#003: Only Thrifting w/ Aya Cash

The actress and potter, currently starring in "The Franchise" debuting on HBO this Sunday!, drops some wisdom about life, her secret vintage haunts, and why thrifting makes us feel like millionaires.

“When I get a job in a small town, the first thing I do is look up the thrift shops. Even if I only have one day off, I will choose thrifting over sleep.”—Aya Cash

I can’t remember exactly when I first became a fan of the actor Aya Cash…I think it might have been before one of her earlier signature roles in the series You’re the Worst, but whenever I read a quote from her in an interview or listened to her on a podcast, I always felt a kind of kinship w/her.

And then, back in 2019 at my former company, I had the good fortunate to talk through an essay she was writing, initially prompted by the world’s (then/still) newfound fixation with ‘90s nostalgia, but also what it actually was like for her growing up in California in the ‘90s, watching The Craft and listening to Ani DiFranco, and how that time—thrifting included—inexplicably shaped her style and her sensibilities around identity and the things she loved.

Aya, very possibly on her way to do some thrifting, with BFF Goose.

Even though she’s probably way too busy lately to do much writing—she’s currently starring in HBO’s The Franchise, which drops this Sunday night (trailer ⬇️), and she’ll be returning to her longtime role as Stormfront in the blockbuster series The Boys, as well as its forthcoming spinoff Vought Rising. (And, because I deeply loved her in this, Aya delivered a sensational performance opposite Michelle Williams in Fosse/Verdon that could break your heart).

“I thought only directors wore the Indoor Scarf…is he mocking me??”

During the pandemic, Aya and I kept in touch, mostly about upstate flea markets and yard sales, and all the treasured things we find at them. And, through our shared love of rare/lost/peculiar/collected things, we’ve somehow become kindred second-hand spirits, too. She shares so many beautiful, illuminating, FUNNY things in this conversation/edition of “Only Thrifting”…exactly the stuff that makes me and you and so many other people feel connected + validated in our love of the search for uncommon ephemera…so, let’s just get into it.

“I always say you’re a “things” person or you’re not. When I go to someone’s house I know immediately if they’re a “things” person. It’s not about good design; it’s about seeing and finding intense delight in objects. I love walking through a home and hearing all of the stories about all of the things. Those are the spaces and people I tend to respond to.”—Aya Cash

ATA: Hi Aya…thank you so much for doing this with us. I know from our first time working together on an essay about your style growing up in the ‘90s that you and I shared something precious about thrifting + collecting…and, really, the mindfulness/practice of it all. Tell me about your earliest memory of thrifting.
AYA: “I can’t remember the first time I took myself thrifting, but I know it was in a pre-tech San Francisco, I was a pre-teen, and it was a golden age. The vintage was incredible. There was a place on Valencia Street called Clothing by the Pound. I found 1940s pajamas and ‘70s overalls, and everything was (as expected) by the pound. I think it was $4/a pound on Tuesdays. I would go there and feel like a millionaire. I didn’t grow up with much money, so it was the only way to afford “fashion,” but it was also always about the thrill. I loved finding something incredible in what most people saw as “junk.” And it was addictive.”

Aya Cash and some of her favorite thrifted things. (Nifty collage courtesy of my other obsession, Zeen.)

ATA: I feel that way, too. How even at my brokest, thrifting always made me feel rich, like I always had more than enough. How have your thrifting habits changed over the years? I know for me, I seem to do it more the older I get, but these days it's more about mental health and sustainability than economics...it's just the only thing I can do for hours and hours and NEVER get tired or bored. It seems to make my brain sharper, too. What about you?” 
AYA: “I went through a period in my 20s of fast fashion, but like most of us, once I learned about how toxic and destructive that system is, I [started] thrifting again. Now, I thrift for practicality but also as a hobby. And I thrift for other people as much as I thrift for myself! So many friends just give me their wish-lists, and I will buy for them when I find the right thing. My job means I have [long stretches] where I work 15 hours a day for months; then I may have weeks or even months off. So, my hobby is thrifting, and I am just as happy to be finding things for others. That’s the biggest shift.”

