Gold for Best Consignment/Thrift Store and Silver for Best Men's Clothing Store in the same year — both in 2025 — tells you that Thrifted Threads in Penn Yan is not your typical secondhand shop. Located in the Lake Street Plaza, this curated resale operation has cracked a code that most thrift stores never figure out: making secondhand fashion desirable to people who would not normally walk into a thrift store, including, notably, men.

The men's clothing Silver is the more remarkable of the two awards, because it means Thrifted Threads is competing with — and beating most of — the full-price retail options in the FLX Finest voting. The curation is the reason. This is not a shop where men's clothing is an afterthought rack near the back wall. The selection is edited for style, condition, and current relevance, creating an inventory that feels more like a well-organized closet than a donation bin. The women's and unisex offerings follow the same philosophy: quality pieces at secondhand prices, merchandised with enough care that the shopping experience feels intentional rather than accidental.

Penn Yan has emerged as a surprisingly strong retail town for its size, driven by the Keuka Lake tourism traffic and a local population that supports independent businesses with unusual loyalty. Thrifted Threads fits perfectly into that ecosystem — sustainable, affordable, and genuinely stylish in a way that aligns with the values of a community that takes pride in supporting local over corporate. The dual FLX Finest wins in 2025 suggest this is a shop on the rise, and the Lake Street Plaza location gives it the visibility and parking access that downtown storefronts sometimes lack.