Press Kit
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NARTS Members in the News |
Good as New (Entrepreneur Magazine - May 2008)
Whether it's the love of a good bargain, the shaky economy or the growing desire to reduce, reuse and recycle, shoppers are flocking to resale shops. Everything from thrift shops (resale shops run by nonprofit organizations) to consignment stores (they sell items for patrons, earning a percentage of each sale) make up this multibillion-dollar industry, which is growing by 5 percent each year, according to the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops.
Read the storyAmid downturn, second-hand shops thrive (Maryland Gazette - April 24, 2008)
With a boutique full of colorful second-hand dresses, skirts and shoes, owner Barbara Blesi is focusing on the empty shop next door. The adjacent space now has only a lone rack of clothes, but it will soon house more of Blesi’s upscale used items as she doubles her Second Chance Boutique on Fairmont Avenue in Bethesda. Like many resale, pawn and consignment shops in Maryland, Blesi has reported a boom in sales — an anomaly in the retail sector, in which overall sales have been stagnant and owners have been cutting jobs. Blesi, after seeing a significant sales increase the past year, is churning out more advertising and adding to her staff of three while many other retailers are cutting back expenses.
Read the storyDebbie McDaniel of Revente and Sid & Nancy (Columbia Star - April 25, 2008)
Revente, the consignment shop on Saluda Avenue in Five Points, began 16 years ago. Sid & Nancy, an invested inventory shop a few doors up Saluda from Revente, began a little over a year ago. Both shops are owned and operated by Debbie McDaniel.
Read the storyConsignment shops offer bargains (Traverse City Record-Eagle - April 9, 2008)
Rick and Sharon Carmean learned early on that it takes a strong stomach to run their own business. "On our first day, we raked in a whopping $6.32 total," recalled Rick. "That was a very long night. Day two went a little better and soon we were on our way." The Carmeans operate Top Drawer Resale, a Traverse City business that offers furniture, appliances, electronics, clothing and more at clearance prices. "We carry high quality clothing from top names," said Rick. "We also carry designer clothing for juniors from the best names you'll find at the mall, all for a fraction of regular retail prices."
Read the storyRags Consignments Helps Customers Go Green and Give Back (PR Web - February 27, 2008)
2008 is about taking care of the world around you. Rags Consignments of Boulder, Colorado is giving fashionistas the opportunity to get in some good deeds while still treating themselves. Rags Consignments has made it easy to be green--and stay gorgeous while you're at it.
Read the storyKids Caboose Gets New Look (Moberly Monitor - February 14, 2008)
When driving in downtown Moberly, you might think there’s a new store in the 400 block. However, it’s really a new front on Kids Caboose, which has been in operation since July 2006. Kids Caboose is a children’s consignment store... a clean, bright, fun place to shop for your children and grandchildren. Generally prices are set at half of retail and sales are held continuously on various merchandise. Kids Caboose is a member of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Stores, a resource for owner education and a sign of quality stores.
Read the storyDesigner clothes get second look (Seacoastonline.com - October 30, 2007)
Ann Taylor has always dreamed of opening her own women's consignment shop. Her dream became a reality when she found the perfect location in a charming cottage for rent on Portsmouth Avenue. In the end of September, she opened Twice A Lady, and has been overwhelmed by the support for and interest in the shop. "It was just meant to be," she said of the location. The shop already has 150 consignors and Taylor is committed to only offering quality lady's clothing, shoes and accessories.
Read the storyConsignment store helps sellers, shoppers (Herald News - October 9, 2007)
Shirley Innis runs her consignment clothing store, Second Glance, with a focus on details that make people feel good. There are terrycloth robes in the dressing rooms so that customers can return to the racks and keep shopping without having to change back into their own clothes. Each changing room has three hooks labeled for sorting items: one for "Yes...this is it!"; one for "Maybe ??" and another for "Oh, no...what was I thinking!"
