get thrifty's story

Get Thrifty is UBC's first and only thrift + consignment store. Founded in February 2020, the store is run by students and supported by alumni. We are entirely donation-based and offer consignment services as well.

Over the years, we have evolved into a creative hub focused on slow and sustainable fashion. In addition to our storefront, we feature our second-hand pieces in photoshoots, videos, and our annual fashion show.

project imagine

Get Thrifty was born in 2017 as a small project by Project Imagine Association, a BC non-profit composed of a collective of UBC student designers with a passion for sustainable solutions. By mid-2018, Get Thrifty was gaining traction and popularity as a monthly pop-up on UBC campus.

Design x Functionality

"Get Thrifty's goal is to integrate design and sustainability in an accessible service to the UBC community by reducing waste/carbon emissions through facilitating a circular economy of secondhand goods."

- Rain Chen, Founder

today and now

Get Thrifty continues to operate throughout the school year, taking in donations and consignment clothing items to give them a new life. Our storefront is located in the UBC Life Building Basement, room 0014.

Our team of ~30 students make up our 6 committees: Design and Media, Curation, Internal, Events, Marketing, and Store Operations. Meet our team!

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GT Grand Reopening 2025

fashion show

Throughout the year, we hold various events and partner with clubs/organization in to promote slow, sustainable fashion. Our most notable event is our annual fashion show, featuring pieces pulled from thrift and consignment racks. Our models are all UBC students or members of the Vancouver community. Find out more here.

In the past, we have worked with The Pit UBC and The Gallery Patio and Lounge to host our show. Key features include a live DJ, catering, and signature cocktails.

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What Sets Us Apart

We pride ourselves on our high standard of curation, affordable prices, design creation, and a tight knit community.

  1. We have a dedicated team of curators, store staff, and design media executives that sort, stock, and promote all merchandise. This includes sanitizing through steaming, market research for consignment items, and photoshoots/graphic designs for our design feed and online store.
  2. Get Thrifty caps all donated resale items at $20 (highest priced items are $16) and consignment merchandise at $150. Thus, we maintain affordable access to secondhand goods - an increasingly difficult task in Vancouver.
  3. Our team of volunteers enjoys a wide range of benefits and team-building activities, such as job references, store discounts, meal benefits, care packages (especially during exam season), annual retreats, and more.

Creating Our Store

Thanks to a referendum run in 2019 by a dedicated group of Get Thrifty advocates, the store attained over $50,000 of annual funding to support the establishment of a physical location.

The referendum, having passed quorum with over 7,000 supporting votes, led to the creation of the Thrift Store Fund. Partnered with UBC AMS (Alma Mater Society), the fund led to the eventual retail expansion of the storefront, which was completed in September of 2023. Now, you can visit us at Room 0014 in the Life Building Basement level!