- TikToker Leah Grace decorated thrift store windows and shared the results online.
- A collection of his finished designs was viewed more than 620,000 times on the app.
- Grace used items that had recently been donated to the store to achieve each look.
A TikToker and thrift store volunteer shared creative window displays she designed in an attempt to catch the eye of passers-by.
On May 5, a passing TikToker leah grace aware a video with an on-screen caption reading, “What my local charity shop looked like before I started window dressing.” The upload showed a series of images of the exterior of a charity Shop, which is the most common type of thrift shop in the UK, run by non-profit organizations to raise funds.
The clip showed some basic items in the sparsely decorated windows, including a couple of mannequins and dishes on a shelf. She then moved on to a montage of window displays Grace had created for her, which included much more colorful and lively arrangements, filled with clothing and decorations.
The TikTok received more than 626,000 views and 380 comments, many of which complimented the designer on the final looks and the effort she clearly put into them. Others asked how she was able to achieve such elaborate designs and what her budget was.
According to Grace websitewhere she has a section dedicated to her storefronts, she doesn’t spend any money and instead uses recently donated items, forcing her to “think outside the box.”
“I love to grab people’s attention with colors and themes,” her website reads, adding that there’s nothing more rewarding “than putting a smile on the face of a passing customer.”
in a follow-up videoGrace wrote in an on-screen caption that she worked at Katharine House Hospice, which runs several thrift stores in the West Midlands, England, to raise money for specialized palliative care.
Grace goes up a new window design every two weeks, with each one focusing on a particular concept. In a video posted on April 20, he wrote in a series of on-screen captions that he started window dressing for his local thrift store a year ago, and “it’s been one of the best things I’ve ever done.”
A concept she described on her website as “using your imagination” to celebrate National Book Day included a dress made from newspapers. The entire look took three hours to put together, she wrote. In a tik tok posted on March 9, Grace showed the concept sketched out on paper compared to the final piece.
In another video, Posted on March 21, Grace responded to a comment asking what it was like to work in a thrift store. Grace said she suffered from anxiety and, as a result, she quit her nine to five job, but contributing to the thrift store had been “an absolute lifesaver.”
He encouraged others to do the same if they could, saying it was “a great way to get your confidence back” and build skills like visual merchandising. She added that even though she no longer works there, she still returns as a volunteer to help create the windows.
Leah Grace has more than 2,500 followers on TikTok where she posts updates on her latest storefront designs. According to her website biography she has a degree in fashion marketing. She did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Leah isn’t the first TikToker and thrift store showcase to go viral on the app. In March 2020, Ellie Rose received over 8.3 million views when she offered his skills at a local store and gave the exterior a fresh look in an attempt to attract more customers inside.
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