On an industrial estate in Cardiff, tucked behind a cladding and roofing supplier and a tiling centre, is a huge 12,000 sq ft unit, full of vintage clothes. This vintage superstore sells big name brands at reduced prices - starting from as low as £2.99. The Thrift has opened a permanent base on the Jubilee Trading Estate following demand from students attending their ‘kilo sales’.
The Thrift was set up by Gareth Natale, opening at the start of February. Gareth successfully set up Deadstock, an online vintage store, back in 2015 after seeing a gap in the market. Building on his hobby of visiting thrift stores and charity stops around Cardiff, as well as having aspirations for opening his own store, Gareth founded Deadstock with “less than zero money” and just a suitcase of thrifted clothes.
“I wanted to start a streetwear store, which was a style that nobody was really offering at the time,” Gareth said. “Topman and Urban Outfitters hadn’t quite cottoned onto the trend. I thought that, being a kid with no money and no experience of running a business, I wouldn’t be taken seriously by traditional wholesalers.”
