Thrifty Entertainment

Shopping at the Salvation Army was once something to be concealed from one’s peers, but in the last decade, scoring wardrobes and home furnishings from thrift stores has become a major source of bragging rights. Recognizing that having an eye for spying treasure amid trash is now a covetable talent, a number of television networks are adding series about just that to their lineups.

Thrift America: PBS has never shown much interest in fashion. Come next summer, however, the channel will be introducing a new show that could become a Vogue favorite. The brainchild of Style.com’s Maya Singer, Thrift America will see Singer and Gen Y “it girl” Alexa Chung on a cross country voyage—planned destinations include Orlando, Detroit, Nashville, Alabama and Chung’s current home-slash-“lover” Brooklyn—where they’ll sift through charity shops and estate sales for thrift scores. Purported to blend Antiques Roadshow’s thrill of discovery with the candor of No Reservations, the show may be just what the station needs to tempt cable TV audiences.

Dresscue Me: Rachel Zoe may be the LA persona best known for making Hollywood’s elite red carpet-ready, but Shareen Mitchell is also many a starlet’s behind-the-scenes secret weapon. Mitchell is the proprietress of Shareen Vintage, a formerly under-the-radar vintage clothing store that’s also long been a favorite spot among designers and costumers looking for inspiration. She’s admired as much for her quirky personality as she is for her expert eye, which is likely why Planet Green tapped her to star in her own reality series. Premiering next month, Dresscue Me will chronicle Mitchell’s buying trips to everywhere from rag houses to private homes, as well as document her retail operation. Tune in to learn how to transform castoffs into couture.

Storage Wars: After already attracting, and subsequently horrifying, viewers with Hoarders, A&E is now manifesting what happens to the belongings of those who keep their collectibles outside the home. Storage Wars, which debuted last month, is introducing the unexposed world of storage locker buyers: people who compete, in auctions, to purchase unclaimed storage lockers. Starring four commendably casted buyers, each episode climaxes with the moment when they find out what they’ve bought, also known as the “reveal.” The practice is like an expensive version of the gamble offered by a children’s gumball machine. One never knows what lies beneath the walls, but for those who find, say, a set of mint condition Eames lounge chairs, the risk can be superior to those made on the blackjack table.