Woman reveals how to become a successful personal shopper

By Emma Dunn via SWNS

Meet the personal shopper for thrifters – who charges up to $285 for a personalized style bundle of second-hand clothes.

Kalita Hon, 22, spends five hours a day in thrift stores and charity shops – shopping for other people.

She has always had a passion for shopping on a budget and started selling her old clothes and thrifted items on Depop when she was a psychology student at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

She would make around $1,000-a-month – which helped with her living costs – and started posting her finds on TikTok when she graduated university in June 2023.

After her videos took off, Kalita decided to offer up her services as a personal shopper and now has a waiting list with more than 300 people signed up.

She picks out the styles she thinks she can fulfil and heads to thrift stores to pick out the right pieces – spending hours scouring the rails for the perfect outfits for her client.

So far, she has put together 40 bundles since launching properly in August 2023.

Kalita, a stylist, living in Los Angeles, Calif., said: “I have a passion for fashion and styling.

“I got the feeling I was really good at styling outfits.

“I’m there when the thrift stores open at nine.

“I spend half my day there.

“I try to accept every single kind of fashion sense.

“It’s a really personal experience.”

Originally from Taiwan, Kalita, has been thrifting since she was in middle school aged 11, and after moving to Connecticut for college she sold on her finds as a side hustle.

She said: “It was my way of making money on the side.”

Kalita is very passionate about sustainability and said her wardrobe is “95 per cent thrifted”.

While searching for jobs after graduating, she saw others on social media selling style bundles – a collection of second-hand clothes personally sourced to suit someone’s style – and decided to give them a go herself.

Kalita said: “I used to do it for my friends for their birthday.”

Her videos took off and she now has 300 people signed up on her waiting list.

Anyone can fill out her form and describe their style, sizes and what they are after and choose the size of their bundle.

Kalita’s prices range from $105 for two items, a handmade accessory and for the styling fee to $285 for six statement pieces. She also charges for shipping separately.

She said: “Sometimes I like choosing challenging ones.

“I shopped for a girl where her style was super preppy – Korean preppy style.

“I found her a matching set.”

Kalita has worked on all kinds of styles – whimsical gothic, street wear and a cowgirl style.

The style bundles can take a couple of weeks to a month to put together – depending on how quickly Kalita can find their items in the stores.

She said: “It’s very physically taxing.

“People see the effort that goes into each bundle.”

Kalita loves getting to “learn” about each individual through their style.

She said: “You can learn a lot through a sense of style.”

She has also been thrifting to create a stockpile of statement pieces – ready to add to her bundles.

Kalita describes her own style as “coastal cowgirl” – wearing lots of cowgirl boots and maxi skirts in the summer – and switching it up to lots of leather and a darker “chic” and “polished” look in the winter.

Kalita said: “In every day life, do you really know someone who has a stylist?

“It’s a really great opportunity for people who don’t have the funds to afford a personal stylist.”

Kalita's fees for her bundles:

• Small – two items and one accessory - $55 + $50 styling fee
• Medium - three items and one accessory - $85 + $60 styling fee
• Large - four items and two accessories - $110 + $70 styling fee
• Extra-large - six items and two accessories - $130 + $95 styling fee
• Limited edition style bundle - six statement pieces - $200 + $85 styling fee