Consignment shopping for the holidays (JOHN WOIKE, HARTFORD COURANT / October 21, 2009) |
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Thrifty Tips
• Give yourself some time to shop. It's a treasure hunt of sorts. Knowing what looks good on you will allow you to go through the racks more quickly.
• Know your labels and your prices. It helps you spot a really good buy.
•Be flexible. Don't be set on a certain style or color. You might find something even better if you are willing to bend.
• Remember what you already have. Sometimes a great vintage blazer can look absolutely cutting-edge if you pair it with black pants, a tunic top or ruffled blouse. Fashion magazines can be a good guide for pairing old and new. - See more topics »
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That "most wonderful time of year" is fast approaching — school and church concerts that put the kids center stage, family get-togethers and social events that necessitate some " dress to impress" wardrobe effort.
But there is a penny-pinching recession going on. So what's a family to do when it comes to finding their "holiday best" on a budget?
The secret is resale, shopping at the growing number of consignment and thrift shops that have become more appealing places to find that outfit for the "wear it once or twice" occasion.
"Even in times like these, you want to look good. But you want to be smarter about what you spend," said area stylist Debbie Wright, who includes resale shops when she is on the prowl for items for clients.
"People think second-hand stores mean buying things that are out of style or not good enough to wear," she said. "They are wrong. You can have quality and style, and it doesn't have to cost a lot."
According to the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops, more than half of these stores nationwide are reporting 30 percent increases in sales and an even higher percentage of new customers.
"We had over 2,000 people come to the opening of our Southington store last week," said Barbara Capenera. Her Uptown Consignment, one of the area's first independent consignment stores, just opened its third store, to add to those in Rocky Hill and South Windsor.
"A lot of people are trying consignment for the first time and are shocked when they come in and see what we have," she said. "Our customers expect a lot, and they get it — for a lot less money."
Case in point: The premise for this story was shopping for holiday wear for an average family: mom, dad, teenager and younger-than-12 son and daughter. Our two destinations: Savers, a 55-year-old national thrift-store chain that recently opened its first Connecticut store in Manchester, and Uptown Consignment in South Windsor.
Here's what we found, all in excellent condition.
For our young man, we got khaki dress pants, $3.99 at Savers; a Ralph Lauren button-down blue-and-white-striped dress shirt for $3; and a Nordstrom's navy blue sweater vest, $10, both from Uptown Consignment. Our total, $16.99, compared to an estimated $110 retail.
For rhe toddler sister we got a Carter's red velvet print dress, $3.99, and $2.99 black patent-leather Mary Janes from Savers. Cost? $6.98, compared to an estimated $45 retail.
For the teenage girl: a Limited ruffled shirt for $6, an Old Navy velvet blazer with rhinestone buttons for $6, a silver mesh belt for $4 and For All Mankind Jeans, $58, all from Uptown Consignment. Our cost, $78. Retail, more than $220.
The savings go on.
For mom, we got a Ralph Lauren cut-velvet skirt for $18 and a black velvet Cambridge Dry goods top for $14, both from Uptown Consignment, and a black velvet dress purse for $3.99 and Jessica Simpson black patent platform heels, $8.99, both from Savers.
For dad: a Brooks Brothers gray flannel/wool blend dress slacks for $7.99 and Florsheim dress shoes for $9.99 from Savers, and a Geoffrey Beene tie for $4, a new Puritan dress shirt for $6 and a Kenneth Cole black blazer for $32.
"I have no idea why anyone would pay retail prices for clothes for special occasions, especially for kids or men," said Kathleen Murphy of Windsor, who was looking for a winter dress coat and dress for her 9-year-old daughter at Uptown's South Windsor store.
"Kids especially wear holiday clothes once, maybe twice, and then they live on a hanger until who knows when," she said as she pulled out a looks-like-new Rothschild wool coat priced at $42, compared to $150-plus retail. "And when we are done with them, I get them cleaned and bring them back and make back some of the money I paid."
That is another point when it comes to consignment: Bring something in worth reselling, and you will make some money off of it.
"We have people who literally can bring clothes in and, with what they make, can walk out with an outfit," said Capenera. Sporting a leather cropped jacket and black Lauren riding boots, both purchased from her store, she stocks primarily higher-end clothing with labels like Versace, Wang, Kenneth Cole and Coach as well as items from such places as Chicos, Soft Surroundings and Coldwater Creek.
"Wearing vintage, second-hand these days is in style," Capenera said. "There was a time people wouldn't want anyone to know they bought something that was worn by someone else. Now they brag about it."
