Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect a factual error.
Vntg Sply is a new thrift store in College Station that offers premium clothing to local residents and neighboring communities. It provides a wide selection of clothing, including jeans, graphic tees, stylish hoodies, jackets and sportswear.
Vntg Sply celebrated its grand opening on Oct. 21, promptly opening its doors on South Texas Avenue at 10 a.m. The apparel is handpicked to offer customers top-quality clothing selections for $10 per pound, according to its website. Customers can only shop from Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m to 10 p.m. The College Station location marks its second store, following the first establishment in Houston.
On the morning of its grand opening, about 500 people were in line, business senior and Vntg Sply partner and manager Dylan Soussan said. The first person in line had been there since 3 a.m., Soussan said.
“Today, 90% [of customers] have been students,” Soussan said. “There have been some families that came in, but for the most part, it has been all students. I hope that we target all demographics. I mean, there is no certain demographic that is catered to our clothes.”
On top of the surplus of shoppers, the parking during the opening was full, leading people to carpool together. Despite the long line extending around the block, Soussan said it was gratifying to witness the customers’ satisfaction.
“It was fun seeing people get excited,” Soussan said. “People get the opportunity to get cool stuff. The best part is being able to provide something for a reasonable price.”
Anything that is handpicked, even if it’s worth a lot of money, is placed in the bins because they want to ensure they give their customers a good experience, Soussan said.
Gabrielle Wong, Class of 2023, arrived at the store around midday and said it was less crowded and spacious inside.She said she liked how the employees were around her age and that they would comment when they saw customers find good pieces; Wong likes the process of finding good pieces through the bins, she said
“Everything is not organized and you really have to dig through,” Wong said. “It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt, you never know what you’re going to find. Usually the best stuff is at the bottom. It’s like a little self-prize.”
The thrift store is unlike any other, and Vntg Sply has some major differences compared to neighboring thrift stores, pre-surgical tech sophomore Adin Flores said
“When I thrift, I usually go to Goodwill and other places like Plato’s Closet,” Flores said. “This place is different because it has bins, and it’s more open with more clothes for everybody.”
