CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the Charlotte Hornets begin their home, regular-season campaign, some of their fans may be wearing vintage merchandise.

Hornets fans, and the rest of the country, are finding new ways to shop for sports apparel.

A growing secondhand apparel market in the United States is helping new businesses, and advocates say it is also helping the planet.

What You Need To Know

Secondhand apparel is a growing market space in the United States

Vintage sports-team merchandise is even more popular, according to Charlotte sellers

Vintage sports-team items can fetch hundreds of dollars, depending on design and condition 

Nationwide online resale company thredUP states in its annual report the secondhand apparel market is set to explode in the coming years.

Sales in the United States in 2021 hit $35 billion, and the market is expected to more than double by 2026, according to the report.

In fact, thredUP states 244 million consumers said they have, or would consider, shopping secondhand.

A vintage business in Charlotte agreed there is a growing demand for old apparel, especially sports-themed merchandise.

Jessica McDonald, and her best friend Joshua Hallums, started Public Interest CLT seven years ago. Through a combination of online, social media and pop-up shops, the two sell vintage T-shirts, outerwear and other memorabilia.

Most of their current stock is in storage units, which McDonald said they visit frequently.

“I probably come here maybe four days out of the seven-day week. And, I come in here to either fill orders, start sourcing for our next market. We also bring people in to private shop sometimes,” McDonald said.

About two years ago, McDonald was able to make the business her full-time job, due to rising sales and demand.

“I am a single mom, and I wanted to start a business. This is my best friend, and he’s always been into fashion. I’m attached to the nostalgia part of vintage, it just kind of made sense,” McDonald added.

McDonald and Hallums find, clean and then sell vintage apparel, specializing in sports teams. The business is a combination of nostalgia, style and eco-friendly shopping, according to McDonald.

“Everyone somewhere can relate to some sort of sport. We get excited, it’s something that we can all kind of get behind,” McDonald said.

Both thredUP and McDonald said the growing secondhand apparel market is an opportunity to help cut down on emissions and help the planet.

“The waste on apparel every year is appalling, and we want to do our part and help our customers decrease their carbon footprint,” McDonald added.

Despite what you might think, McDonald said it’s not an easy business to run. The job requires constant thrifting, trades, buying old inventory and keeping an eye out for sales.

“We work really hard, we travel a lot, but what you see here now is probably seven years worth of us building and sourcing,” McDonald said, referencing one of the duo’s two storage units.

Hallums said part of the appeal for sports fans is older items often have a bit more character.

“There is definitely something to be said about a big bold graphic that’s colorful, the quality again of the garment itself, that just stands out amongst some of the items that might be sold today in stores, you know?” Hallums explained.

The secondhand sports business is lucrative, depending on the item, and can bring in hundreds of dollars, especially if the items are in good condition and have a standout design.

“I think honestly it’s the graphics, it starts with the graphics,” Hallums said, admiring an old Hornets sweatshirt covered in bright colors and flashy graphics.

The retro trend is moving into the mainstream sports scene too with new collections. Just recently, several college football teams and the National Hockey League looked to cash in on fans’ admiration of old logos and designs.

However, the collections are new apparel for purchase and not secondhand pieces.

Here in Charlotte, McDonald said secondhand Panthers items are the company’s best sellers, but it’s hard to keep any team in stock.

“Specifically with the Hornets, I think that’s such an iconic logo, and the colors are unlike any other NBA team from the '80s to the present day,” McDonald said. “That teal and purple, people just love it.”