real talk: tired thrift
sabrina carpenter & olivia rodrigo are both stans of this gen-z vintage store that's dictating fashion trends.
This week, for real talk, we’re featuring the girlies behind Tired Thrift, a vintage store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, dictating trends to the masses. Shopped by everyone from Sabrina Carpenter to Olivia Rodrigo, the store is an “it girl” hotspot. The shop carries threads from the early aughts—think all things Betty Boop and Harley Davidson, halter tops, iconic Y2K graphics, the cutest little dresses, and more. Below, we talk about why the twenty-something co-owners and cousins got into thrifting, what makes a “tired babe,” and so much more.
Tell us more about you—what's your name, how old you are, where you’re based—and what you do.
Hiya! Elona (24) & Ledi (25) here. We are both based in NYC. Fun fact: We are cousins and best friends! We own Tired Thrift, a vintage clothing store in Brooklyn specializing in late 90s/early 00s womenswear.
What’s a song you’ve been playing on repeat recently? Who’s your favorite creator?
Elona: I’ve been bopping what every 20-something in NYC has been listening to, BRAT. My favorite creator would have to be either Orion Carloto or Zoi Fish; I can’t choose one.
Ledi: I can’t stop listening to Take a Bite by Beabadoobee. It’s so good!!! My favorite creator is Chloe Felopulos.
Where did you grow up? How did your upbringing contribute to your interest in fashion, specifically in vintage?
We both grew up in Astoria, Queens. Growing up in such a fashion forward place like NYC, it wasn’t difficult to get inspired by the people around us. As teenagers, we loved thrift & vintage shopping in Brooklyn.
How did you become interested in selling vintage, specifically from the aughts era? Why do you think the aughts are having a moment right now? What do you foresee as the biggest trends this summer, bringing us into fall?
Growing up [around] thrifting & vintage shopping in NYC, we noticed an unmet demand for “trendy” vintage, which we wanted to provide with Tired Thrift. To put it more frankly, we would constantly find ourselves in vintage stores that sold clothes our grandmas would wear. We noticed an overlap that today's trends are recycling fashion from the past. We source authentic pieces directly from the decade’s current fashion trends are getting inspiration from. The biggest trends for summer and into fall are definitely capris, ponchos, kitten heels, and everything 90s/00s vintage. We don’t think the early aughts are leaving any time soon.
What have been some of your most popular items lately and why do you think they’re in right now?
Although our brand is based on sourcing vintage pieces that fit the trends, the more our brand grows, the more we realize that we contribute to what is actually “trendy.” We’ve noticed this when we bring in items that we are personally loving, instead of pieces that fit specific fads. When we do this, our choices do so well and fly out of the store!
Recently, we’ve been into the Y2K clubbing dresses and capris for more day-to-day wear.
I know Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo have shopped at your store. Who have been some of your biggest name consumers? What would you say has contributed to the virality of your brand? How does it feel to have people that big wear your goods?
In addition to Sabrina Carpenter & Olivia Rodrigo, we’ve had Madison Beer, Kehlani, Rico Nasty, Pink Panthress, Maddie Ziegler, Amelia Grey, Grace Vanderwaal, and Olivia O’Brien all shop at the store before. When celebrities DM us on Instagram or shop in the store, it always feels surreal. We often forget how popular Tired Thrift is because we opened the shop only a few years ago, and it’s reassuring to know that celebrities we admire are loving the shop as much as we do. The virality of our brand stems from its nuance, nostalgic aspects and quality clothes. We curate our social media page to be a spot where Gen Z fashionistas can go to get inspiration through our 00s/90s mood board posts, shop from our story sales, and get an inside scoop on how we work through our “come to work with me” reels. By showcasing all aspects of our brand online, from the product to the process, we have managed to make our shop go viral.
What’s the essence of tiredthrift? Where does the name come from and what does it represent? What is the tired babes vibe?
We always say Tired Thrift is by Gen Z for Gen Z. It’s a one-stop shop for highly curated, trendy, sustainable vintage fashion. Whether it’s clubbing outfits or outfits to run errands in, you can get it all at Tired. The typical Tired Babe is an elusive NYC cool girl (or boy). The Tired Babe is trendy yet timeless, cool yet hot.
When we first created our brand in college, we were tired of many things—tired of school, tired of fast fashion, tired of fitting in. Those things we were tired of became the reason why we started our brand: to work towards something different. The name "Tired" is meant to be interpreted by answering the question, "What are you tired of?"
What’s it like running a vintage store in New York at such a young age? How do you keep up with the demand?
Being so young and opening the first brick and mortar Y2K vintage shop in NYC, we feel like trailblazers. We were both still full-time college students when we first opened at 21 years old during the pandemic. We had no employees for the first four months of business; it was extremely challenging because it was just the two of us. Despite having two business degrees, they don’t exactly teach you how to be an entrepreneur in school! As time went on, we were able to learn, expand, and get comfortable in this business. We had to quickly adapt to the high demand by outsourcing to vintage wholesalers. It was an entire industry we didn’t even know existed when we first started.
What are some of your favorite brands from the aughts?
There are literally SOOO many to choose from but just to name a few: Arden B, Charlotte Russe, Wet Seal, Moda International, Harley Davidson, XOXO, Bebe, Rampage, Guess.
What other stores in New York are your favorite?
Other stores we love in NYC Awoke Vintage, Shop 86, and Bedford Vintage.
What do you love most about what you do?
The best part of our job is meeting so many amazing people. Whether it’s during regular days at the store or our events, we’ve met so many fun, fashionable customers and we have befriended many of them.
Love Tired Thrift!