ATA: A lot of people gate-keep their favorite thrifting spots. I guess I understand why, but that’s not really my vibe here. Where do you love to thrift the most? 
AYA: “Goodwill on 14th Street is my favorite Goodwill in the city now that the West Village store is closed. But I am not above going to the bins in Jersey. It’s a fascinating micro-culture to witness. I feel like I go just as much to people-watch as I do to shop. It’s a pain in the butt and not for the new-to-thrifting thrifter… but if it doesn’t scare you to wear some gloves and DIG, that’s where you find the best deals. Also I will always stop at a church thrift; they often have great vintage at cheap prices. For furniture there is nothing better than a Habitat for Humanity Restore. There are a bunch of them throughout the country and they help build homes so you can feel good about giving them your money. The truth is the best thrifting is outside of New York. When I get a job in a small town the first thing I do is look up the thrift shops. Even if I only have one day off I will choose thrifting over sleep. I know this is not revelatory info, but the trick to finding amazing things at the thrift is simply going all the time. I am actually deeply embarrassed by how often I go.”

A burl wood coffee table Aya thrifted recently for $29.

ATA: I feel absolutely ZERO shame about how often I thrift. I remember once my friend Gigi sent me a pic of a tote bag that said, “I Knit So I Won’t Kill People.” I felt that…about thrifting. Do you like to go thrifting solo or with a friend? If so, with who? If we are driving and my husband sees a thrift shop, he will automatically pull over for me w/out even asking anymore…I have a few treasured photos of him sitting in a thrift-store chair reading a Tom Clancy book while I thrift...for me, this is love... 
AYA: “I actually hate thrifting with other people! I like to put in a podcast and just go on a mission. My husband loves vintage, but he wants a curated antiques shop whereas I love to go dig. My buddy Nina is the exception because we grew up going to the bins together in the ‘90s. And recently I have run into someone so many times at the shops that we have just started thrifting together. We are both at the thrift so much we decided we should just plan to go together. It’s actually been fun to share, because I get the same hit of excitement when she finds something. And she’s got the stamina I need in a fellow searcher.”

Aya at the Emmy’s for her role in Fosse/Verdon, wearing a second-hand Balenciaga cape.

ATA: What are some of the most treasured things you've ever thrifted? Pics and details, pleaseeeee…. 
AYA: “This is so hard to answer because I’d say 90% of my home and wardrobe is second-hand. So…everything? Though only about half of the 90% is thrift and the other half is vintage, meaning I bought from a dealer or a store. I think I just have to go with favorite recent finds: I found this incredible painting at a flea market in London, which was a huge pain to get back, but I love it so much. It’s from 1953 on particle board, and both sides are painted because that’s what you did when you were an artist with no money. One side is of a man sitting, staring at the viewer, and the other side is Jesus on the cross, and not exactly my taste, but I love that it exists, like the tramp stamp I got at 18…I would never choose it now, but I’m glad it’s there. I also just got a book-matched burl wood coffee table from Salvation Army for $29.99. YES I am that asshole who says the price when you compliment it. The legs poster is also a Restore find but pricier. I think around $25? I am a total sucker for thrift store art. I’ve started making what I am calling a “reverse still life.” I buy a thrift store painting and then I remake it in pottery. I found this incredible painting of a pitcher at a church thrift shop and then made the pitcher with clay. I did a few versions. I’m now on my third “painting-to-pottery” project, and it’s been really fun to play with. It makes me pay attention to things I would usually miss. A color choice or a way of expressing light that I wouldn’t normally see. I think the key to loving anything is the attention you pay to it, and it’s made me love my finds and appreciate these amateur artists in a new way, as an amateur artist myself.”

A vintage portrait Aya found at a flea market in London (with another portrait of Jesus on the reverse).

