Interview with Jack Ricketts
Social media introduces you to so many people with interesting stories. Jack Ricketts from Oregon was one such person. We were capitavated one day on Instagram by @jrickthrift as he was repairing an article of clothing that he'd picked up from 'the bins'. So of course we had to dig into his account to see what the bins, and Jack, were all about.
Read on to learn more about Jack and the bins.
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Q: How long have you been thrifting? How much time do you spend doing this?
A: I have been thrifting for around 2 years, I spend 3 days per week on average, with the time per day ranging from 3-8 hours
Q: For those of us who don’t know, what are “the bins”? Do most thrift stores have them or is it exclusive to your area?
A: The bins are a goodwill outlet store, where instead of having all the clothes individually tagged and on racks, all the clothes are piled into big blue rollable bins, and you are charged by the pound. Most states have them, but they can be very spread out sometimes. Just look up goodwill outlet in your area, and hopefully you’ll see a few.
Q: When you’re thrifting, how do you decide what to take and what to leave? Do you mostly focus on clothing?
A: While thrifting, I usually focus purely on clothing, but on occasion I’ll venture into the electronics bins. The process of deciding what I take is usually pretty simple, I have a pretty good idea of what will move quickly, and I pick up any shirts/outerwear/pants that I could sell easily for $20+, and any shoes I could sell for $35+
Link to a REEL of a thrift haul
Q: What was your best – or favorite find – ever?
A: My best find ever would easily be a 1953 Ernie Banks game worn dugout jacket. It was truly a once in a lifetime find, I ended up sending it to an auction house where it fetched just over $15,000 dollars.
Q: You take a number of items and refashion or repair them. Who taught you how to fix things and to sew?
A: My grandma was my biggest help with learning how to sew, and even gave me my first machine. I learned the basics from her, and then was able to teach myself a lot of other things, like pattern drafting and garment construction.
Q: Do you look for clothing items mostly for yourself? How do you alter them to fit?
A: Most of the time I am not looking for items for myself, but it’s a great feeling whenever I find an article of clothing that I know will fit me well and that I’ll enjoy. I alter/repair a lot to pieces too, especially when they’re something I think putting the time and effort into is worthwhile.
Q: Here are some of your reels others can learn from. Do you have more tutorials coming?
A: Yes there should be some more coming in the future
How to adjust the waist size. CLICK HERE
How to fix frayed and ripped hems on jeans. CLICK HERE
How to crop a hoodie. CLICK HERE
How to fix a stretched t-shirt neckine. CLICK HERE
Q: Do you have a dedicated workspace for repurposing? Dedicated tools such as a sewing machine and cutting tools?
A: I do not really have a dedicated workspace, I usually work in my dining room, moving my sewing machine back and forth every time I do a project. I sew on a singer heavy duty, and use a rotary cutter with a small cutting pad usually.
Q: When you discover something noteworthy, how do you determine its value and then decide whether to keep it or to sell it?
A: Research and learning from your past finds is the easiest way to gain knowledge. I use eBay usually, and just write any key words such as brand name, item style, and item age. There are a lot of unknown brands that fetch surprisingly good money, so it never hurts to pick something up off of a hunch and put a tiny bit of research time into it
Q: Recently, you came across a garment that you realized was important to the indigenous community. Can you tell us the story of finding it and then rehoming it? See the post here: POST
A: I found a Native American Buckskin Regalia, and posted it on my story. I was lucky enough to have someone message me who ran a program called Indigenous Hoops League, and their focus is to give Native American kids living in reservations the ability to come together as a community and play basketball. IHL hosts tournaments all around the nation, and helps all those kids connect with each other on a deeper level, and give them opportunities they otherwise would not have had. I donated the regalia to this organization, and they ended up having a videographer named Isaiah come and film a short piece on the bins and the item.