Retail therapy, whether it's impulsive online shopping or skimming through clothes at Goodwill, has gotten significantly more popular throughout this pain-staking pandemic. Accompanying the inevitable and socially distanced distraction of retail therapy, second-hand chic has gained traction as well. Thrifting at thrift stores, buying vintage clothing, and even reselling vintage clothing has become a hobby for many. For aspiring creatives like Daniel Catrillo, buying and reselling clothes has become a lively business that is here to stay. Catrillo owns a new local vintage clothing store, AaaSelective, conveniently close to Arizona State's University Downtown Phoenix campus! The store opened mid-August and its address is 1325 Grand Avenue.

As this business and past time for people continues to grow, I wanted to understand the business aspect of a second-hand store such as AaaSelective. Furthermore, I wanted to gain insight on Catrillo's most recent project, a week-long flea market. This was done in order to help promote AaaSelective and other local vintage clothing stores. Every day for eight days, a different store would set up their merchandise and get the opportunity to look through the various stores in the Plaza, as well as network with Catrillo and others. This wholesome community-connecting event was a striking start to his vintage and thrifting adventure. For more direct thoughts, let's hear Catrillo's personal account on his new thriving line of work.

Graphic Tees from vintage brands or of 90's rock bands are a classic vintage piece to have. Aaaselective has a wide variety of graphic t-shirts.Photo Provided by: Daniel Catrillo

Why did you decide to start a vintage clothing store?

"I've been collecting vintage clothing for about 4 years and selling full time for 3 years. I did the depop thing, the eBay thing and then eventually got enough traction on Instagram to sell strictly on there. That allowed me to start my own website and have a professional platform to do commerce, until an opportunity presented itself. From there, I just dove headfirst into opening this place up. But, somewhere deep inside me I always knew I was headed in this direction, into opening up a storefront location. It allows me to have a physical platform to undertake other projects as well. A home base if you will."

What were your first steps to getting an actual, physical store and a following?

"I think the first steps were simple really, we knew what we wanted to do. It was just about how we were going to do it. Where and when were the questions that came up. Our first discussions, we were talking about getting a private studio and showroom and just taking appointments. Then, Covid-19 hit and everyone took a hit... except vintage, vintage went up. People went crazy for it, they needed it. The stimulus phase of quarantine, you saw a big jump in the market. I saw it as retail therapy for some people because the stores were closed at the time. So naturally, our entity went up as well. Getting the physical location was just that, I saw a listing and went for it. Introduced myself and put my best self out there. I got approved for it the next day! As for the following, I think I started at 1.4k before I opened up my doors, that came from building on the relationships we already had within the community and our reliable customers."

Who is part of your 'crew' if you have one? Are there other people who sell clothing in your store?

"Our aaaselective family consists of Daniel, (me) the owner. Anthony is my partner. There is Levay, who curates the women's clothing and is a partial owner as well, and we have our newest member Johnny. He just joined us a couple of days ago, he operates his own online shop but will be helping us along our journey and we will help him along with him. That's just the in-store staff. On the creative side of things, we have a team of photographers, designers and creative directors that assist in our projects and our store marketing. Our lead photographer is Trish Delleva, you'll see her work all over our page. She's incredible at what she does and is an even better human being. Our creative director, Cynthia Gonzalez, handles everything from shoots and designs, to running our next project, whether that be scouting out a new piece, or just brainstorming on topics she believes are important to discuss on our platform."

How important is social media to your business?

"We live in an age of hearing the news first on social media, than any other form of outlet. It's pivotal or I would rather say necessary. I could live without it in my opinion but it is necessary to be successful in the current climate. Everyone wants everything now and fast. I would personally prefer it to be lowkey and kind of exclusive like you had to hear about it through some word of mouth, but I have to be realistic. So I adapted my marketing strategies to not only fit with my style and my beliefs so to me it translates that I'm not losing my integrity for what it is that I do. Social media has proven to be a good tool in our success so far. I mean the proof is in the pudding. I've learned that you can be whoever you want to be or rather you should be what you wish to see on social media. In my mind, it's about leading by example and the rest will follow. Content is something I have trouble wrapping my head around. I would never just throw something out there without my heart attached to it. It has to be me, it has to be aaaselective."

What inspired you to create the week-long vintage flea market/pop up event?

"The week-long flea event was the product of wanting to throw my own event, but it kept on getting pushed back in my projects because of Covid-19. Before, it was supposed to be one day and one night with a stacked lineup of local thrifters/sellers. So, the idea came instead from my good friend, Jessie, over at the Greater Good as he had another plan for his show with artist Prmannt. When they were faced with the dilemma of how they were going to showcase this show in one night when they couldn't have a packed house, they decided to spread it out over the course of a week so everyone gets a chance to pop in with very limited exposure instead of crazy groups of people packed in for one night.