Read the storyClothes flee closet for second life at Easy Street (The Salt Lake Tribune - September 20, 2007)
Recycling is both the rage and raison d'être at Easy Street consignment shop in Sandy. After one-of-a-kind fashions are consigned to be resold, they sometimes grace numerous owners prior to becoming retired attire. Nanci McCalister opened Easy Street for business in 2005. McCalister believes consignors appreciate getting more mileage out of their expensive purchase and relieving themselves of some "I overspent again" guilt in the process.
Read the storyConsignment Shops Worry About Toy Recalls (KCRG News, Cedar Rapids, IA - September 12, 2007)
Do you feel like you need a boat to stay afloat after the rain of recent recalls? You are not alone. Consignment stores are constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the recall game. The owner of Stuff Etc., Mary Sundblad said, “Resale or retail it's hitting us both pretty hard as they are happening so often."
Read the storyA fine consignment... After 10 years, Zoe's is still going strong (Birmingham Weekly- August 30, 2007)
"Live, love, create – that’s the Zoe’s way of life," says Deborah Bashinsky, owner of the casually cool consignment shop that’s been a part of Forest Park commercial district for the last 10 years. Nestled in a new location on the corner of Clairmont Avenue and 39th Place South, across the street from its original location, Zoe’s will celebrate a decade in business next month. Bashinsky says the anniversary is more like the birthday of her brainchild.
Read the storyCollege kids know thrifty and nifty (USA Today - August 29, 2007)
"Equipping a college student doesn't have to be a wallet-draining ordeal," says Adele Meyer of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops. "Resale stores specializing in furniture, small appliances, bedding and accessories are brimming with treasures to furnish dorm rooms on an affordable budget."
Read the storyStores work hard to stay on top of recalls (USA Today - August 17, 2007)
Secondhand stores and organizations that take donated goods, such as Goodwill, are scrambling to remove recalled Mattel toys from their shelves. At The Kids Closet, a resale store in Rochester, Ill., employees who receive merchandise review all recalls, says Kitty Boyce, the store's owner. The Consumer Product Safety Commission provides e-mail notices on recalls to resale stores and organizations. Consumers can get the e-mails, too, through cpsc.gov. "I check the CSPC e-mails every morning, and we pull the recalls the same day," says Boyce of The Kids Closet, where recalls are posted on a bulletin board. The Mattel recalls are somewhat easier for the stores to deal with because there has been so much publicity. "It's pretty hard for thrift shops to miss it," says Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops. "It's everywhere."
Read the storySecondhand clothes get brand-new reputation (USA Today - August 17, 2007)
What!? Buy someone else's clothes? It's a reaction many people have until they see the typically low prices, good quality and large selection at many of the more than 25,000 resale, consignment and thrift shops in the USA. And with back-to-school season in full swing during trying economic times, the resale industry is geared up for better-than-usual sales. Children's secondhand stores "are definitely busier before the school year starts," says Adele Meyer, executive director of NARTS. "Clothes are so expensive, and this is a good way to find good clothing at a good price. Kids grow quickly, and many times, they outgrow clothes before they have a chance to wear them."
Read the storyBack-to-school fashion doesn't have to break the bank (Battle Creek Enquirer - August 21, 2007)
Back-to-school shopping with your kids can be like a game of tug-of-war. They want trendy, but you want practical. Marriette Clayborne, owner of Children's Closet, said she understands how hard it is for parents to get the labels kids want while sticking to a tight budget. That's why consignment shops are a good place for back to school shopping.
Read the storyBack-to-school shoppers stock up at resale stores (St. Louis Post-Dispatch - August 13, 2007)
Shoppers realize they can sometimes get 10 items at a resale shop for the price of what one of the pieces would cost at a department or specialty store, said the Purple Cow's Maurice, whose family has been in the resale business for a number of years. Her mother, Sue McCarthy, started the nationally recognized designer resale shop Women's Closet Exchange, also in Sappington Plaza, about 18 years ago. More teen consumers have been visiting the two ScholarShop locations in Clayton and Webster Groves, said Kim Abel, associate director of the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, which owns and operates the shops.
