2nd Street, a Japanese thrift store chain focused on diverse and sustainable style, opened a location in Westwood last Friday.

The chain has over 700 locations in Japan and opened its first United States store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles in January 2018. Customers can buy and sell clothes, shoes and accessories at 2nd Street locations.

2nd Street donates unsold items to a partner company, where they are recycled and used to clean oil spills in factories, according to the company’s website. Customers must bring a U.S. government-issued photo ID to sell items. After receiving a calculated estimate, they can receive cash on the spot for the purchase.

While the consignment store was originally said to open by the end of July 2024, its opening was delayed to a year later.

[Related: Consignment store 2nd Street to open doors in Westwood Village this summer]

Lisandro Quiroz, 2nd Street USA’s digital marketing coordinator, said in an emailed statement that the delay happened because finalizing the required licensing and approvals took longer than expected.

“We wanted to make sure everything was in place to operate smoothly and legally from day one,” Quiroz said in the statement.

Michael Russell, executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, said the association wrote a letter of support to open the establishment in a timely manner.

“They reached out to us to offer support in getting their store opened. They needed a secondhand license in order to purchase items from people that would come in from their customers. So they need this license. They have to get through the police commission,” Russell said. “We did what we could.”

Ileyi Nagast, a rising fourth-year biology student who visited the store, said she found the store to be “very organized.” Clothing racks are labeled with signs based on style, including “Y2K,” “contemporary RTW” and “street.”

Dakota Cosgrove, a 2nd Street employee, said the chain often opens near college campuses to provide sustainable fashion options for students looking to buy new items for school and sell clothes as they move out.

2nd Street has a wide price scale, with garment pricing ranging from $5 to thousands of dollars, Cosgrove said. The store uses a product authenticator called Entrupy to ensure the authenticity of products handled at the chain, she added.

“We make sure that all of our customers are buying authentic items because I think that’s really important for our business and for our reputation,” Cosgrove said.

Russell said he aims to create a vibrant atmosphere in Westwood through the establishment of community-serving businesses.

“We do a lot to engage with any new businesses that come into the area that may be interested in the area,” he said.

2nd Street’s model of buying and selling aligns with the Westwood Village Improvement Association’s sustainability goals, Russell said. He added that the organization believes the store provides trendy items that may be attractive to UCLA students, along with other residents, which can boost the village’s economy.

Solo Bailey, who attended the store’s opening event, said he was interested in 2nd Street because of his familiarity with other thrift stores in LA. He added that he enjoyed the store’s diverse size range.

Cosgrove said the grand opening led to a high amount of traffic in the store.

“It seems like a lot of customers have been waiting, since we did have a delay in opening,” Cosgrove said. “I’m really excited. I do think it’s going to be a huge success. I think once school starts up again too, it’s going to get really busy.”

Other businesses – including Bread Head, Raising Cane’s and Van Leeuwen – are also set to open soon in Westwood.

“We just hope to keep encouraging more businesses to open, reduce the number of vacancies that are visible from the street and keep people coming back to Westwood,” Russell said.