CONSIGNMENT SHOPPING

Last week, Sister and I had an opportunity to spend an entire day trolling consignment stores in my town.  For those of you not acquainted with this term, a consignment store takes items from clients and offers to sell those items.  The client must agree to abide by the price assigned by the consignor and usually receives around forty percent from the sale.  Most stores have “sales” on their inventory and prices are reduced until the items are sold or given to charity.  Once the client has committed items to the store, said items become the property of the consignor with the exception of high-ticket items such as furs, couture clothing or jewelry.

Consignment stores differ from thrift stores in that thrift stores are donating their funds to a charitable institution such as the humane society, hospice or a myriad of others.  Consignors are in the business to make a profit for themselves, while sharing a minimal amount with the clients.  Thrift stores will take anything.  Really, anything from used underwear to appliances to used toilets, you name it.  Consignment stores tend to be a little more particular and follow a theme. The majority cater to women and feature clothing, shoes and accessories.  Some offer children’s items and home furnishings.  Then there are the ones dedicated to furniture.  Within all these categories are sub-categories where you will find only designer items or professional and evening attire or jeans…  The one thing I have noticed in lurking through consignment stores is that I have yet to encounter one for men.  Perhaps, that will be my next venture??

Anyway, now that you have an idea, let’s get on with the tale.  Sister and I met early for a hearty breakfast and then hit the road. (Excuse me; did you think this adventure would begin without food for the Zappo Sisters?)  We had mapped out our trip by selecting six shops from a local magazine.  I had never been to any of the six and was interested to see how they compared to the shop where I “took” my gently used clothes.  Sister was on the hunt for jeans.  Why pay $100 or more for a pair of designer jeans when you can find them often under $20? 

Forest was our first stop and was having a $1.00 sale.  Hmm.  The $1 items were a mismash of pants, jeans, tops, skirts that were all a little dated.  The store was small but limited to ladies’ clothing, shoes and some accessories.  The accessories were made by a local “beader” and the clothes were just okay.  Based on the area, which caters to “earth mothers”, the store probably leaned toward that clientele.  Back in the car…

Next store on the list, we missed on the first pass because I was driving too fast and it was on the second level of a building. So we drove about five miles off our path and encountered a store not on the list.  Bea’s looked a tad questionable from the outside with the name duct taped on the awning.  However, you can’t always judge from the exterior so we decided to look.  Almost two hours later, we both had jeans.  Sister’s designer pair still had the original tags and she scored for $3.00.  That’s right, $3.00!  This place had more jeans than I have seen in any store other than department stores.  Most were in excellent condition and were high-end.  I scored one pair of jeans, two cord pants, one lined suede pants and an adorable linen top, all for $40.00.  I should mention that this store was jammed full of clothes, shoes, jewelry, purses, hats and “nick-nacks” (crap that was probably in your grandmother’s house).  There was a very offensive odor of some potpourri but even that didn’t stop us from trying on jeans.

Now to find the store we missed, Seconds.  This was on the second level of a building with other offices and looked really small from the outside.  It was really small on the inside but for a reason.  The owner only wanted a certain clientele, those who had expensive “seconds”.  Again, ladies’ clothing, shoes and purses.  Everything had a “label”; think Chanel, Pliner, Dior.  The selection was pure country club meets Boca.  In fact, the owner said most of her items came from out-of state clients.  Didn’t make a purchase but saw potential for the future.

Fourth store, the Hangar, was snuggled back from the main road but we bounced through some potholes into the parking area.  The windows were tastefully done and then plastered with signs stating 50% off EVERYTHING! It looked clean, neat and modern and once again, carried only ladies’ clothing.  A LARGE poodle greeted us at the door and then wandered back to her oversized bed.  In addition to the usual clothing, this store carried beautiful wedding gowns.  The prices were okay but the inventory was pretty picked over.  Also, there was this horrible odor in the store that smelled like a full toilet/sewer line back-up/ or someone who had a full adult diaper.  Since the odor started around the time an elderly lady entered, I am going with the adult diaper theory.  It was enough to make us leave, quickly.

Zipping across town, we stopped for tea at McDonald’s and then threaded our way through the traffic to the fifth store, Everything. The store was in a good location with plenty of parking and the interior was clean.  This one carried children’s stuff from clothes to toys, men’s clothing and shoes, ladies clothing, tires (yep, you read that right) and home furnishings.  Their pricing was on the sliding scale:  every two or three weeks, the item is reduced.  The dates and the reduced prices are noted on the tag.  So, should you find a dream item and be willing to wait for the lowest price, this is a good deal.  Of course, you will have to hope that it is still in the store on “best price” day.  Sister found another pair of designer jeans and some cute linen crops for our beach trip.

The final stop of the day was at C’s.  We were getting a tad tired by now but this was no time for the weak, as we would case out this store.  Without a doubt, C’s was the most original of all the stores housed in an upscale strip of stores.  Everything about C’s screamed New York City from the ultra-modern façade to exposed pipes, minimal décor and a lot of steel and glass.  But were we in for a surprise, this was the mother-lode of chic, designer fashion from the closets of the very wealthy.  The store with the Boca-type items suddenly seemed garish.  The shoes were French designers, Bally, Manolo Blahnik, Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Marc Jacobs. Purses were by Chanel, Gucci, Dior and others.  The rack of leather goods had North Beach and names I never knew existed but Sister did.  Cashmere by TSE and vintage items were also displayed.  All the items were in style and couture.  Pricing started in the $150 range and only went up from there.  The vendeuse, for sales associate would be insulting in this situation, was not only charming but extremely savvy about the merchandise under her care.  Prices were based on the original retail, quality, label and current demand.  Many clients were rejected simply because a garment was “dated” but not vintage or just not couture enough.  If you are tiny, like Sister, then you are in luck.  Not only was there a good selection but designer fasions always look better on the thin ones!  Sister bought the most glorious pair of North Beach leather pants.  They felt like butter and fit her like skin.  I tried on a pair of Manolo Blahniks that had seen almost no wear and were a size 5.5. Can you say one of the sexiest pairs of shoes I have ever had on my feet?  Unfortunately, they were just a bit too big even though the price was a steal at $285. Wow!  I wanted those shoes. 

Which store was our favorite?  Well, obviously C’s and its location will remain a closely guarded secret.  For jeans and pants, go to Bea’s.  Seconds would be a possibility for the country club/professional look but only when the season was ending and heavy reductions were offered.  We still have two other areas of town to explore and will take that on when Sister returns.