Second-hand roses |
Consignment shops help the planet and the pocketbook
As
shoppers become more focused on the environment and sustainability, the idea of buying clothing second-hand instead of “fast fashion” has grown in popularity. GlobalData, a global data analytics company, predicts that the second-hand clothing market will grow at 11 times the rate of the broader retail apparel market over the next four years. Consignment shops are the premiere places for previously owned clothing since these store owners accept only high-quality items in pristine condition. To get designer quality at 50 to 70% off retail, or to sell a few pieces from your own closet, check out these area consignment shops.
Betting on herself
Paula Mueller opened Paula’s Couture in Batavia about four years ago after her life suddenly changed. “I found myself divorced after 21 years of marriage,” she explains. “I had managed a resale shop and had always enjoyed the hunt for a great bargain. I decided to take a chance on myself and open my own consignment shop.”
She approached Batavia Main Street, a town development organization, to help her find an affordable space. The shop had a strong start but then COVID shutdowns forced her to make changes. “I started doing an online fashion show on Facebook live on Wednesday evenings,” she says.
Mueller put together interesting outfits on mannequins and talked about the shop. She usually got between 25 and 90 viewers and online sales helped her weather the shutdown. She reopened but continues to offer the weekly fashion show. She also dons an interesting outfit and posts a picture of herself on her Facebook page at a local venue at noon on each day she is open.
“It really helps give people an idea of what I have and my prices. I sell clothing at about 70% off retail prices,” she notes.
Mueller accepts clean, wrinkle-free, brand name clothing from 0 to plus sizes. Sellers receive 40% of the sale price and can choose to pick up the clothing after 90 days or have it donated. “I have over 900 consignors in just four years,” she says. “I love putting together outfits and posting them on my Facebook page. One of the best comments I ever received was from a woman who said she almost bought back what she gave me to sell.” Paula’s Couture Consignment
4 ½ W. Wilson St., Batavia 630-425-3196 paulascoutureconsignment.com
Playing dress up
Catrina Kagel left a corporate career to open The Ladies Room, “a cute, safe place to consign” in 2009. She accepted a wide variety of designer clothing and then noted an interesting trend. “When prom season rolled around, I got a lot of formal wear.”
As the formal wear segment continued to grow, she decided to move the formal wear to a second location known as ThomKat. A new wedding trend has boosted the interest in ThomKat. Instead of requiring bridesmaids to wear identical dresses, many brides allow their bridesmaids to pick any style of dress as long as it is the same color as the rest of the bridal party.
“We get the bridal party in here trying on dresses that fall in the same color palette. We even offer alterations for them,” says Kagel. “With the prices at 80 to 90% lower than retail, this is a popular place.” Some fashions as well as men’s tuxedos are available to rent or purchase. The desire to wear a beautiful gown is so strong that
Kagel now offers party options where guests can dress up, learn to walk in high heels or even paint pictures together. As part of a charity effort, Kagel also organizes fundraising fashion shows for non-profits.
The shops accept designer quality clothing from size 0 to 26 that is clean and on hangers. There is a sliding fee for clothing with the consignor earning up to 60% of the sale price. The shops also have an online store for shoppers to view and purchase clothing.
The Ladies Room, 410 S. Main St. ThomKat, 1 N. Main St., Lombard thelroom.com
A male perspective
As one of seven children, David Herda was used to hand-me-downs. As a teen, he would visit thrift stores to supplement his wardrobe. Even after he succeeded in a career as a criminal justice director in Chicago, Herda still liked finding unique items at a great value. He was disappointed that there were no consignment shops with high-end clothing for men.
When he began to feel burned out in his career, he made an arrangement with a women’s consignment shop to offer a few racks of men’s items to test his idea. There was such a great interest in the men’s clothing that he opened Stitch Switch in Geneva in October 2020. “This has been a second act for me,” he notes. “I get so many things every day that I can be very selective and take the higher-end styles that really look new. One thing that surprised me is that 10 to 15% of the items that come in are new with tags still on them because they were never worn. I sell things at 60 to 80% off retail and carry sizes from small to 2X. I have everything from jeans to sports wear to business wear to tuxedos and men’s accessories and jewelry too. I am the only exclusively men’s consignment store in Illinois.”
About half his customers are men and half are women shopping for their men. Stitch Switch
310 Campbell St., Geneva stitch-switch.com
A charitable approach
In 2013, Wendy Serrino was trying to help a failing Glencoe thrift store. Instead of gaining money for charity, the shop was losing money. She got together a team and together they organized the North Shore Exchange, a 501(c)3 consignment shop where all profits go to charity. The new business model was an immediate success and over the next six years, they opened two more locations as well as established an online shop.
“We actually grew over the pandemic,” notes Serrino. The shops accept high-end clothing and accessories as well as home goods and pay the consignors between 40 to 85% of the sale price.
All profits go to Chicagoland charities. To date, the group has donated 3.1 million dollars to charity. Shops are run by 28 employees and 80 volunteers.
“We price our items at about one-third of retail price and have about 15,000 consignors,” Serrino says. “The items in the stores change all of the time because we always are getting new things. We donate everything that doesn’t sell unless it is picked up by the consignor. We have grown every year. We operate almost like a for-profit business but everything goes to non-profit organizations.”
North Shore Exchange
900 N. Michigan Ave., Level 4, Chicago; 372 Hazel Ave., Glencoe;
1100 Central Ave., Wilmette northshoreexchange.org
Martinelli’s in Evergreen Park got its start 51 years ago mostly selling specialty apparel for children such as christening gowns, communion dresses and party clothes. But times have changed and it has grown into much more since then. The company, which was founded by Joan and Anthony Martinelli in 1971, now also offers school uniforms, shoes, lady’s apparel, specialty bras and mastectomy products. The store is operated by the founding duo’s daughter, also named Joan Martinelli, who took over the business after her mother died and her father retired. She says they expanded their inventory to offer a range of items that can’t be found at big box retailers.
“The customers spoke to us telling what they needed, and we responded,” Joan Martinelli says.
The back-to-school season is now in full swing and students from various southside schools including Mother McCauley, Morgan Park Academy, De LaSalle Institute and others can find uniforms at Martinelli’s that fit their schools’ specifications. The store also offers custom embroidery.
Joan Martinelli says there is nothing more rewarding than serving families that have patronized the store from one generation to the next. “They say, ‘I knew I could find what I needed at Martinelli’s,’” she adds.