A sister shopping day went from joyful to painful when the siblings discovered a uniquely designed jacket on the rails, only to realize it was a hand-painted gift that was made for a friend.
Emily Holman, 21, was thrifting in her local Goodwill store in North Carolina, accompanied by her younger sister and close friend. They were taking their time looking through the racks of clothing, but things took a turn for the worst when they went to peruse the jackets.
Holman and her sister, 18, spotted an oversized denim jacket hanging on the rail, but when they took a closer look, it was no ordinary garment. Holman told Newsweek that she “instantly knew” that it was the same jacket her sister had hand-painted for a friend’s Christmas gift. This brought a devastating realization that the friend had donated this garment, despite the effort that went into creating it.
“When I saw the jacket, I knew immediately who my sister made it for,” Holman said. “I also felt really bad and tried to comfort her because I can’t imagine how upsetting it was for her.”
The blue denim jacket features a hand painted portrait of country singer Anne Wilson on the back, with the word ‘REBEL’ in block letters, a nod to one of her singles. It was listed in the Goodwill store for $6.99.
Holman’s sister, who doesn’t wish to be named, told Newsweek that she painted the jacket about a year ago and gave it to her friend for Christmas. She hasn’t heard from the person she gifted it to but feels hurt by their actions.
“I was kind of shocked. I think a small part of me thought it’s cool that my work is somewhere, but then I realized what had happened and that didn’t feel great,” the sister said. “I wasn’t annoyed, more hurt, but I understand if it wasn’t the right style or fit for them.”
Following the thrift store discovery, Holman took to social media to share a video on TikTok (@emilychristineee1) about what happened. The clip, showing the moment they discovered the jacket had been donated, has gone viral with over 12.1 million views and more than 2 million likes on TikTok at the time of writing.
Needless to say, the sisters bought the jacket back and took it home with them. They hope they can give it the appreciation it deserves, after all the effort that went into creating the design.
The online response to the video is beyond anything Holman anticipated, as so many people reached out to praise the generosity and kindness that went into this gift. This has led to more than 11,700 comments on the viral TikTok post so far.
One comment reads: “It hurts more because you made it for them.”
Anne Wilson herself even commented, as she wrote: “This is such a sweet gift you made! So sorry it was given away. I would’ve loved to see this at one of my shows!”
While another TikTok user added: “Worst fear of mine. I would honestly breakdown in the store.”
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