Alternative clothing store Sid & Nancy doesn't "buy just the trends," according to manager Megan Yelton.
Although right now the big trends come from '90s and early 2000s styles, Yelton said business casual attire, streetwear, men's clothing and more are up for sale.
“I think there's a variety of different styles, and you can come in and find whatever you like,” employee Kiaja Nelson said.
Located in Five Points, the shop allows customers to buy, sell and trade its clothing items. Nelson said the store is aimed toward teens to people in their mid-thirties, but almost anyone can come in and find something they like.
First-time shoppers and USC students Hunter Crowe and Maria Johnson stopped into Sid & Nancy after a friend sent them a photo of a sign on the front door that read "Please do not enter if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, xenophobia, racism, or homophobia."
Sid & Nancy owner Heather Burns said everyone deserves to be treated with respect and that the store is committed to diversity in its staff and customers.
Crowe and Johnson said they felt more inclined to come inside and shop because of the inclusion that is advertised.
“[Sid & Nancy] is really cute, cozy and affordable,” Crowe, a first-year pre-business student, said.
Not only are the clothes affordable, but they are also environmentally friendly since they are recycled and passed down from customers.
"We help keep clothing out of landfills! 85% of clothing ends up in landfills or incinerators, so we think its our job to find clothing a new home and give it a second life," Burns said in an email.
The process of selling clothes at Sid & Nancy starts with a potential seller bringing in no more than 45 items at a time. All clothes must be freshly laundered, in-season and put into an open-aired container such as a reusable tote bag.
An employee will then sort through the clothes and make the seller an offer in either store credit or cash. Store credit never expires and can be spent in-store or via Instagram.
All new arrivals get posted to Sid & Nancy’s Instagram page, where customers can request a 24-hour hold or ask for shipping options. Sid & Nancy ships nationwide.
“If you go to Plato's Closet, they only take things up into like a year, but we’ll take vintage stuff if that's what people are looking for,” Yelton said.
Quality, authenticity and anything retro is what the store looks for when buying clothes. Yelton said whether it’s vintage sweaters or vintage skirts, if people will like it, then the store buys it to sell.
Sid & Nancy was voted Columbia’s best alternative clothing store by the readers of the Free Times in 2017 and remains to be downtown Columbia’s only buy-sell-trade store since 2007.