StateMint pop-up returns for the 17th time, offers affordable clothing, accessories | Fashion

If your closet has been seeming lackluster lately, or if you simply need to spice up your spring wardrobe, look no further than StateMint Consignment.

In 2014, Sarah McAffry was a seller in a local children’s consignment event. Little did she know that this experience would jumpstart her idea to create and manage her own adult clothing pop-up store, StateMint.

From March 24-27, StateMint will return for the 17th time since its opening. This spring event will take place at the Knoxville Expo Center, located at 5441 Clinton Highway.

McAffry explained her inspiration for starting StateMint after participating in the children’s consignment event.

“When I picked up my check from that first sale, I couldn’t believe how much money I made on clothes I was going to put in a trash bag and drop off somewhere. I knew immediately there needed to be something like this for adult clothing. I had tons of things in my closet that I wasn’t wearing, and I knew Knoxville was full of other women with the same story.”

“We needed a convenient way to sell our items — not just selling them one at a time on Facebook Marketplace — and to make more than the two dollars you would make at a garage sale,” McAffry said.

This year’s pop-up will include a myriad of local Knoxville vendors, including Aught, KD coaching, Sarah’s Spice and Posies and Morgan Hayley Photography. Additionally, it will have over 25,000 items for sale, including popular brands such as Lululemon, Free People, Madewell, Gucci and Ray-Ban.

Sophomore Alexis Barton explained her experience with StateMint and her excitement for the upcoming event.

“As someone who loves to thrift, StateMint is one of my favorite Knoxville shops. I went last fall, and I found some outfits that have become staples in my wardrobe. As someone who is larger, it is hard for me to find clothes that fit when shopping second hand, so I was really happy when I found them at StateMint. I look forward to seeing what they have to offer this year,” Barton said.

StateMint offers affordable, quality clothing that is sorted by size for ease of shopping. Members of the Knoxville community have the opportunity to spring clean their closets while providing affordable, new-to-you clothing to others.

McAffry described the overall mission of StateMint, and how she works to help the community and the environment simultaneously.

“StateMint believes that you can reclaim your closet and your life by clearing the clutter that you’re not wearing. We believe in revolutionizing the way you shop and that you can have style on a budget without paying retail prices. We seek to impact our community in four ways — by giving sellers a paycheck for getting rid of what they’re not using, by offering shoppers a chance to refresh their wardrobe at deeply discounted prices, by donating our unsold items to local nonprofits and by lowering our carbon footprint in the world,” McAffry said.

StateMint strives to not only reduce environmental impacts caused by overproduction of clothing, but also to empower women through the exchange of clothing, as well as helping those who might otherwise not be able to afford clothing.

If you cannot make it to this season’s StateMint pop-up, do not fret — there is a fall event each year too.

For more information about StateMint and its vendors, visit their website or Instagram.