Gen Z revives trends from the past, impacting Bloomington businesses

NOTE: This news article featuring Senior Director of Government & Community Relations, Christopher Emge, was originally published by IDS - Safin Khatri on Sunday, January 26th, 2025.

Antiques at the Bloomington Antique Mall are seen Jan. 20, 2025, on West Seventh St. in Bloomington. Originally opened in 1988, Bloomington Antique Mall has showcased many local vendors in a three-floor flee market-style mall. Photo by Michelle Rezsonya / The Indiana Daily Student

On a cold and snowy Saturday in Bloomington, Book Corner buzzes with life, providing an escape from the elements. College students browse the shelves, stopping to read the back cover. A few blocks away, Cherry Canary Vintage Clothing hums with the sounds of hangers sliding across the racks, as colorful garments from past decades surround shoppers in the search for the perfect retro piece. These scenes are increasingly common in Bloomington as many members of Gen Z find comfort in retro and vintage lifestyles. 
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Edward Hirt, a professor of social psychology at IU, said in an email that nostalgia through stories, movies and depictions of events can give people a sense of meaningfulness in their lives, even if they have not physically lived it themselves.  

“When things are chaotic or unpredictable, it is nice to reminisce about times in the past where you had good times, experiences, felt loved,” he said, “for it gives us a sense of continuity with our past, a sense that we can get through changes, and that is reassuring and comforting.”  

Cassie Sloan, owner of Cherry Canary Vintage Clothing, said she has seen more interest from young people in vintage and retro clothing during the last few years. 

In 2023, the U.S. secondhand clothing market grew by 11%, seven times faster than the collective retail clothing market, according to ThredUp, an online consignment and thrift store.  

“It does seem people are a lot more into sustainability and vintage,” she said. “And there's definitely been an uptick in ‘80s and ‘90s stuff being popular, so I would assume that that's the nostalgia part.”  
Sloan also said social media has helped her store gain attention and customers, with apps such as TikTok driving engagement.  

A survey by Bain & Company found customers who engage with business on social media, such as liking posts, or following companies, spend up to 40% more compared to other customers.  

“Somebody did a TikTok story on my shop, a year ago, and I saw a huge uptick in followers,” Sloan said. “But I don’t do a lot of (social media), so I am sure it would help. And I think that that did help get some more people into the shop for a while.”  

Similarly, Connor Kilander, an employee at Book Corner, said a lot of Gen Z customers come from “BookTok,” a subculture of people who discuss books on the social media app.

“I've seen many people coming in asking about whether we have some books that were on BookTok,” he said. “And sometimes we do, sometimes we don't, more times than not we do, and I find that it keeps a lot more younger people coming in.”  

Kilander also said the appeal for a physical copy of a book keeps bookstores such as Book Corner relevant.  

Since 2009, independent bookstores in the U.S. have grown by 49%, in addition to sales for printed books increasing annually since 2013. 

“I find that people still like to have a hard copy of something in their hands,” he said.. “Whether it's for materialistic purpose or just enjoy having a book, it's good to say so many people are aged younger, still wanting to read and have copies of books rather than listening to an audiobook or buying a copy online.”  

Christopher Emge, senior director of government and community relations for the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, said due to the rise of e-commerce, customers appreciate the experience of shopping for physical goods, which Morgenstern Books have done. 

“It's not just the books they have; it's going in there and having an atmosphere that goes, ‘Oh, I want to hang out here for 45 minutes to an hour, I'm going to get a cup of coffee.’ So, it's the experience with the physical goods,” he said.  

Hirt said engaging with trends, music or clothes that evoke nostalgia helps members of Gen Z find their identity.  

“We think that people want to feel continuity in their sense of self and their identity,” Hirt said. “This is who I am, these events and memories help define me and make me the person I am today, so remembering those formative experiences and times can give us a feeling of authenticity and knowing ourselves.”  

Emge said local businesses should understand the nature of ongoing trends, such as the reemergence of retro, but should also be aware of how trends change.  

“One thing the businesses have to do is sort of realize that the market for this winner isn't the winner three years ago, it's kind of like music tastes a little bit,” he said. “A hit today is not necessarily a hit from five years ago, and a hit five years ago is not necessarily a hit today. So those tastes and everything are constantly evolving.” 

Hirt said Gen Z commonly experiences historical nostalgia, a form of nostalgia where an individual may not have personally experienced a moment firsthand, but experienced it through media, or even through other people, such as parents or community members.  

Philosopher and sociologist Maurice Halbwachs identified this phenomenon through the Collective Memory Theory — a memory that is shared and constructed by modern society of a past event or idea that leads individuals to feel like they understand what it was like to be a part of it.   

Kilander believes the history of a place or building such as Book Corner creates a connection with nostalgia from the past and today.  

“This bookstore, for example, is 60, 70 years old, and when people come in here, I hear many people every day go ‘Wow this is amazing,’” Kilander said. “The store has such a grounding and it's a welcoming atmosphere. It both feels older and new at the same time, but welcoming, for sure.”  

Emge believes that college students appreciate the uniqueness and history of local businesses in Bloomington.   
“It's fun to go in these smaller, unique shops that are very Bloomington and very different from where they came from,” he said.  

Sloan also said that the history and timelessness of the clothing in her store creates an appeal for Gen Z.  
“It was fascinating to me how a dress from the 1940s and ‘50s was in better condition than something I could go buy new and would last longer, and it was more timeless,” Sloan said.  

Although there are positive aspects to nostalgia, Hirt warns against overlooking and glamorizing life in the past.  

“If you have ever seen the movie ‘Pleasantville,’ it really does an amazing job of depicting this, for the main protagonist longs for life in the 1950s like a favorite TV show depicted life then, only to have the chance to actually go there and see what it is like more fully, for its drawbacks as well as its strengths,” Hirt said.

Despite the negative aspects to nostalgia, Hirt believes nostalgia can create connections, and reconnect us to the past. 

“We learn from the past,” Hirt said. “We also often do this with others, so it is done consensually and in the presence of/along with others to collectively recall past experiences, and it can bridge connections to others by sharing these nostalgic memories together.”