The dumpster behind Thrift Town in the Mission district was a treasure trove. Groups of local immigrant kids would jump into the metal rectangle and scavenge for toys and anything else that would peak their interest.

Decades later, artist and Executive Director of Accion Latina Josue Rojas, would transition from dumpster diving to rummaging through records hoping to unearth a secret gem.

Thrift Stores in the Mission district in San Francisco, provide the thrills of finding affordable trendy fashion and necessities at a low-cost.

“You kind of feel like you earned the item by hunting it. I went through an entire case of records and a lot of times it’s a waste of time but a lot of the time the gift you give yourself is the hunt,” Says Josue Rojas, while holding some gospel records. “…So, I’ve had it where I have gone through an entire warehouse for one single and it was worth it for me because I wanted that single so bad.”

Retro windbreakers are ten dollars, pairing it with blue Levi’s will add another 15 dollars, top it off with a raspberry beret for eight dollars and find a signed comic book for eight. For 38 dollars, you’ll have fashion choices Liberace would admire and affordability your wallet will appreciate.

The six standing thrift stores in the Mission are filled with families, young professionals, budgeting students and fashionistas alike searching for inexpensive wares.

“I mean I have been living here for 17 years and since high school, thrifting has always like been the way I shop,” Said Nicole Nathan, 23, an SF State video production student, while looking through coats at Thrift Town. “It definitely benefits the community because everyone can come together and donate their clothes and its recycling clothes. It adds to caring for the environment [and] keeping prices low for people.”

Brian Stump, 35, has been working at Community Thrift for eleven years and explains how they are able to price their merchandise with affordability in mind.

“Well a few things, we own the building and we don’t have to worry about the rent jumping up and we are also really fortunate to have our funding built into the store and our operating cost is from the donations,” Said Stump. “We don’t have cost for merchandise and were able to price is as much as we want and keep prices low. There is also such an excess of stuff and people are always getting rid of stuff.”

Thrift shopping is not only economically sound but a lot of the items, instead of ending up at a dump, find new life. Sometimes even a third or fourth reincarnation.

Providing a home for threads of the past, people moving out of the city donate their clothes, furniture, and appliance to thrift stores so they can find a new home.

“Well I usually spend less than 10 bucks each trip, maybe up to 20 and I’ll never spend more than 20,” Said accountant John Tiernan, 32, while strolling through the aisles of books at Community Thrift. “I’ll get like glasses and stuff because we don’t have a dishwasher and we’re breaking glasses constantly and it’s cool to pick up a few glasses or two for like a dollar and then books and stuff like [that].

Counterculture fashion has been the catalyst for trends. From mod to disco, hippie, punk and grunge fashion, can be found at the Mission’s thrift stores.

Remnants of San Francisco’s Summer of Love is living at Mission Thrift, which has racks filled with tie-dye t-shirts, men’s car coats, and psychedelic acid drip dresses.

There are blogs like thriftshopchic.com, that are dedicated to curating wardrobes from retro clothes bought at thrift stores.

Alongside the retro clothing, the products found at thrift stores can also be portals into the past. Siblings Tim and Elizabeth Ryan, look through the shelves of books at Community Thrift, to find about what it was like to live in a San Francisco past.

“Actually, that’s what I was sharing with my little sister here that it’s like… It’s a walk. It’s like diving into the history of people, specifically in the city. ” Said, Ryan, while holding books he intends to buy. “This is what like men 10, 20, 30 years ago were reading, ……..and so it’s like what were they doing and a lot of those guys are no longer alive because of AIDS, so it’s really interesting because it’s a way to tap into a group of people who are no longer alive.

Although the six current thrift stores in the Mission are enjoying customers, they are part of a dying breed.

After 80 years, Goodwill on 19^th street closed its doors last July due to the buildings leaseholders not being interested in renewing their lease and down the street, the two-story Thrift Town took down their sign two weeks ago.

The challenges Goodwill and Thrift Town faced, are the same reason people are shopping at the other thrift stores in the Mission. They are providing an affordable alternative when everything else is getting more expensive.

“I think there’s definite kind of trends in the consuming and buying of ya know second life, third life items. I think it will always be particularity interesting to people with less money,” Said Josue Rojas. “Migrants, poor people and people who just want to find…People [are] often looking for really great things.”