"We have two kinds of clients," said Larry Kahan, who manages the Manchester Savers, where a portion of all sales, including housewares and furniture, is donated to Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters instead of being paid out to those who bring items to the store. The well-organized store has seen such pricey items as new Ed Hardy shirts, gently used furs and high-end formal wear come and go, but the thrift store is not just for those who can't afford regular retail stores.
"Now there are those who choose to shop here," said Kahan, who still boasts about the five display-window designer suits he purchased for $30 each when he was a young man in New York City. "Because they can have designer labels they thought they couldn't afford."
But there is a penny-pinching recession going on. So what's a family to do when it comes to finding their "holiday best" on a budget?
The secret is resale, shopping at the growing number of consignment and thrift shops that have become more appealing places to find that outfit for the "wear it once or twice" occasion.
"Even in times like these, you want to look good. But you want to be smarter about what you spend," said area stylist Debbie Wright, who includes resale shops when she is on the prowl for items for clients.
"People think second-hand stores mean buying things that are out of style or not good enough to wear," she said. "They are wrong. You can have quality and style, and it doesn't have to cost a lot."
According to the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops, more than half of these stores nationwide are reporting 30 percent increases in sales and an even higher percentage of new customers.
"We had over 2,000 people come to the opening of our Southington store last week," said Barbara Capenera. Her Uptown Consignment, one of the area's first independent consignment stores, just opened its third store, to add to those in Rocky Hill and South Windsor.
"A lot of people are trying consignment for the first time and are shocked when they come in and see what we have," she said. "Our customers expect a lot, and they get it — for a lot less money."
Case in point: The premise for this story was shopping for holiday wear for an average family: mom, dad, teenager and younger-than-12 son and daughter. Our two destinations: Savers, a 55-year-old national thrift-store chain that recently opened its first Connecticut store in Manchester, and Uptown Consignment in South Windsor.
Here's what we found, all in excellent condition.
For our young man, we got khaki dress pants, $3.99 at Savers; a Ralph Lauren button-down blue-and-white-striped dress shirt for $3; and a Nordstrom's navy blue sweater vest, $10, both from Uptown Consignment. Our total, $16.99, compared to an estimated $110 retail.
For rhe toddler sister we got a Carter's red velvet print dress, $3.99, and $2.99 black patent-leather Mary Janes from Savers. Cost? $6.98, compared to an estimated $45 retail.
For the teenage girl: a Limited ruffled shirt for $6, an Old Navy velvet blazer with rhinestone buttons for $6, a silver mesh belt for $4 and For All Mankind Jeans, $58, all from Uptown Consignment. Our cost, $78. Retail, more than $220.
The savings go on.
For mom, we got a Ralph Lauren cut-velvet skirt for $18 and a black velvet Cambridge Dry goods top for $14, both from Uptown Consignment, and a black velvet dress purse for $3.99 and Jessica Simpson black patent platform heels, $8.99, both from Savers.
For dad: a Brooks Brothers gray flannel/wool blend dress slacks for $7.99 and Florsheim dress shoes for $9.99 from Savers, and a Geoffrey Beene tie for $4, a new Puritan dress shirt for $6 and a Kenneth Cole black blazer for $32.
"I have no idea why anyone would pay retail prices for clothes for special occasions, especially for kids or men," said Kathleen Murphy of Windsor, who was looking for a winter dress coat and dress for her 9-year-old daughter at Uptown's South Windsor store.
"Kids especially wear holiday clothes once, maybe twice, and then they live on a hanger until who knows when," she said as she pulled out a looks-like-new Rothschild wool coat priced at $42, compared to $150-plus retail. "And when we are done with them, I get them cleaned and bring them back and make back some of the money I paid."
That is another point when it comes to consignment: Bring something in worth reselling, and you will make some money off of it.
"We have people who literally can bring clothes in and, with what they make, can walk out with an outfit," said Capenera. Sporting a leather cropped jacket and black Lauren riding boots, both purchased from her store, she stocks primarily higher-end clothing with labels like Versace, Wang, Kenneth Cole and Coach as well as items from such places as Chicos, Soft Surroundings and Coldwater Creek.
"Wearing vintage, second-hand these days is in style," Capenera said. "There was a time people wouldn't want anyone to know they bought something that was worn by someone else. Now they brag about it."
"We have two kinds of clients," said Larry Kahan, who manages the Manchester Savers, where a portion of all sales, including housewares and furniture, is donated to Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters instead of being paid out to those who bring items to the store. The well-organized store has seen such pricey items as new Ed Hardy shirts, gently used furs and high-end formal wear come and go, but the thrift store is not just for those who can't afford regular retail stores.
"Now there are those who choose to shop here," said Kahan, who still boasts about the five display-window designer suits he purchased for $30 each when he was a young man in New York City. "Because they can have designer labels they thought they couldn't afford."
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