“I think the key to loving anything is the attention you pay to it, and it’s made me love my finds and appreciate these amateur artists in a new way, as an amateur artist myself.”—Aya Cash

ATA: Did anyone ever teach you how to thrift? Or did you just kind of know/understand it from an early age? 
AYA: ”I remember being taken to garage sales by my uncle. He is an artist, but when he was in his 20s he had an architectural salvage/gargoyles shop in NYC that closed in 1970. He would find things on the street and sell them in the shop. (As a fellow street collector I think you’d appreciate.) At one point, he began recreating in artworks some of the gargoyles he had found. So, I would say thrifting is in my genetics. Any time I would visit him and his family we would wake up early and hit the flea markets and garage sales near them in Marlboro, NY.  I remember finding a box of naughty ‘50s novelty items when I was about 14, which started an interest in dirty kitsch that I have to this day. But my mom and dad are not thrifters, so I guess it’s a recessive gene. I always say you’re a “things” person or you’re not. When I go to someone’s house I know immediately if they’re a “things” person. It’s not about good design; it’s about seeing and finding intense delight in objects. I love walking through a home and hearing all of the stories about all of the things. Those are the spaces and people I tend to respond to.”

An assortment of Aya’s thrifted treasures, below, including top right, one of her “painting-to-pottery” pieces.

For your High Balls…

CB: I remember reading a Chloë Sevigny quote about 20+ years ago in an interview somewhere that stayed with me, that she just felt more like herself in vintage or second-hand clothes. And, it really struck me in such a powerful way that I could relate to so much, but at the time felt kind of isolated in. Is there some way that vintage or wearing something thrifted makes you feel? 
AYA: “I got a vintage Balenciaga cape from Consignment Brooklyn (hot tip: I sell my clothes through them, too — a great little circle of life for my wardrobe.) I saved it for years, and then when I was invited to the Emmys for Fosse/Verdon, I wore it to one of the parties. It felt like I had bought it so long ago in anticipation of a moment I couldn’t yet even dream for myself. It was a totally impractical purchase and too much money for me at the time (I think it was $250), but I was so in love with it. The accomplishment was finally finding a moment to be able to wear it. I think if I am really going to armchair analyze myself, there is a part of me that doesn’t ever feel totally comfortable in fancy spaces, and I take great pride in my ability to show up in something I bought at Goodwill. It’s like carrying a little piece of me from before, when I wasn’t invited in. And it feels like a little delicious secret and somehow just more honest about who I am, even if it’s mixed in with a lot of glitz and glam.”

ATA: As an actor, does thrifting regularly factor into your wardrobe or the stylist's approach to putting together looks/identities? 
AYA: “I only recently began working with a stylist again (Cristina Erlich) for a press tour I am currently on for The Franchise on HBO. I have mostly dressed myself unless it’s a big event like the Emmys or a big premiere, so I would say I am mostly in second-hand stuff. It’s very hard for me to give up control. I always want to bring a vintage tie or a bag or something to a fitting. I am enjoying letting someone else gather the things, though, and she’s had me put together some mood boards on Pinterest, which is essentially me pinning images of Colman Domingo, Twiggy, and anyone who dated Mick Jagger. So, clearly it is vintage-influenced. I am still trying to work in this wicker pig bag I found at a place called Kingston Consignments, which is a paradise that feels like a mix of thrift and antiques.”

ATA: What are you most yearning for this fall/winter? What if you found it in a thrift store this week, would blow your mind/give you immense JOY?
AYA: “I would love to find a Bonnie Cashin coat in the wild. I have a little collection already, but I have never thrifted one; they’re all from vintage stores. I am in love with her designs, especially with the built-in bags.”

ATA: Anything else you want to share before we wrap up?  
AYA: “I know we are plugging thrift, but I also want to shout out my fave vintage stores—it’s such a hard time to be a small business owner, and these places provide all the most fabulous things in my wardrobe. They also all have an online presence, so you can shop from anywhere! Vacation Vintage and Mercy Vintage in the Bay Area always have crazy good stuff. Superette on the Lower East Side, and of course all the Beacon’s Closets. Lovefield, Clubhouse Vintage, Capital Vintage, Fool For Love, and Chambers Vintage are all amazing upstate places. Worship in L.A. (RIP Worship N.Y.). Knee Deep in Chicago. Mama Loves You and Nouveau Riche in Toronto. Also Fox & Fawn, which is online only—but always has great stuff at a good prices.” ❤️

---

Don’t forget, we’ve got a tight edit of wonderful fall must-haves (with some vintage treasures peppered throughout) for your favorite nook or outfit planning in A Tiny Shop. Come check it out, and remember, if you buy something, we might earn a tiny commission.😎