Countless online retailers dream of building their online hustle into a physical store and a successful retail business. Kelli Piell, founder and owner of Trashed Vintage is one of the rare talents who did it. In just a few short years, Piell has worked tirelessly to turn her passion for thrifting and upcycling into a thriving business collecting and selling vintage gems, stylish classic pieces as well as rare sports and brand merchandise perfect for collectors, brand and team enthusiasts, and style mavens. 

_{LEFT: Brick building with two windows RIGHT: Display of red signs reading “TRASHED” and “VINTAGE}

Growing up in Bucks County, Piell learned about thrifting as part of a family tradition, combing thrift stores with her mom looking for hidden gems and upmarket brands. The thrill of a good deal coupled with the way thrifting made items from designers and companies accessible to Piell cemented her love of thrifting as she started attending college at St. Joseph’s University, where thrifting helped her assert her unique aesthetic identity around her fashion-minded peers. Piell recognized how empowering thrifted clothing could be in college, allowing her to dress herself the way she wanted in one-of-a-kind looks despite limited funds and to copy trends from Free People and Urban Outfitters with a few DIY hacks. 

However, the addictive nature of hunting down great clothing in thrift stores left Piell with more clothing than she knew what to do with, leading her to start selling her excess pieces on Poshmark, a resale marketplace, as a college student. After college, trying to figure out her next move, Piell started bleach-dying thrifted items, a DIY trend at the time, and bringing them down the shore to wear with her friends and sell to other beachgoers out of the trunk of her car. Leveraging social media to reach more customers and specializing in vintage Eagles merchandise snagged from area thrift stores, Piell started reaching out directly to the wives of NFL players, who were delighted with her unique pieces. As Piell noted, “People have such Philly pride, and they love the one-of-a-kind sports merch, going to the stadium and feeling like no one else has what they have.” She traded that to grow her online business, but when the demand for Eagles-themed items outweighed her supply, she realized it was time to pivot towards a wider vintage market. 

_{A green sweatshirt with a large eagle logo is hanging on a rack in a thrift store. A price tag attached to it displays $20. Various other clothing items hang in the background.}

By this point, Piell had become a Philadelphia resident herself, moving first to Point Breeze and then to Fishtown, and bringing all her vintage inventory with her. Her sales on DePop, another resale marketplace, had grown, and her social media presence was strong. It was time to think about moving into a physical retail space of her own. While thrifting was a tradition Piell shared with her mother, it was her father who helped her make the Trashed Vintage Boutique what it is today. Though she’d had great success in digital sales, she knew for her parents, the physical retail space was more meaningful. “I think different generations have a different sense of what something looks like and no matter how successful you are doing in an incredibly successful business that lives in the digital space, they want brick and mortar.” While her father felt she was taking a big risk in transforming the retail space she leased at Marlborough and Girard, he also supported her and helped her with the renovations, which have yielded a boutique space that serves Piell’s vision perfectly. 

_{LEFT: A clothing store with racks of assorted clothes like jeans, shirts, and jackets hanging neatly. RIGHT: A hallway with a neon sign above reading TRASHED VINTAGE.}

And the store seems to be serving the neighborhood, too. “Everyone has been so positive and welcoming over here. I heard the space was vacant for some time, and the neighborhood just seemed excited to have something new in the neighborhood and to fill the space. I think the neighborhood loves this stuff. The people who walk in off the street are very hip and trendy and seem to respond to my stock. So I kind of feel at home,” Piell said.

_{LEFT: A rotating display rack featuring mini sneaker keychains in various colors and buttons with the phrase Getting Trashed. MIDDLE: A black shelf filled with various mugs and decorative items. RIGHT: A mannequin dressed in a football helmet and a view from inside the store looking out}

For Piell, the goal for Trashed Vintage was “for it to be a store that I would enjoy being in, presenting a curated group of items so you don’t feel like you’re being bombarded with too much.” Accessibility was also a key factor, that helped Piell’s customers feel comfortable buying vintage clothing. “I wanted to make it affordable because I think a lot of vintage stores get carried away and only are selling hundred-dollar t-shirts. It is just not accessible to everybody and I don’t think the general public understands why a t-shirt is being sold for a hundred dollars. That doesn’t encourage people to engage with vintage clothing.” Engaging with thrifting and selling vintage items has also transformed Piell’s relationship with fast fashion. “As a thrifter, I see a lot of fast fashion clothing in the thrift stores now, which is upsetting because that stuff is pure plastic. That stuff falls apart so quickly, but better-made clothing will stand the test of time.” If that better clothing happens to have a Philadelphia sports team logo splashed across it? Well, for Piell, and most of us here in Philadelphia, so much the better, right? 

_{LEFT: A white wall displays four football jerseys with names and numbers. Below, a rack holds a variety of sweaters and shirts. RIGHT: A display of vintage sports sweatshirts featuring Philadelphia-themed designs}

As the holiday season approaches, Trashed Vintage might just be the perfect place for you to find one-of-a-kind thrifted gifts for the fans, and phans, in your life. Shopping at boutiques like Trashed Vintage is a sustainable choice that supports a local business and contributes directly to the Philadelphia community, a forever classic choice no matter the micro trends that abound.