When people think of thrift stores, racks of haphazardly organized clothes typically come to mind. However, there is a thrift store in Kansas City’s Midtown that offers so much more. ScrapsKC is a thrift store supplied by donations. They offer everything from sewing necessities to office supplies to mosaic and stained glass materials.

According to the ScrapsKC website, this unconventional thrift store is Kansas City’s “first creative reuse center.” ScrapsKC claims this title because they are not only the perfect place to donate any of your excess craft supplies, but they will also recycle your plastics. From the recycled plastics, they make crafting supplies such as weaving looms and paint pallets. Last time I visited ScrapsKC, they had also purchased a felting machine and had just begun recycling felt scraps, which will hopefully be available for purchase soon.

With new materials set out every week and a very kind suite of staff and volunteers, ScrapsKC is the kind of store you will want to visit often. The store is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 12 to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Next time you find yourself needing materials for a new project, wanting to donate excess supplies or looking for inspiration, head down to ScrapsKC at 3269 Roanoke Rd in Kansas City, Missouri.

Photos by Alexis Harper.

It’s that time of year again when broke college students must scrounge for a Halloween costume for the variety of parties they will attend. Here are some easy and cheap costumes that anyone can pull off. Most of these can also work as a group costume.

For those who want to keep in the spooky spirit of Halloween, dressing as Wednesday from “The Addams Family” might be the costume for you. All you will need is a black dress with a white button-up underneath and to put your hair into two braids. Black tights and black shoes could be worn too.

Another idea that simply requires a dress is a waitress. Add an apron and a name-tag to complete the look. This could be made in a waiter outfit too. Just swap the dress for pants or shorts and a button-up shirt.

If the weather is supposed to be hot for Halloween, then dressing as a lifeguard could be your best bet. Simply wear white or red shorts and a white or red top, sandals and a whistle around your neck. Additional items could be white paint on your cheeks or nose to look like sunscreen, a hat or visor and a fanny pack.

For colder weather, a warmer costume idea is to dress as Damien from the movie “Mean Girls.” Grab a hoodie and sunglasses, and carry around a piece of paper that you’ve written, “She doesn’t even go here!” on.

Another idea is to dress as the Brawny Man. All you’d need is a red plaid shirt and a roll of Brawny paper towels to carry around. A beard is optional.

Additionally, Rosie the Riveter is an easy choice. Grab a red bandana and a button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and you’re ready to show off those guns.

Arguably the easiest costumes are to be an Identity Thief or literally “50 Shades of Grey.” For the identity thief idea, simply write different names on a bunch of name tags and stick them on your shirt.

The “50 Shades of Grey” idea costs nothing. Wear a grey shirt and go to any store that carries paint and grab a bunch of grey paint samples. Tape or pin them to your grey shirt, and that’s it.

Most of all, Halloween is about having fun, but it’s important to choose your costume appropriately. Dressing as a Native American or wearing blackface is cultural appropriation, and when there are many other choices for costumes, it’s simply best to choose a costume that is not controversial.

While fall weather may not be here for another month or so, fall fashion has arrived. So bring out the tubs of cable knit sweaters, circle scarves and beanies – and immediately throw them out, because fall fashion has taken a real turn. Here I will tell you how to follow and thrift these fashion finds so you can stay cute and not break the bank. The biggest new trends that are present in fall 2019 are colored leather, checks and cinched waists. 

Colored leather can seem a bit intimidating and odd, but stick with me. Swapping a normal black leather jacket out for a dark blue leather jacket can add a bit of color to your outfit and give you a new fresh look. The big New York designers went as far as making colored leather dresses and blouses, but you don’t have to go that far. 

Next we have checks, which are like a classier take on cozy plaid. If you know what Burberry is, this trend is just that print on everything you own. Checks are super present in oversized trench coats and longer skirts. Think ‘90’s men’s wear meets ‘70’s suits and you have what the big names like Marc Jacobs and Dolce and Gabbana were wanting. But we’re all college students, so we might tame the suits down a bit. You can always opt for a cute oversized blazer and pair it with some dark jeans or even print ones. 

