Hundreds of people lined up outside the strip mall off of Wellborn Road, anxiously awaiting the clock to strike 10 a.m. The chatter slowly began to die out as the time neared closer. 9:58… 9:59… and then, finally, among the silence, the click of a door unlocked as a business opened for the very first time.
On February 23, Graysen Day, owner of Thrift Station, opened the doors to Aggieland’s newest vintage shop. Customers gathered outside for the grand opening — a turnout that took even Day by surprise.
“My expectation was having 50 people in line, but when we opened, there were 300 to 400 people,” Day said. “I was not expecting it to be that big, but it was awesome. I was super happy with it because I put in a lot of hard work.”
Prior to the grand opening, Day, alongside his friend and girlfriend, remodeled, stocked and began marketing the store, during a 20-day set up period.
Over 20 vendors set up outside of his shop for the grand opening thanks to connections he’s made through his other business, Aggieland MarketPlace, which hosts vintage and maker markets in the Bryan-College Station area. Vendors are able to reach out to Days through his social media to reserve a spot in the marketplace.
“I found [Graysen] through Instagram, so I just gave it a try,” Leticia Saldan, owner of Lety’s Findz, said. “I’ve been here a few times this year; it’s been really good.”
Aggieland MarketPlace not only appeared at the grand opening, but the business has also led Day to long-term partnerships with local vendors, such as Preston Swiggart, owner of Swiggy Thrifts Vintage.
Though starting as vendors, the two have developed a friendship, leading Swiggart to play an important role inside of Thrift Station.
“Graysen and I are friends,” Swiggart said. “He wanted to do something special with a whole A&M room, something that people haven’t done before. He was basically like, ‘Hey, I would love for you to come put as much A&M stuff as you want in there and to take a percentage,’ which was super generous.”
The back room of the shop, dedicated to Texas A&M merchandise, will continue to be restocked by Swiggart, helping students rep vintage Aggie apparel.
The opening of Thrift Station had many students pumped not only for A&M clothing but also for the affordable fashion rolling into town.
“I’m excited for the $20 fill-a-bag, and I’m hoping to find some good staples,” mathematics sophomore Torrynce Armstrong said. “I feel like thrifting is a great way just to find clothes that are cheap or clothes that you can’t find anywhere else.”
Armstrong wasn’t the only thrilled student. Animal science senior Jolie Molina-Zaleski looked forward to the new experience with her roommate, Doris.
“We love going to pop-up stuff, so we figured it’d be fun,” Molina-Zaleski said. “I found some cute stuff. I think it’s a cool opportunity for college students who are trying to find some cool stuff while on a budget.”
As a college student, Day understands the struggle of stretching a dollar. His goal is to create a place where students, like himself, could shop affordably while also buying good-quality clothing.
“I try to work with budgets as much as I possibly can,” Day said. “I know for a lot of other stores in town, their price tag is their price. For me, if you come up here, you have a $20 item but you want to do 14, 15 bucks, we can definitely talk about negotiating.”
The low price, high-quality bargain are not the only aspects that Day enjoys. He says a major part of his joy comes from the interactions he sees from behind the counter.
“My favorite part is 100% being about to see people come in here,” Day said. “They’re having fun with their friends. They’re smiling, laughing. They’re looking at cool clothes from the 90s that you can’t even find anywhere else. I like having customers come in and leaving with a smile on their face.”
Day hopes not only to not only please customers, but to create a space where college students can come every weekend, to hang out and enjoy camaraderie among each other.
Between Thrift Station and Aggieland MarketPlace, Day has created an ongoing event: weekly markets.
According to Day, the Bryan-College Station area has a severe lack of secondhand markets. His hope is to create a staple event for vendors and college students to enjoy on the weekends.
“I want to create a place that college students can come to every single weekend,” Day said. “There’s going to be vendors. There’s going to be music. There’s going to be food trucks. I want to create a place for the community.”
