Speaking Startup: The new business of old clothes

Thrift shopping and resale have grown significantly over the last few years, and Missouri entrepreneurs are riding the wave of that popularity. Take Caylin Willis and Jared Armstrong, the co-founders of vintage and upcycled clothing store Yvonne and Mitchel. The couple turned a love of fashion and thrifting into a social media-driven clothing resale business. "We tried to tell (people) that you can just go to the thrift store and find really cool stuff for really cheap," Willis said. "But a lot of people we found just didn't really have the patience to search. We saw an opportunity there.” On the latest episode of Speaking Startup, we look at the business of thrifted and upcycled clothing, which is expected to be a $64 billion industry in the next five years, according to a report from the resale brand thredUP. Plus, following the announcement of the inaugural Kindness in Business awards, we hear the stories of several mid-Missouri entrepreneurs who have been recognized for their exemplary kindness in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.