How Bodi Community Built a Thrift Culture in Riyadh

Thrifting in Riyadh is growing fast, and Abdullah Abdullah, who goes by Bodi, is at the heart of it all of it. The Saudi-based thrifter started back in 2024, spending Saturdays exploring Bin Qasim Market in Al-Batha, hunting for secondhand clothes, cameras, and random finds. It began as a weekend hobby but quickly turned into something bigger. A business, a community and a space where every piece tells a story.

Bodi Community and Saudi Thrift isn’t just a thrift store. Every season, every event, every concept is different. Social media has helped him bring the city’s community together, and now Bodi has his sights set on expanding beyond Riyadh.

SceneNowSaudi sat down with Abdullah to talk about how it all started, why thrifting matters, and what’s next for Bodi Community and Saudi Thrift.

How did you get into thrifting and how did it grow into a business?

I started thrifting in 2024. I used to spend my Saturdays at Bin Qasim Market in Al-Batha, every week it’s renewed, reorganised and restructured, so I’d go just to explore. There were places selling digital cameras, secondhand clothes, there were all sorts of things to discover.

I found some really amazing pieces and thought, “Why don’t I do thrifting initiative in Riyadh?” At first, it was just about exploring. But then I realised anyone could open a booth, sell their old things, and benefit from them. It supports sustainability.

What made me turn it into a business? People loved it. I didn’t see much thrift activity in Riyadh, and I didn’t want to just do occasional events. I wanted to make it sustainable — a place where anyone can register, bring a table, arrange their pieces, and sell.

Was there a moment you realised thrifting could be more than a hobby?

When people started coming to me every two weeks asking, “When are you going to do an event?” That’s when I felt like I was building a community.

Every piece, every T-shirt, every valuable item, has a story. It could be about how it was acquired, or how it was collected.

Thrifting stopped being about just clothes and became a place to find rare items, meet people with the same interests, and learn about a new culture. That’s what pushed me to turn it into a business.

How would you describe the thrifting scene in Riyadh today?

It started simple, but over the years it grew. People became aware of thrifting, and it’s something many in Saudi Arabia love now.

What sets Bodi apart from other thrift stores?

Every season is different. Every event is a new location, a new concept, a new style. For example, the last vintage event was horse riding, a winter idea, something you wouldn’t normally do. Every season brings a new idea, and that’s what makes it unique.

Why do thrift events bring people together in a special way?

Every piece has a story. It became a place where people interested in this field could come together to find clothes, discover rare items, and build a community. Your account is called Bodi Community.

What does “community” mean to you?

Community is bringing people who care about the same culture into one place. At the first event at Concept Store in early 2024, there were six booths, and people came in huge numbers. There was a line. That’s when I knew it was more than just an event, it was a community forming.

And social media completely changed thrifting. Without it, I couldn’t have gathered the Riyadh community in one place. It was the main tool to bring this culture and the people interested in it together. Without social media, it wouldn’t have been possible.

How does Bodi encourage more conscious fashion choices?

Anyone can sell their old things and benefit from them. It gives value to pieces that already exist, supporting sustainability.

What’s next for Bodi?

A lot of people ask why I don’t go outside Riyadh. Expanding to different cities is definitely one of my goals for the new year.