Cinched waists are so clean and cute for anyone to rock, so I’m beyond pumped for this trend. The possibilities are endless since scarves as belts are in, and chunky belts are making a comeback. A long oversized black shirt with a thick detailed belt and black heeled boots could be the cutest, comfiest fall outfit. This is also a very easy trend to get with. All you have to do is throw a belt on your outfit or do a simple front tuck and boom – you’re trendy. 

A lot of the big reporters are calling this fall “sad girl autumn” because of its retreat back into dark colors and oversizeness, and I’m not mad about it. We need a break from hot girl summer, and this is the perfect way to transition. Other notable trends are – surprise, surprise – animal print, the color lavender, feathers, lace, satin, and an asymmetrical neckline – which is a slight nod to the early 2000’s. This fall seems like it’s going to be a combination of all the great eras, which makes thrifting these recycled trends even easier.

Living in the midwest requires an arsenal of clothing for different weather conditions. In one season, you may be wearing shorts one day and a puffer jacket the next. Some can find maintaining a good selection difficult when dorm closet space is so limited. Thrifting is a great, eco-friendly way to frequently update your wardrobe and donate unwanted pieces in the same trip.

For your convenience, I have ranked all of the thrift stores within three miles of William Jewell College’s campus. I ranked on a five-star scale using four criteria: selection, affordability, organization and the integrity of the business itself.

4. Goodwill

Selection: 3/5

Affordability: 4/5

Organization: 3/5

Integrity: 2/5

Yes, we have a Goodwill here – it’s located around two miles northwest of Jewell’s campus. However, I do not recommend taking the trip to visit this particular Goodwill. For such a large building, its selection is quite small. It still has the low prices characteristic of Goodwill, but those prices come at the cost of contributing to a company with a shady past that includes paying disabled workers less than minimum wage. As well, Goodwill stores throw away a significant amount of their donations. However, apparently some Goodwill locations recently went bagless, so there’s that. Good for them.

Overall score: 60/100

3. Savers

Selection: 5/5

Affordability: 2/5

Organization: 5/5

Integrity: 2/5

There is a significant amount of appeal stored in the sheer size and wonder of Savers. It’s huge and the stock changes constantly. They’re great about keeping their racks seasonally appropriate, even for specific holidays. The organization of the store is very sensible. However, their prices are often outrageous, even with their 20 percent student discount. This company has had its fair share of scandals and throws away many of its donations. However, Savers gets honors points for being open late on most evenings, which is a rarity for a thrift store.

Overall score: 70/100

2. Immaculata Manor Thrift Store

Selection: 3/5

Affordability: 5/5

Organization: 3/5

Integrity: 5/5

A thrift store located next to Price Chopper on Brown Street that is unknown to most Jewell students, Manor is a small thrift store that solely pursues funding for the Immaculata Manor organization, a non-profit that supports individuals with developmental disabilities and helps to offer them independent supported living (ISL) residences and better integration within the Liberty community. All of the workers are volunteers, and the prices are incredibly right. On most days, the most you’ll pay for an item of clothing is two bucks.

However, the racks are jam-packed and clothing does not get rotated very often, so you cannot visit very regularly. Their website is sparse, so it is difficult to tell what they do with their leftover items. The organization of the store is not very intuitive, though the women’s clothing is color coordinated. They also have begun to stock more furniture and household-related items. Overall, this is a lovely place to spend your money!

Overall Score: 80/100

1. Hillcrest Hope

Selection: 4/5

Affordability: 5/5

Organization: 5/5

Integrity: 5/5

Chances are that you have driven by this place hundreds of times and never thought to go inside. I urge you to visit this wonderful store sometime – this thrift store donates all of its proceeds to its parent organization, which holistically supports low-income families within the Liberty community. As a thrift store, it excels in almost every area: it is impeccably organized, the clothes are cleaned before being racked, its large selection changes fairly often, it offers a large selection of non-clothing items and 95 percent of what is donated either gets sold or recycled. Plus, the whole store has Goodwill-level prices!

Overall score: 95/100