The rest came naturally, I wanted to make a statement with this event. I wanted to spread the love with my community and say "We are here." And we did exactly that. We didn't charge our vendors a dime and we're paid by an abundance of love and hope for the future from the universe."

What response did you get back from the community in regards to your pop up event?

"The feedback was mostly positive, but we're shaking things up so of course you're going to get those naysayers. That means the most I would like to invite anyone who has a passion for this to join me, I would be glad to help in any way that I can. I love this community and we're changing it for the better. It's riddled with competition, it's literally just a game of one-upmanship if that's even a word but it's the only word I can think of. Who has this, who got that. You sold that for how much? That's not love. We do this for love. We do this for our livelihood, so why try and make it seem like you're better than the next person. We're all human, I know I'm not going to completely change up the entire community but I know I can change those around me in a quite literal sense. The community response was amazing. Everyone had fun and we're working on so much more. That wasn't nothing compared to what we have planned with everyone. I can't wait."

How does one begin to learn/network with the thrifting community?

"NETWORK. Ah, I've always had a love-hate relationship with that word but it couldn't be any more important to me personally. I started off by not talking to or knowing anybody. I was kind of a fanboy when it came to other thrifters. I admired them and now it's crazy to call them my friends. I would start by putting your best self out there, don't be scared to be rejected or even come in to talk to me and I'll be glad to introduce you to my friends. We are all very welcoming and happy to spread the knowledge amongst each other. Even if it's just on social media, interactions are very important; they can make or break you. So interact, share, like, comment and you will get the same in return."

Why do you think this business of reselling clothes has gotten so popular, specifically with young adults?

"In my honest opinion, I believe it has a lot to do with social media, new companies that host e-commerce services now have a market to play the field. Before, it was hipsters that raid the goodwills and now you have hypebeasts looking for a resale. Then comes along the influencers; Just like in everything, thrifting and vintage have their own influencers as well. I don't know when the boom started exactly, but I know people that have been doing this for ages and I know people just now starting. But it's hard to say. With so much information being spread around the internet, new videos, new posts, it's kind of like when people see something so much they want to start doing something similar because honestly, it is cool. Very cool."

Where do you get the clothes you sell and how would you describe the type of clothes you try to find to resell?

"I used to have to thrift all my stuff but now I don't even have time to thrift. I'll go thrift on my days off but I won't get much, just maybe something for myself. We are a buy-sell-trade operation and people are always coming in to sell. So it's awesome. I have a specific vision for what I like to sell but right now I'm playing to my audience. I like more distressed, simple, faded clothing. My customers are so diverse that I'm falling in love with curating our inventory to compliment them. It's about them, not me."

Some people think it's unethical to purchase cheap clothing and sell it for a higher price because it's unfair for those who shop at thrift stores like goodwill because they simply can't afford other stores. What are your thoughts/ grievances on this if you have any?

"I'm so happy I get to answer this question because I'm literally working on a piece that touches this specific subject. This argument can be won in an instant in our favor, but first I'll give context. First, the writers that are pushing these allegations down the public's throat can only be funded and sponsored by the opposition, and that's fast fashion. The only enemy to fast fashion is vintage, and maybe underpaid workers and unimaginable work environments. Fast fashion pockets run deep and once they see a shift in dynamic, it's time to play a new card. This is that new card. We have landfills filled with unwanted clothing and they want to say that we take from the needy. Never. We go to look for specific pieces, at most when I go into a Goodwill I walk out with 1 t-shirt and that's if I'm lucky. Because we're not looking for the same stuff the homeless are or the low-income families are. I come from a low-income household and to an extent I still am. But there will always be clothing. And I personally have already made it my mission to help out those less fortunate. And for this specific subject, we are focusing on the unsheltered. More details to come but we cannot wait to get this project started."

At the end of the day, Catrillo proves that he isn't in this business just for the hype or the money. He truly loves the work he's doing, makes people happy with their purchases, and admires those who are doing better in the game instead of seeing them as foes. Regardless of why thrifting and buying vintage clothes is back on the trending spectrum, I think it's a trend that's here to stay, with sustainability being an important factor to Generation Z. By the same token, shopping for cute clothes locally makes any teenager or young adult happy, by being able to support their town and community. Plus, who doesn't think the 90's graphic tees and baggy jeans are a look? For anyone thinking this may be a fun business to pursue, or for anyone feeling apprehensive about their dream career in general, Catrillo ends on a truly motivating note by saying, "We live in a time of uncertainty and people are barely waking up to realizing that we are not immortal and we do not have all the time in the world. Which side do you want to be on? The one that played it safe and stuck with that 9 to 5? Or the one that took that chance no matter how young or how old. The great awakening is here. What's there to lose? Really? Our lives are being jeopardized every day either way. Get it done. Ask yourself if you're going to be a person that's always saying, 'ah I'm going to do it one day' or are you going to be someone starting on day one of their journey. The choice is yours."