Second-hand in Salt Lake City

It wouldn't be exploring another town if I didn't check out at least a few thrift, consignment, or antique shops. So when I visited my dear friend, A, in Salt Lake City, I ended up at iconoCLAD. 

iconoCLAD sells both new and used clothing, with the consigned clothing filling over half the shop. I visited their original store at 414 E 200 S, but they now have two locations for your convenience.

iconCLAD has won local awards for being Best Boutique and Best Consignment, and I can see why. They have a fun, splashy festival vibe, and lots of fun pieces at great prices. Like many secondhand stores, they try to keep their stock rotated by offering deep discounts on certain colored labels.

I found this super sweet embroidered dress, tea length, and with sheer sleeves. It fit me perfectly, except for a little snug in the sleeves, so I will post again once I've completed alterations.

Look at that gorgeous detail!

This Lace & Mesh dress has an estimated original retail price $38. Happy enough with the $22 price tag, I was ecstatic to find that it was 75% off, and resulting in me paying only $5.50! Wha??

From there, the happy surprises just kept on coming: 

1. Dress is 75% off. Surprise!
2. You get a sticker with every purchase. Choose from kitten, puppy, or unicorn. Surprise!!
3. You get a discount off your next purchase valued at 10% off your current purchase. $0.55 coupon. Surprise!!!
4. With any purchase, you get to choose something from the free barrel next to the register, presumably items that have timed out from their purchasing window. How great to give them one last chance for a happy home? Surprise!!!!
   

And... this is why they've won awards. Who can help but leave with a smile on their face, after all those bonuses?

Last but not least: shop kitties. Two sweet cats were making this shop their home, napping in the window and under shelves.

So, if you're ever passing by Salt Lake City, make sure to give iconCLAD a visit. The kitties are waiting for you to say hello.

Jump-start your Thoughtful Consumerism this Earth Month!

It's April again, and that means we are almost half-way through Earth Month and Earth Day is just around the corner (observed Saturday, April 21st this year).

If this unusually cold winter and spring have you down, try a new habit to make you feel better and know you're making a positive contribution. Here are just a few ways you can celebrate: 

Check out this Bingo card for 25 easy ways to get involved, whether it's converting to a reusable item, switching your shopping habits, completing a DIY project, or making household improvements, there's an idea for your flavor of sustainability. 

Watch a documentary to get inspired. 

See these 27 tips from 2020's quarantine Earth Day. We gained so many learnings when folks weren't commuting every day, and so many are still applicable 3 years later. 

Conduct a trash audit, so you know your baseline and what to prioritize in this year's new habits.

Let a subscription service like Mighty Fix help you swap one item in your home each month. 

If you need a motivational or accountability buddy, reach on out!

How Do You Stack Up?

Are any of you competitive? I don't typically think I am, but I have to admit that I like receiving my electric bill, which comes along with a statement about where I am relative to the "efficiency zone" and how I compare to homes like mine in my area. It's like an adult version of a "Good job!" sticker on your homework. :)

So I was thrilled to find out today that thredUP has launched a new Fashion Footprint calculator. You can walk though your clothing purchasing habits, such as how often you shop in person or online, how often you make returns, how you dispose of your clothes, and more. And you get a great summary to let you know how you're doing:

In the green? Pat yourself on the back! They also estimate how much your habits cost annually, so you can know just how important your contributions are.

If you would like to be doing better than you are (or just be an over-achiever), they then show the most impactful actions you can take. By far the most valuable thing you can do is source your clothing second-hand - just keep items in circulation longer.

As you go through the survey, they share tips and facts related to each of the questions. And they wrap up with "12 Ways to Transform Your Sustainable Fashion Journey". Perhaps my favorite is to install the Good On You app, a resource for when you purchase new clothing, which scores brands for responsible (good to people, animals, and planet) fashion. This saves you from having to sift through green-washing or deeply research the items you purchase. 

I'm loving this new resource, and the opportunity to compete, even if just with myself.