ThriftCon touched down at the Brooklyn Storehouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Aug. 1, pulling vintage hunters from across the United States into a hall packed with more than 150 vendors selling clothing, vinyl records, collectibles and more. Inside, the industrial space played out like an upscale flea market, with shoppers digging through racks of reworked Carhartt jackets, bins of Pokémon cards and tables of handmade jewelry.
The stop marked the convention's return to New York City, and it drew shoppers who had traveled well beyond the five boroughs to reach the Navy Yard, according to amNewYork. The day also included musical performances from Petey Pablo, Lil' Flip and Nappy Roots, giving the vendor floor a concert-like energy between sales pitches.
Vintage Jackets Remade From Wartime Duffel Bags
Among the vendors, Alexander Zdroyevski, a self-taught upcycled fashion stylist featured in ThriftCon's Creator Corner, brought a lineup of Carhartt jackets rebuilt from military duffel bags, per the outlet's report. Some of the duffel material dated back to World War II and still carried its original stencils, and the finished jackets came in a wide range of colors that blended military textiles into wearable streetwear.
Nearby, Personal Fears sold handmade stainless-steel jewelry, while Orlando-based Grant's Vintage Shop stocked Pokémon cards, rare magazine covers, action figures and Disney items, including a 1969 Snoopy figure dressed in an astronaut suit, according to the same account. Grant, the shop's owner, said the goal is to be a one-stop shop for vintage toys and collectibles.
Shoppers Traveled From Florida For Bargain Bins And Grails
Fashion designer Dray, who is based in New York, said she learned about the convention through Instagram and likes that ThriftCon lets her track down unique pieces while supporting vendors directly, the outlet reported. Another attendee, who goes by InsightfulFinds, drove all the way from Florida just to shop the Brooklyn stop.
Get Some Greens decorated its corner of the Storehouse with lime-green rugs and tablecloths, while a separate section stacked giant blue buckets full of budget-friendly clothing for bargain hunters. That split between cheap racks and pricier grails tracks with the event overall: attendee surveys show most ThriftCon purchases land between $10 and $50, though rare finds can fetch several hundred dollars or more, according to ThriftCon.
Panels And Curated Zones Rounded Out The Floor
Beyond the shopping, the convention featured a panel on career building in the creative space, with Jordan Brand collaborator Aleali May, model Kitty Lever and SIV founder Sierra Rena joining moderator and journalist Bree Walker, according to ThriftCon's event schedule. The floor also included curated zones such as Club Y2K, organized with vintage curator Emma Rogue around 2000s womenswear brands, and The Vault, a section devoted to rare graphic tees.
From A Denver Parking Lot To A Ten-City Tour
ThriftCon got its start in 2018, when co-founders Mario "Mars" Conte and Ken Meade launched it as a 40-vendor pop-up in a parking lot in Denver's RiNo district, according to the Denver Gazette. The convention has since grown into a 10-city national tour in 2026, with stops in Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, New Orleans, Houston, Seattle, Denver and Brooklyn, per Where Y'at Magazine. Hoodline covered the tour last month, when ThriftCon packed Denver's National Western Center.
Secondhand Fashion Is Becoming A Billion-Dollar Business
The event's growth tracks with a broader shift in how Americans shop for clothes. The U.S. secondhand apparel market grew 13% in 2025, outpacing overall retail clothing growth nearly fourfold, and is projected to reach $78.8 billion by 2030, according to ThredUp's 2026 Resale Report. Globally, the secondhand apparel market hit an estimated $257 billion in 2025, or roughly 10% of total worldwide apparel spend, and is on pace to reach $393 billion by 2030.
Gen Z and Millennial shoppers are projected to drive more than 70% of that U.S. growth through 2030, with 58% of Gen Z consumers saying they prioritized secondhand items over new retail clothing in 2025, the report found. There's an environmental angle too: Americans generate more than 17 million tons of textile waste each year, with over 11 million tons landfilled and just 13% of clothing and footwear recycled, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Navy Yard Venue's Wartime Roots
The venue itself carries its own history. Brooklyn Storehouse sits inside Building 293 of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 105,000-square-foot space built for shipbuilding during both World Wars that can now hold up to 5,000 attendees, according to Resident Advisor. The space was developed through a partnership between UK venue operator Broadwick Live and NYC promoter TCE Presents.
