Almost two weeks ago I hosted a fun, energetic event with Goodwill called Ready, Set, Thrift!. I came up with four challenges for thrifters to compete in and the prizes ranged from free clothes to a $50 gift card. It was my first event with the thrift store and we had an awesome turn out. The shoppers were excited and I loved seeing them scurry around the store to complete their missions.

Thanks again to everyone who came out, but if you missed it, check out the recap.

We had four challenges throughout the night and when I gave the shoppers the go-ahead, they opened their piece of paper to see what mission they had to accomplish.

The thrift hunters made their way through Goodwill’s Chelsea Boutique to find items for the scavenger hunts and pick out pieces to recreate a high end runway look as well as style a holiday outfit.

The events were timed, so after 30 minutes were up, they reported back to the judges.

Ladies lined up in their final looks for the recreate the runway challenge.

We showed them a photo from Tracy Reese’s fall collection and we wanted to see how they interpreted it using pieces from Goodwill.

For another challenge, we asked people to show us what they thought was the perfect holiday style.

Two of the really high energy tasks revolved around the scavenger hunt. After running around the store to find everything from wool/cashmere sweaters to anything with animal print, the participants had baskets full of random items.

Myself and the other judges huddled to pick winners.

Our first winner of the night was Steve, who was the only person to find all items for the first scavenger hunt. One of the items included a 200-300 word book. Most shoppers read this as a 200-300 page book vs. 200-300 words, but Steve was the only one who actually counted the number of words. And for his attention to detail, he won a $50 gift card.

Emme actually won two challenges: best dressed holiday thrifter {we loved her red coat and figure flattering wrap dress} and it took her just minutes to find all of the listed items for the second scavenger hunt.

Our recreate the runway challenge had nine participants, but the winner was Gazelda. We loved her bold jacket and print top, which was on point with Tracy Reese‘s high end look. Gazelda was able to keep her outfit.

The point of Ready, Set, Thrift! was to have fun, but also show that thrift stores can provide everything you need, from a holiday appropriate style to designer inspired looks.

To get an even better sense of the event, check out the short video below.