Read the storyThe New Trend of Used Clothes (Time Magazine - May 31, 2007)
Buffalo Exchange, which earned more than $3 million last year on $43 million in revenue, has 32 stores nationally, making it one of the largest purveyors of recycled clothing in the country. Three more stores are planned for this year. Crossroads Trading Co., based in Berkeley, Calif., rang up $20 million in sales last year at its 22 stores and also plans to add three stores. The number of resale shops is growing 5% annually, according to the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops.
Read the storyTucson Woman Set Used Clothing Trend 30 Years Ago (KOLD News 13 - June 13, 2007)
In 1974, she opened Buffalo Exchange, offering a new concept for second-hand clothing. Instead of consignment, she created the world of buying, selling and trading recycled clothing and accessories.
Read the storyGo consignment for grad deals (Edmonton Journal - May 15, 2007)
At Caprice on 124th street, owner Glenda Polak (whose business card reads "retail therapist") says young women coming into her store often impress with their enthusiasm for pulling together a custom look from seemingly disparate items.
Read the story101 Things to do in S.C. (TheState.com - Columbia, SC, April 13, 2007)
In Columbia's Five Points, stop by Revente, where you can find great buys on high-end clothing in this upscale consignment shop.
Read the storyThrift Shop Lesson No. 1: Tame the Pile (The Washington Post, February 5, 2007)
Last Thursday, Judy Stone took me to the back of Yesterday's Rose, the nonprofit thrift shop she manages on Main Street in Fairfax. Judy wanted to show me a part of the store that's off-limits to customers. I wasn't a customer that day, she kept reminding me; I was an employee.
Read the storyDesigner duds on resale racks (The Columbus Dispatch, December 4, 2006)
The secret to the success of One More Time is based on an established clientele of 30-, 40- and 50-somethings — who take their unwanted clothes there to sell but often buy someone else’s discards, too. A tenure of 31 years in the resale industry is nothing to scoff at, especially in a transitory retail environment. The inviting atmosphere resembles a boutique: Window displays and mannequins are fashionably dressed, and clothes are displayed in uncluttered spaces.
Read the storyConsignment shop is more a boutique (The Arizona Republic, September 16, 2006)
Ann Hyde wants shoppers to come into her store thinking "boutique" and leave with arms full thinking "great deal." Hyde, 55, has owned Good Threads Consignment Clothier for four years, offering clothes and accessories in a range of sizes, styles and brands. Lucky shoppers will find the occasional piece with the store tag still attached or a gently used and hotly sought-after item like a Coach bag.
Read the storyTips for buying designer duds on consignment (Today, Weekend Edition, August 6, 2006)
You don't have to spend a fortune to look like a million bucks! Boutique owner Christina Novak offers advice to bargain shoppers. Christina is a NARTS member and owner of New to You, Inc., which was featured on the Today Weekend Edition show. See the video clip included in this link.
Read the storyGetting ready for fall (Houston Chronicle, July 27, 2006)
Budget fashionistas would be wise to start thinking about fall fashion now. Yes, this is the perfect time to hit Houston's upscale resale shops, as boutiques and local power shoppers clean out their closets and sell last season's goodies. Encore! on San Felipe is a designer-label lover's paradise. Chloe, Versace, Escada, Michael Kors and Roberto Cavalli are among the color-coded racks at this friendly spot. At B'Dazzled on West Gray, the racks are loaded with brand-new items, tags still attached, that came directly from some of Houston's most well-known boutiques.
Read the storyConsigning Women Boutique a friendly, comfortable shop (Gulf Breeze News, July 27, 2006)
Consigning Women Boutique, a great little shop that has thrived in Gulf Breeze for many years, has a new look and new owners. The Landfair family, Barbara, Jim, David and Alexander Landfair, bought the shop in June. They were closed for a few weeks to give it a little face-lift and make it their own. Re-opening on July 1, Consigning Women Boutique is a cozy little shop with something for everyone.
