Before Kasha Schlicht, sophomore in fashion business, embarked on her entrepreneurial journey with a vintage pop-up shop, her profound love for affordable, quality clothes already left a mark on her life.

“My grandma was a teacher in Oklahoma City, and as a teacher, she didn’t get paid very much, so she was like ‘Let’s go to the thrift store,’” Schlicht said. “When I was a little bit older, maybe like fifth or sixth grade, I would go thrifting with my mom, and I would find like one piece, and I would wear it as much as possible.”

Thrifting clothes with her mom and grandma began Schlicht’s love for thrifting and vintage clothes, which is a driving force behind her business model. Even the name of the pop-up shop, The Birdhouse Thrift, is a nod to Schlicht’s childhood.

“At my parent’s house, they have a sunroom that the previous owners called it ‘The Birdhouse,’ and we just stuck with the name,” Schlicht said. “Growing up, we would have sleepovers in that room … there’s just so many good memories in there. I’ve had the best experiences with some of my closest friends in that space. When I was struggling to figure out a name for my shop, I was in The Birdhouse, and I was like ‘I’m crazy — let’s just call it The Birdhouse Thrift.’”

Even with the growing pop-up shop thriving, Schlicht is mindful to stay conscious of her upbringing and make cherishable clothes accessible for everyone.

“My main thing is keeping things affordable for everybody, even good quality clothes,” Schlicht said. “Being able to run a business is a privilege. Being a small business is hard, but there is so much going on in the world right now, this kind of business puts me in the position to help others.”

Schlicht finds most of the clothes in her shop from estate sales, Facebook Marketplace and small-town thrift stores.

“I’m really big about sustainability,” Schlicht said. “A lot of big thrift stores, like Goodwill, are not good companies when you look more into it. I do shop from there, but I feel better knowing that the clothes I’m sourcing are actually going to be cherished.”

Schlicht works to make finding clothes people love impact not only their confidence but also the local community.

“When I started off doing my pop-ups, I would do it so that like 50% of my sales would go to a local organization,” Schlicht said.

During future events and online sales over the summer, The Birdhouse Thrift will donate 20% of proceeds to charity organizations.

“This may not seem like a huge number, but during the last [Little Apple Vintage] Flea, we were able to raise $150 for Doctors Without Borders,” Schlicht said.

While Schlicht said running the pop-up was a dream come true, she’s taking a break over the summer to regroup.

“My main focus is still the shop, I’m going to spend this entire summer sourcing for items and I’m gonna be posting on Depop and on my Instagram and keeping people updated,” Schlicht said. “When the students come back, I’m planning like, some new projects and more … So like, this summer is kind of like a revamp for The Birdhouse. That’s kind of like my goal for the summer, just to make sure I come back better than ever in August.”

Those interested in staying updated with The Birdhouse Thrift can follow its instagram @TheBirdhouseThrift.