5/2/2026
| KEITH O'CONNOR, SR.
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The often-cited proverb coined by Irish author Jonathan Swift in the early 1700s refers to a “recycling” of trends, ideas, history and is famously used when referring to fashions.
So, why not clothing in general?
Recycling is a concept that Ayana Morse truly believes in. As proprietor of Seconds Thrift Shop in Northampton, she offers a curated selection of secondhand clothing for kids and teens of all genders — allowing her to share her vision with customers of sustainability, affordability, and self-expression.
And, secondhand is just plain “fashionable” today.
The U.S. secondhand apparel market is booming, fueled by economic pressures, a desire for unique items, and environmental concerns. From thrift stores to luxury resale platforms, consumers across all income levels are embracing pre-owned goods. The market grew from $28 billion in 2019 to $49 billion in 2024 and is projected to hit $74 billion by 2029, as the stigma around used clothing diminishes, according to an article published in Forbes last year.
Opening Seconds Thrift Shop is a journey that began two years ago for Morse.
“I had been thinking about the idea in different iterations, playing around with what something might look like, whether it might be viable, and would there be a space available to open my store. What was encouraging was that every time I shared my idea with other people about opening a secondhand clothing store geared toward kids, people would say, ‘Oh, my gosh, yes we need that so badly,'” she said.
After learning about a business accelerator program offered through Sphere, a membership-based coworking space in Florence, Morse took the important step of deciding to enroll in the eight-week course designed to transform your business concept into a sustainable, scalable, and thriving business. The nonprofit’s mission is to connect and uplift driven women and nonbinary entrepreneurs, so they can unleash their potential, thereby impacting their community and the local economy.
Feeling ready to take the next step, Morse began looking at local real estate listings that were not only affordable, but close to home, eventually finding empty space on 141 Damon Road, which once housed the Northampton School of Dance until shutting its doors during the pandemic.
Morse explained the space needed some work to be transformed into a viable retail space and credited the building’s landlord for flexibility in making a space to fit the storefront’s new use.
Kept through the renovation was a series of white decals of dancers in various moves placed on the front window as a way for Morse to honor the space which had been an important community for youth dancers. Working with Chasing Trails Art in downtown Northampton, a piece of clothing has been painted on each dancer, and more pieces are likely to be added in the near future.
Today, when you walk into Seconds Thrift Shop, the front half of the store is geared towards teens and young adults, with racks of T-shirts, cut-offs, denim, hoodies and sweaters. A rack of little black dresses anchors the section, and colorful dresses can be found just across the aisle. Two couches frame the middle of the space, creating a cozy area for non-shopping folks, along with an art table for younger visitors that has fidgets, markers and sticker books available for use.
The back half of the store is geared towards younger folks, with a section for babies, racks of dresses, t-shirts, and denim in youth sizes 3T-14, and a row of cube storage full of shorts, leggings, long sleeve t-shirts and hoodies. Fitting rooms are tucked into the back corner of the space, along with bins that hold overflow stock.
Finding a spot close to home was important to Morse, who, along with her husband, Josh Feldman, are the parents of three children — Lazer, 14, Diggy, 12, and Selma, 8 — all of whom lend a helping hand around the business from sorting donations to dressing mannequins and from offering graphic design to checking out customers with their purchases. On top of her parenting duties, Morse also holds a full-time job as Executive Director of SVARA, a national nonprofit learning community headquartered in Chicago with reach throughout the country. Keeping in mind everything on her busy plate, she needed to start her business “purposely slow,” opening only three days a week for a total of eight hours for now.
Yet, another crucial hurdle remained to overcome before opening — the need for secondhand merchandise to stock the store. Morse said the majority of clothing at Seconds Thrift Shop is donated from the community and, when initially starting the business, she started a mailing list to secure donations and soon enough had a garage full of clothing. But that still wasn’t enough as this initial source of clothing was lacking options for the teen side, something Morse said she felt the need to supplement.
While doing a little research online, she discovered a wealth of secondhand vintage and thrift clothing wholesalers selling by the bulk to shops like hers that are dedicated to addressing the growing demand for sustainable fashion. Since then, Morse has continued to buy in bulk, items like vintage T-shirts, a mix of women’s clothing, flannels and more.
Even before opening Seconds Thrift Shop, Morse knew a thing or two about the clothing industry, thrifting, and fashion. A self-proclaimed “thrifter” for most of her life, Morse remembers growing up shopping with friends in secondhand stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army.
While attending Emerson College in Boston, Morse met her husband and they were active in the theater community there. She studied costume design and worked in the costume shop. After college she spent time as an independent fashion and costume designer, creating several different lines of clothing for sale. When they moved to Los Angeles, Morse didn’t want to compete in the costume industry in Hollywood — instead shifting gears and becoming involved in nonprofit leadership which she continues today after moving back to Northampton.
With four months of serving the community with Seconds Thrift Shop now behind her, Morse can look back and ahead to the future with pride in sharing her vision with customers of sustainability, affordability, and self-expression.
“I see my store for kids and teens as something that elevates clothing from a basic to a source of inspiration and joy. We wear clothing, so clothing can be functional. We wear it to be dressed because we live in a society that says so. But clothing can also be an expression of yourself. What I am really interested in is helping kids who are coming into self-discovery...to find things they are excited about and that makes them feel joyful,” Morse said.
In the realm of sustainability — the responsibility of everyone from individuals to manufacturers to the government to be the stewards of the environment — Morse and her customers are making their own contributions to “saving the planet.”
Thrifting – including stores like Seconds Thrift Shop - promotes sustainability by diverting clothing from landfills for reuse.
“The secondhand clothing market is expanding exponentially right now in response to the awareness of the growing clothing waste and its effects on the world environment. Textile waste accounts for seven percent of all global landfill space with some 92 million tons of clothing waste ending up in landfills each year. The United States and China are the biggest countries in the business of just throwing away clothing both on the consumer and manufacturing levels. So, I think the need is just incredibly big at this point for figuring out how to do better,” Morse said.
Items they don’t use, some 300 pounds of clothing so far, have been passed along to Bridge Street Elementary School’s recycling program with Baystate Textiles. The program raises money for the Northampton school to be used for field trips and other things to benefit the students. Additionally, a percentage of her profits will be donated to local, youth-focused non-profits.
The collection of clothing in the shop is continuously replenished from new donations and overflow, so it is always worth checking back in to see what is new on display, Morse noted.
Donations of gently used clothing for kids of all sizes is greatly appreciated. Reach out to Morse at contact@secondsthriftshop.com for information on where to drop off donations.
Store hours are currently Thursday from 4-7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. or by appointment. Expansion in the future is a possibility, and for now, Morse is planning extended hours this summer. For more information, visit secondsthriftshop.com where you can enter your email address to receive news and updates.
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