Read the storyYou can buy what Houston's rich and famous unload (abc13.com, July 27, 2006)
There's a place here in Houston where some of the city's rich and famous go to unload jewelry, clothes, and furniture they don't want anymore. And you can buy it for cheap! It's been called one of the best consignment stores in Texas, so if you love to hunt for treasure The Guild Shop is the place for you.
Read the storyWhy buy? It's all about the swap! (7online.com, February 21, 2006)
At the Buffalo Exchange, a store new to New York, but one that started 32 years ago in Arizona, what you'll find are clothes and shoes, most worn before, but most, still in style. But the other exciting element is that not only can you buy, you can sell and even swap, and that's where you get the most value.
Read the storyPieces can outfit a first apartment or formal living room (The Columbus Dispatch - January 1, 2006)
One More Time Etc. takes items on consignment or purchases them outright . . . amazing pieces arrive in the store from upscale furniture stores. "People who sell furniture that is fairly new often are moving out of an area or combining households," said store manager, Sara Childs. "Some people simply tire of their furniture quickly and want to buy new."
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Helping teens dress for less (The Arizona Daily Star - December 29, 2005)
Buffalo Exchange differentiates itself in the way it buys clothing, giving cash at 35 percent of an item's value or offering a 50 percent in-store credit to buy from the store. Offering a wider selection of clothing beyond "recycled mall brands, owner Kerstin Block said, "Buffalo Exchange appeals to a more esoteric crowd with funky and hip clothing tastes. Teenagers are a big market. But we are offering clothing for everyone."
Read the storyWhen secondhand is first choice (East Valley Tribune, July 10, 2005)
Some shoppers go to Buffalo Exchange and other secondhand clothing stores to find items they won’t see on anyone else. "I think it’s part of the American culture," says Ann Siner, CEO of My Sister’s Closet and nine other secondhand stores in the Valley.
Read the storyKids' resale chain aims to gain from $200 billion children's market (The Detroit News, May 26, 2005)
Revenues are up and the number of stores is climbing for Children's Orchard, a retail chain that sells used clothing, toys and other assorted goods for children under 7, as it capitalizes on the nation's growing appetite for thrift shopping and resale.
Read the storyN.Y. on resale: How about a $20 Ann Taylor suit? (The Seattle Times, March 18, 2005)
Ah, New York, home to some of the nation's unique and magnificent sights: The Statue of Liberty, Broadway — and the resale stores of the Upper East Side. ...a double dose of designer consignment: Encore and, just next to it, BIS Designer Resale.
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Something old, something used (The Wall Street Journal, August 26, 2002)
Madison Avenue's posh Michael's Consignment has seen bridal consignment sales increase...
...headed, with a budget of $1,500, to consignment shop I Do-I Do Wedding Gowns in Rockville, Md.
Read the storyNARTS & Resale in the News
Resale stores boom, others bust (Gazette.net - Maryland Community Newspapers, April 17, 2008)
Second-hand shops expanding, spending more on advertising as other merchants struggle.
Read the storyJulia Roberts Recycles Baby Clothes, Shops Second-Hand Stores (ecorazzi.com, May 6, 2007)
Everyone knows you can find really great deals at second-hand and charity shops. Apparently, Julia Roberts believes in the same thing.
Read the storyWhere to sell your junk for cash (Bankrate.com, May 1, 2006)
"You need to match the goods to the items the store is carrying," says Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops. Otherwise, you might not get the highest price for it, she says.
Read the storyThrift stores are a growing presence (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, November 26, 2005)
"Resale is a multibillion-dollar industry that has been growing at a rate of 5 percent a year for a number of years," said Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops
Read the storySecondhand stores trying a new strategy (The Boston Globe, August 6, 2005)
As competition grows among retailers for used clothing, shops turn to never-used and redesigned goods to fill racks
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How do I Start a Consignment Shop? (Startup Journal by The Wall Street Journal, July 18, 2005)
But creating an environment that's fun for buyers and sellers is just a small first step, says Adele Meyer, director of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops.
Read the storyCheck back often to read the latest news articles about resale and NARTS member stores.