Crossroads Trading Company’s 27 locations across the country celebrated the franchise’s 20th anniversary Wednesday.
Evanston’s Sherman Avenue location will serve cake and raffle off nine gift cards to the store’s customers in commemoration.
“We’re hosting the celebration at the store to have a little fun with our customers and staff,” said Meghan Bailey, store manager.
Bailey said some staff may dress up in 1990s-era attire in honor of the company’s establishment in 1991. She said she hopes to use the celebration to “say thank you” to the store’s regular customers. The store’s upcoming anniversary provided a moment of reflection for some shoppers Tuesday afternoon.
Kati Sweaney, a fourth-year graduate student, said she shops at Crossroads frequently for more than just affordable prices.
“I try not to buy things that are new because it is more socially responsible to buy used,” Sweaney said. “I like that things at Crossroads are recycled.”
Weinberg sophomore Liz Schrier agreed, saying she had declared a New Year’s resolution to buy only secondhand clothing for a year.
“I recently became aware of statistics about how much land and water it takes to produce clothing,” Schrier said. “I’m trying not to buy new clothes for environmental and social reasons.”
Schrier said she shops at Crossroads exclusively when buying clothes in Evanston. It is one of the only local stores that provides options that accommodate her goal of buying pre-owned clothes, she said. Although Crossroads appeals to some customers’ efforts to be more sustainable, other shoppers said they choose Crossroads simply for its affordability.
“I come here for the prices and because it’s good quality,” said Chicago resident Naomi Middleton.
She added she shops at Crossroads about once every two months. Bailey said she understood this motivation to save money.
“These days, people are looking for discounts and ways to make extra money,” Bailey said. “We offer clothes that are trendy but much cheaper than competitors, and we buy clothes.”
Bailey said although the nation has undergone severe economic instability in the five years since Evanston’s Crossroads was founded, the thrift store has flourished.
“Crossroads is the right kind of business for economic downtime,” she said. “Business has been great over the past five years and we’ve been growing as a company.”
