When my oldest child was a baby, kids’ consignment sales were all the rage. The Glenn Sale was held in an annex building across from the stately Methodist church in Emory Village every spring and fall. On the opening day, parents and grandparents wrapped a long line around the building – ready to fill bags and baskets with clothing, toys, and baby gear.
I vividly remember scoring a tiny pair of embroidered denim overalls, rain boots for puddle stomping, and two matching monkey costumes for my twins.
After surviving three kids, the clothes and books were deteriorated, stained, and ripped. I’d try to reuse them as rags or for art projects, but the majority went straight to the trash with a hefty dose of guilt. Upcycling, downcycling, and repurposing were foreign to me.
Keeping score
Studies show that the average American generates approximately 81 to 82 pounds of textile waste per year, including clothing, shoes, and linens. Roughly 85% of all textiles thrown away are either sent to landfills or burned, according to Earth.org.
Let this sink in: That totals approximately 11.3 million to 17 million tons of textile waste generated in the U.S. annually. Because fast-fashion items are made quickly and inexpensively, they are thrown away more often than they are repurposed. Fast fashion comes from trendy retailers like Shein, Temu and H&M.
A study out of Yale University claims that “over the past 20 years, fast fashion has nearly doubled global garment production and driven an estimated 400% increase in clothing consumption, generating massive amounts of waste.”
Thrift vs. consignment
Rather than throwing textiles into the trash, consider these options: donate to a thrift store, sell at a consignment shop, or upcycle materials to become a new product.
Thrift stores are no longer endless racks of old Peachtree Road Race tee-shirts on hangers at Goodwill. Entering its 20th year, The Drake House is a 501c3 non-profit organization that uses its three boutique locations to fund programming for women and children who are experiencing homelessness.
The Drake House’s first store in Roswell got started because the organization had more clothing than they could use to provide for residents, Drake House Director of Development Kimberly Jackson said.
“A store was opened as a place where people could bring their donations, and in the process become a revenue stream for The Drake House. The stores started doing really well, and as more and more people found out about The Drake House and The Drake Closet in Roswell, donations kept coming,” Jackson said.
“People love the idea of supporting our mission by providing gently worn clothing whether they downsized and needed to clean out closets or they retired and no longer needed business apparel,” Jackson said.
Now with locations in Roswell, Alpharetta, and Sandy Springs, The Drake Closet sells new and gently-used, donated ladies’ clothing, shoes, and accessories; many items are priced under $25. After their biannual sale to clear out for the next season, The Drake Closet donates items to GreenDrop, a for-profit company that distributes clothing to Value Village thrift store.
Unlike thrift and second-hand stores that receive donated items, consignment stores enter into a contract with a seller who earns a percentage of the sales. The store prices, displays, and sells gently used items.
Consignment stores offer upscale clothing and accessories at a higher price point. Metro Atlanta has a range of options from Labels Resale Boutique in Buckhead and Vinings that carry Chanel, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton handbags and shoes to Consigning Women in Dunwoody and Finders Keepers in Druid Hills that carry Anthropologie, Eileen Fisher, and Free People.
Don’t throw it away!
When an item is too worn for either thrift or consignment, metro Atlantans can visit the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM). The drop-off recycling center takes much more than textiles. CHaRM is known as a reliable processor of chemicals, glass, styrofoam, cardboard, electronics, and different types of plastic.
Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe is the founder and executive director of Live Thrive, the environmental non-profit that created CHaRM. She said CHaRM collected 210,000 pounds of textiles in 149 days in 2025 – and the numbers are only rising.
Usable clothing and shoes collected at CHaRM are distributed through Green Zone to families in need, according to the website.
Trends in upcycling
Upcyclers like Sarah Lyons of Revive Threads are bucking the fast-fashion trends, creating a rebellion against overproduction, waste, and overconsumption. Lyons uses nearly 100% recycled materials to hand-make sporty shirts made from old tablecloths and team or city logos worn by men and women. She hunts for fabric at thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, and open markets.
“I’m not a tee-shirt or a jersey person, and it was a nice way to make something that I would actually wear to the game. And I really love the idea of getting men to willingly wear flowers,” Lyons said, laughing.
With 20 years of experience in sewing and clothing design, Lyons has slowly expanded her Atlanta-based business with a seamstress and studio assistant in a Castleberry Hill workshop.
“Everybody’s so big on growth mindset … I’ve never really understood it. I enjoy being an artist, and I am so blessed to be able to do my craft for a living,” Lyons said. “I like the smallness of it. I like the ability to make things that are one-of-a-kind.”
“I just love it when anybody expresses themselves with clothing. It’s one of my favorite things about dressing or having clothes or having a personal style,” she added.
Tips for donating:
• Wash everything first.
• Only donate items in gently used condition: no rips, tears, missing buttons, or bronze zippers. However, if it has holes, rips, or stains, bring it to CHaRM or Ridwell, a subscription recycling company that is known for “taking things others won’t.”