“I’ve been thrifting my whole life,” says Evie Mollow, who recently turned 17. “I would go with my mom and find all these nice clothes I could find in a store, but they were second-hand. And I’ve wanted to make a business out of it because my friends would tell me, ‘I want you to thrift for me — you always find the right stuff!’”

This year, Evie began putting her knack for great thrift shop fashion finds to work as a business that’s also in the business of assisting local non-profits. She runs “The Rack,” a pop-up clothing and accessories shop, which has as its tagline “Thrifting for a Cause.”

Evie collaborates with local non-profits to include items she’ll sell to help their cause during sales at her temporary pop-up shop sites. Then, she promotes the upcoming pop-up dates on her shop’s website and Instagram (@eviem.therack), while the non-profit pitches in with its own social media notifications.

In October, Evie’s very first collaboration, with Guilford-based Women and Family Life Center, was an instant success. The Branford High School senior set up The Rack inside Samantha Smith’s unique, pop-up-oriented venue space, Gather, located in Branford at 1048 Main Street. For three days, customers could visit The Rack at Gather, where Evie’s fun, funky, and fashionable attire was offered alongside a special section of gently used women’s business wear, collected in collaboration with WFLC.

“I wanted to work with Women and Family Life Center because they’ve helped my family a lot,” says Evie. “I really liked the idea of having people donate women’s business clothes, and I wanted people to be able to get them so they can feel confident about themselves if they’re finding a new job, [and] to be able to give the profits from those clothes to the Women and Family Life Center.”

Evie also offered two special times during which WFLC participants could come in for styling tips and an outfit — all at no cost. By the time she’d rung up the final sale, Evie had raised $514 for WFLC, which she presented to WFLC Executive Director Jennifer Wenderoth-Holster.

Next, Evie collaborated with Judy Barron, executive director of Community Dining Room, for a November weekend pop-up shop inside the CDR dining room in Branford. This time, the sale includes a special section of clothes donated to help The Rack raise funds for CDR programs, which support participants from Branford, North Branford, East Haven, and Guilford. The sale raised $850 in donations for CDR.

“I wanted to help Community Dining Room because I volunteered with them with my mom for so long, and I love them!” says Evie. “I had a job with them in the summer, working with fundraising events. It was fun, and it taught me a lot.”

A Thrifty Eye

The Rack is stocked with Evie’s latest additions to her growing inventory, among which are some unbelievable vintage finds and recognizable fashion house labels. But what also sets The Rack apart is Evie’s great eye and ability to curate its merchandise. She’s done the work of thrift shop hunting for the customer, who can get right to the excitement of grabbing a great find. Evie hopes the experience will also encourage more people to consider finding their clothes at thrift shops, both for the thrill and the sustainability it can provide.

“I had a thought to have it as a website at first, but I want people to experience thrifting,” says Evie of constructing plans for The Rack. “People who don’t usually do it, it’s a good step towards it.”

At The Rack “....you come and find these clothes you wouldn’t normally find and it's just in one area, so it’s easy to find. I also had the idea of a pop-up because online, you can’t feel stuff and try stuff on. So I thought a pop-up would be a great idea.”

She also feels good about wearing and sharing clothes that have been given a second life.

“It makes me feel better about myself, knowing that I’m reusing clothes instead of buying new ones. It just makes the world a better place.”

Evie also likes to include plenty of clothes that can be worn equally well by anyone.

“I don’t really gender the clothes so much; I just put them on racks as nice clothes,” says Evie, adding, “I wear a lot of men’s pants, sweaters, and jackets because I like how they look.”

The Rack also has accessories on display – jewelry, bags, and more.

Evie sets aside a special section of donated clothing and items for sale on behalf of the shop’s selected non-profit beneficiary. Sales of all special section items benefit the non-profit. Details of Evie’s pop-up events to benefit future local causes will be posted at The Rack’s Instagram page and website (https://star-caterpillar-fstm.squarespace.com).

Amidst all of her efforts on behalf of The Rack and local non-profits this fall, Evie was also working on completing college applications. She hopes to study the fashion business in college and is applying to several schools, including her first choice, Toronto Metropolitan University (Canada).

Working together with Smith at Gather, Evie is also currently collaborating on an idea to encourage future BHS students to try their hand at pulling together a pop-up shop with an element that would assist local causes.

“I would love to pass this down to someone who’s younger than me,” says Evie.