsville — and DFW, including Arlington, Garland, Balch Springs, and a new one that just opened on Hulen Street. Their stores have a massive inventory, with thousands of ever-changing used clothing items at hugely-discounted, like Goodwill-level, prices. Nothing stays organized so it's a real hunt, but fans say that finding the random designer gem is part of the fun. Some locations also stock household items, toys, and books.
5026 S. Hulen St. 817-921-9971

Iota Modern Vintage
Iota was founded by Carolyn Young, who previously sold second-hand goods out of a a stand in an antique mall in Glen Rose before opening this storefront in 2023. Her merchandise includes vintage high-fashion goods and she follows the season, stocking sweaters during the winter, party wear for the holidays, and date dresses in time for Valentine's Day. She also has home décor items, and will buy as well as sell.
4914 Camp Bowie Blvd. 682-250-2330

The Ladder Alliance Success Store
Longtime Fort Worth nonprofit that helps women re-enter the workforce operates the Success Store, which offers business-appropriate clothing for job interviews and work. They accept women's professional business attire, shoes, handbags, and accessories to give to their students and clients of local partner organizations. After a months-long closure for renovations, the newly redesigned Success Store officially will reopen February 1.
1100 Hemphill St. (at the One Safe Place building). 817-834-2100

Plato's Closet
Ohio-based chain founded in 1998 buys and sells gently used clothes, shoes, and accessories. Unlike some chains who will only buy for the current season, they buy for all seasons, and they do not require an appointment. Each location is individually owned and operated, so the merchandise and vibe varies from store to store. They favor the mid-range youth-oriented brand names that sell best such as Urban Outfitters, Free People, Tory Burch, Coach, Levi's, and Nike. Among their 10 locations across DFW are two in Fort Worth.
Two in Fort Worth: Alliance at 9120 North Freeway #230, and west Fort Worth at 4625 Donnelly Ave #113

Uptown Cheapskate
Utah-based chain founded in 2008 is similar to Plato's Closet: They sell trendy fashions, from Kate Spade sandals to to Zara jeans; styles skew slightly younger and more female. They allow shoppers to buy, sell, or trade clothes for cash or trade, with the higher percentage going for in-demand brands like Lululemon and Free People. They have more than a dozen locations in DFW with an especially big presence in Tarrant County including Fort Worth's Hulen Fashion Center, Burleson, Arlington, Euless, Mansfield, Watauga, and (coming soon) Lake Worth.
5230 S. Hulen St. 817-292-2227