Thrift Social is an event series that was begun by style-duo 2manysiblings. The concept is great! Style enthusiasts, photographers, thrifters and other creatives, get together to have a good time while thrifting clothes, eating and listening to good music. Attendees are also encouraged to bring donations.
I attended one such event; Thrift Social V. This one was different from its predecessors as it was a night market. It was also 90s themed (yawn, not my thing). I have a few things to say about it. Also, there’s a short video you can check out.
WHAT I LIKED
Concept: I really liked the idea of a night market. Over some live music and good food.
Space: The venue was Rosedale gardens in Kilimani and the space was great. There were hay bales as seats in some areas, plenty of lawn to sit on, and some seating space at the Mama Rocks Gourmet Burger food truck.
Bar: The bar had really good prices and a good selection of drinks.
Music: The DJ was sick! And the live music was nice and groovy. Just A Band’s set was short, but sweet. Shappaman, I couldn’t care for, but he was good.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Crowd: I found the crowd a little pretentious. People dressed to the theme, which is great; but I felt like it was all for show. I can’t describe it, but I felt it. It felt fake. A lot of people weren’t there to have a good time, but to show off their cute (debatable) 90s outfits and funky hairdos. I’m glad that I went with the people I went with because we basically sat in a corner and had a good hangout while people-watching.
Few vendors: There were disappointingly few vendors. For a thrift social, I expected more clothes on sale and more stalls. When I spoke to one of the vendors, they said that they had only been invited less than a week before the event. There were a bunch of old badges for sale, all of which looked like they were given for charity by American colleges.
I did manage to steal a beautiful faux leather jacket for Ksh 500 though!
Apart from Mama’s Food Truck, and Dessert Bar, I did not see any other food stalls. How limiting. There was only one bar, which got super crowded some times.
PS: Most vendors packed up between 8pm and 9pm. So much for night market.
Price: Tickets cost Ksh 1200 at the gate. For what? A fifteen minute live music session? I’ll pass, thanks! I do not, to date, know what I paid Ksh 1200 for. Nothing complimentary.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I would not attend Thrift Social again. I guess it works for some people. Just not for me! I thought it was overpriced for the experience that it offered. I would much rather go to the Alchemist Bar and chill with my friends, for free, no pretenses.
whisperywind.com 
OMG! I didn’t know you’d put up the Interiview we did that day Haha I feel so famous right now Lol Anyway, I really really love your blogs…theyre so real and raw, not pretentious at all. Will definitely be anticipating them 🙂
I also love the Vlogs 🙂
Hahahaha! Internet famous? Thanks for reading! And watching!
I feel your disappointment. But glad you went with people to hang out with or else it would have been worse. I think they didn’t plan the event well. Pole anyway. x
Hey! i admire the honesty in this review. In fact i gave you an air high five more than once while reading. i attended the second edition and as someone who is super ecstatic of the emerging artsy-social scene, i was a bit disappointed at the superficiality and lack of true excitement. i love dressing up as much as the next person but not when it keeps me from having a good time. I was hoping to meet some cool people because well, thrift has a tendency to bring out the weird hippy crowd that i oh so love/hate. After a few failed attempts to get to know some people, we made it fun and just randomly started giving out odd compliments and cherished the unfazed ‘please stop talking’ side eye that we received from most of the participants. At least we got a proper laugh by the end of it. When life gives you lemons ya know? Similar to your experience, I ended up having a great time with the people that i came with along with a few others. I just hope that we collectively learn to let loose a bit and realize that its really never that serious haha. Nevertheless, its still impressive the boundaries that 2Siblings are pushing. you have to give credit where credit is due:)
xx
You said it perfectly! I love the ‘hippy’ free spirits that attend such events, but we do need to learn to loosen up! Thanks for reading. 🙂
Yeah. Thank God for friends. Haha. I would have shot myself