Wearable memories

Published 2:45 am Tuesday, October 11, 2022

It’s natural that we want to shower our friends and loved ones with gifts — especially during the holiday season — which is why every year crowds flock to malls and department stores seeking out the newest, the shiniest, the most perfect gift that they can proudly position underneath their trees in preparation for Christmas morning. But Matthew Burns knows that, more often than not, the perfect gift doesn’t always come equipped with bells and whistles, sometimes the items that are cherished the most come with stains and cherished memories attached. This is why Burns has spent the last four and a half years collecting and reselling a curated collection of vintage clothing, records, and merchandise through his business, Third Rock Revivals.

Everything began in 2017 while Burns and his friend Clay Costello were living together and searching for a way to generate a little more income. Burns had a Rush t-shirt from the 90’s that he liked and said that Costello saw a wave coming.

What began as hobby quickly grew into a passion that toed the line of obsession for Burns, who was unable to pass a thrift store on his way home from work without making a quick stop to check for new inventory that he could add to his growing collection. While he and Costello eventually split ways professionally —while still remaining close friends — Burns was unable to kick his new-found habit.

“I almost became a shopaholic,” Burns said. “Looking back, some of that stuff I got early on was really awesome. A lot of it was also, well, hot garbage.”

While Burns was quickly growing his inventory, he wasn’t selling much of it. At least in North Alabama, there weren’t many that shared his passion for all things old and dusty. But the public would soon be denied access to their favorite clothing stores. When COVID-19 restrictions forced people to begin shopping online, they were presented with an entirely new world of options.

“Covid is really what changed it. People were stuck at home, emptying their closets and donating their old stuff. There were so many more good items available, and that’s when people really began picking up on everything,” Burns said.

At the time, Burns was living in Colorado. and while he was fortunate enough not to have lost his job, his hours were cut drastically — he had gone from working five days a week to two. With only a dwindling savings account and a van full of used clothing, Burns held his first pop-up-shop event at Fort Collins Brewery and was overwhelmed with the response.

“I went into that just thinking that if I could make maybe just a little bit over $100 that I would be more than happy. I don’t remember exactly how I much I made, but it was a lot more than $100 and I just felt like crying. Up until then I had just felt like I was throwing wet noodles at a wall,” he said.

As more people began to seek out secondhand clothing, demand began to increase quickly — in 2021 secondhand items displaced more than 1 billion new clothing purchases. and Burns had to start finding new sources for inventory.

“Those days of just running down to local thrift store are over,” he said. While he chooses to keep the specifics of his best sources close to his chest, Burns said that he was never afraid to put in the work. He began stopping at yard sales, placing Facebook ads in rural areas that may not have caught onto the vintage trend yet, and sometimes just walking up and knocking on someones door.

“I’ve had a couple of guns pulled on me before, but that won’t stop me because I love doing this,” he said.

Burns said that he understands that some sellers might have grievances when discovering the recent depletion of their main sources for inventory, but that he was more than happy about the growing enthusiasm.

“I think it’s great when people have all but bought out an entire thrift store. That means that people are buying stuff that could have otherwise ended up in a landfill somewhere, that’s huge. The means that people are beginning to see the value in things that don’t come from the mall,” he said.

Burns said that for some people he feels that this sudden increased desire for secondhand products is simply an affordable way to find cool clothing and express themselves, while others tend to be taking a stand against purchasing new items with sustainability in mind. He said that this is quickly gaining the attention of major labels and name brands.

“Every brand’s buzz word right now is nostalgia. They are seeing that everything repeats itself, companies like Patagonia and Gap are literally buying their old stuff back and reselling it. They are figuring out that sustainability has to happen, and that they don’t have to just reproduce their old stuff,” he said.

For some, spending their life in an overly digitized world is fueling their desire to own more tangible things.

“Nobody is showing off their Spotify playlists to their friends, but when my friends come over I can show off my record collection,” he said.

But the most powerful thing driving the secondhand market — and what Burns hopes to deliver to anyone he meets at an event — doesn’t come from buzzwords, or advertising, or social media influencers, it comes from the memories that are reawakened when people run across an item from their childhood.

“Everyone has that thing, maybe it’s an item from their childhood that they always wanted but weren’t able to have, or maybe it’s just something that brings them back to a different time,” Burns said as he recalls a photograph of him as an infant, the same age as his daughter, and his father is wearing his favorite tattered Guess shirt. “Sometimes we just get so busy that we forget the simple things, and you don’t remember it until you see something that reminds you of it. It could be a thing, or a place that you used to visit, or a certain time in your life. Sometimes it’s just a feeling.”

The next pop-up event is Saturday at Karma’s Coffeehouse from 8 a.m.- 6 p.m.