High school student introduces on-campus thrift store

Clearwater High School junior Aydin Riggs has opened an in-school thrift store, to provide affordable clothing to his community and support other students looking to explore business.

Aydin is a member of the Career Academy for International Culture and Commerce (CAICC) program at his school, which focuses on international trade and business classes, preparing students for secondary education in the field.

The 16-year-old enjoys thrifting as a hobby, but first got the idea to start his own store, which he has named Clearwater Closet, when talking with his friends and fellow students. The campus store sells items of clothing, but many of his peers said that the  $15-25 price tags were just too high for high school students, some of whom might have no other way to source clothes.

“Sometimes it’s not a want, it’s a need,” Aydin said. “Sometimes students don’t have a ride, they don’t have money for a car or don’t have money for transportation. So what if we open it up at the school … make it cheap and affordable.”

But the process of starting Clearwater Closet wasn’t without its challenges. The Pinellas County School Board had to approve the project. And Aydin had to get connected and find a way to source “gently-used” clothes. That’s where Achieva came in. Aydin had been interning at the credit union, where his mother Sarah Hussain is Market President, when he got the idea for the thrift store; he decided to enlist the help of his co-workers to get his startup running, asking for clothing donations.

“People loved it at Achieva,” Aydin says. “A ton of people wanted to donate, and it worked out. We got lots of clothes…without Achieva, [Clearwater Closet] wouldn’t be anything.”

Later this month, Achieva will be running an additional clothing drive to source even more for the store. Achieva staff also helped Aydin by providing him business advice and getting his project approved by CAICC (the company is an active board member).

Helping his community has been the most rewarding part of this project, Aydin says. Students who desperately need clothes can speak to a school counselor and be given clothing at no cost. “Somebody is able to have a shirt on their back, and they can have it without stressing. That’s my favorite part.”

After he graduates, management of Clearwater Closet will go to his mentors at CAICC, who will staff the store with other students seeking a career in business. Aydin plans to head off to college, where he is eager to learn about a variety of subjects, not just business. He is also interested in pursing a career in acting and entertainment.

 “or somebody like me,” he says, “this is just my first stop.”