After Jackie Droese finishes at her 9-5 job, she’s not done for the day. Instead, she puts on her next hat: content creator and professional thrifter.
Droese spends her evenings filming videos for Instagram, doing live auction shows on Whatnot, an app designed for live shopping, and thrifting for the next piece to add to her collection.
Her hard work seems to be paying off: her Instagram account @thriftlikeagirll has amassed over 80,000 followers, with many of her videos garnering over 100,ooo views. She’s partnered with Summerfest and had her own vintage drop with Urban Outfitters in September of 2025. Droese has become one of Milwaukee’s most prominent fashion influencers, and you can often spot her selling at 414Flea markets or searching for new finds at Goodwill.
If you scroll through the 25-year-old’s page, you’ll discover that there are few limits to her style and she’s not afraid to experiment: She wears everything from ’70s lingerie to y2k tops, with colors from across the rainbow. One video Droese posted in April of this year features her in a fuzzy baby pink poncho, olive green low-waisted pants with a scarf tied as a belt, a pointed brown shoe to match her brown Miu Miu crossbody bag, big tinted sunglasses and an arm tucked around her family’s Pomeranian.
Experience an unforgettable evening celebrating great design!
When asked how she manages her work, her response is simple: “I just do,” she says, “In my brain, there’s no other option.”
Droese’s “just do” mindset has been with her since girlhood, growing up in Menomonee Falls. Her parents enrolled her in dance classes when she was young, and she was soon dancing almost 40 hours a week both on a competitive studio team and her school’s dance team. Droese says that dance helped her become more comfortable performing in front of people and taught her discipline.
Thrifting was also an early part of her life – Droese’s mom pushed her around in a stroller at estate sales, and her grandmother would often take her to rummage sales and the Salvation Army. Droese recalls thrifting a pair of four-inch wedges in fourth grade and wearing them to school the next day, despite already being the tallest person in her class.
Droese studied communications with a media studies emphasis at UW-La Crosse. After graduation in 2022, Droese stayed in La Crosse for two years, working at WKBT Channel 8 News as their Creative Services producer. She later moved on to work in promotions marketing for USA Today, a remote job she still holds.
In September of 2023, Droese started reselling clothing. “I had started thrifting so much that my roommate said, ‘You need to start selling on [online marketplace] Depop, otherwise you’re a hoarder.’”
She started small, creating an Instagram account where she would post her clothing for sale. At the time, she wasn’t posting videos and treated the account as more of a shop.
Jackie’s Recommended Local Vintage Shops
Droese shared just a few of her go-to local spots:
Bandit MKE
1224 E. BRADY ST.
Desire Attire
1689 N. HUMBOLDT AVE.
Refresh Vintage
921 E. OGDEN AVE.
SayWerd
3474 N. OAKLAND AVE.
Sardines Vintage Collective
2925 S. DELAWARE AVE.
In May 2024, she sold at the 414Flea market at Milwaukee’s Zócalo Food Park. The experience inspired her to move to Milwaukee, with its emerging vintage scene, at the end of that summer.
Around the time of her move, Droese started posting reels of her thrift trips, vlogs and highlighting her special finds. As her posts turned further from a simple showcase of her vintage drops and toward more videos, her page steadily began to grow. Posting videos became a creative outlet for her and she quickly built a community online, making friends with fellow thrifters from around the country.
Watching Droese’s videos feels like being on FaceTime with a bubbly and warm best friend who is gushing over her newest thrift gems.“I love being a storyteller,” she says. “That’s the most fun part for me.”
When asked to describe her own personal style, Droese says three things come to mind: youthful, bold and always trying to outdo her outfits from the week before.
If you’re struggling to find your own personal style, Droese recommends finding go-to outfit formulas that work for your everyday activities. “I really think your personal style is you Monday through Friday – as fun as it is to get the fancy going-out outfits.” Droese suggests finding three “uniforms” — one of her go-to options is baggy jeans, cute sneakers, a graphic baby tee, and some accessories to zhuzh it up. “There are people that will say they’re just not accessory people, and I just don’t even think that’s a thing – accessories make outfits better, just figure out the kinds that you like.”
Droese sees thrifting as a way to experiment more with your personal style without investing too much money – the stakes are low, so creative experimentation can flourish. “The last thing you should be doing is placing an order for four $50 shirts that you don’t even know are going to fit you right.” she says.
As thrifting continues to gain popularity, Droese hopes it will drive the demand for new clothing — and the waste it generates — down. She’s also optimistic that sustainable clothing brands will continue to increase in popularity so we can continue to find quality, vintage clothing at the thrift store in the years to come. “I think the best marketing you could have is a piece of clothing that lasts over 20 years.”
What’s next for Droese? As her business grows, she has big ideas and hopes to keep growing both her reselling business and content creation career. “I could see myself having a vintage store or even developing a fashion line one day,” she says, “If I just get up each day and do something new, it’ll lead me to where I’m supposed to be.”
