Having just passed its 27th anniversary in July, Global Thrift is a Waltham establishment located along Moody Street. The thrift store is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. most Mondays through Saturdays, and Brandeis students frequently spend their afternoons wandering up and down the different aisles. In an interview with The Brandeis Hoot, Global Thrift managers Roseline Moise Estriplet and Irma Garcia speak about their time at Global and what makes the store so special.
Garcia and Moise Estriplet have been at Global since 2018 and 2022, respectively. For those who have never been to Global before, Garcia says that “you never know what you’ll find.” The thrift store is organized by clothing type—shorts, skirts, T-shirts and so on—and further grouped by color within each category. Many of the clothes are new, still with tags. There are also aisles where one can find shoes, books, blankets and more. On a personal note, it’s always fun to look through the t-shirt section to see what graphics and text are on them (rare Brandeis Hillel and Brandeis alumni shirts have been found at Global Thrift before, too).
Global Thrift presents a dual experience where shoppers can give clothing a new life and have a fun experience discovering, as Moise Estriplet puts it, “things that you never imagined here.” Garcia jokes that you can go in looking for just “some mugs, and then you end up with 50 things in your cart.” One of the draws to thrifting is that you never know what you can find, and part of the adventure is discovering something new. Thrifting is an activity in itself.
On what a typical day looks like for the managers at Global, Moise Estriplet highlights that “our job is to make sure that everything is turning over [smoothly] so we can have a good day,” ensuring that shoppers can easily find what they are looking for. There are around 15 people focusing on different aspects of the store, “five girls in the back that hang [clothes],” “usually two managers,” “two girls on the floor” who focus on hanging up clothes and keeping the place clean and others who help price hard goods.
While Global’s focus is on clothes—Moise Estriplet says that around 1,500 new pieces are rotated into the store per day—Global also sells hard goods, such as electronics and cookware. From both its Moody Street location and donation-only location in Newton, the thrift store sees an average of 43 donors bringing new clothes and other items every day. This translates to a constant rotation of new clothing available in the store, providing new experiences week-to-week.
A central through line throughout the interview is that Global Thrift is a space that is so much more than just a thrift store; it is a part of the community. Garcia notes that “we usually go out to dinner with the whole crew for [Global Thrift’s] anniversary” every year. “When you come to Global, it’s not only that [you’re working,] it’s like a family. Everyone matters,” says Moise Estriplet.
Furthermore, Global regularly hosts events open to the community at large—Moise Estriplet spoke of previous events hosted on-site with a photo booth and another dance pop-up event. The thrift store welcomes community members to be involved with the store through cycling window displays created by local artists, including high school students.
As Global Thrift looks to the future, Moise Estriplet says that the store plans to have more pop-up events, and that Global is “going to have a tour with colleges,” hosting off-site pop-up events like they did on Brandeis’ campus in Spring 2023. On if Global Thrift will be making a return to Brandeis, Moise Estriplet responds that “I can’t tell you exactly when we’re going to come, but for sure.” Additionally, the thrift store wants to install clothing donation boxes in apartment complexes to both allow for an easier way to donate to the store and to help reduce clothing waste.
Global Thrift is for everyone, Garcia notes. “We have people who have been shopping here for years, new customers, college kids, high school kids. My mom has been shopping here ever since I was little.”
