Consignment shops: Save money, make a profit

By JOANN JONES

Clothing items are in high supply now that it’s back-to-school time.

A young woman walked around the story slowly, picked up a few things and went to the cash register.

“This is a really, really good idea,” she said, “especially the way the economy is today. I can buy quality things without spending a lot of money.”

The good idea is consignment shops where people can go not only to get bargains on clothes, accessories, or furniture, but also to sell a few things that are nice enough for someone else to buy.

Raphael Oliveira owns three consignment shops he has named Kids- zone: one in Salem, one in Alliance and a new one in Greensboro, N.C. Opening his first shop, he said, was an accident.

“I was having trouble with some businesses in my rental properties, so I decided to find the best tenant—myself,” he said with a huge grin.

A consignment store in his building in Salem closed in 1999, so he bought the inventory that included children’s clothing and furniture as well as games and toys. However, he said he also did it to help a friend.

“She had five kids and you can’t always buy new clothes for that many,” he said. “Also, customers were happy to see the store opened again and many said, ‘Please don’t go.’”

Oliveira said the store’s policy is to give the seller 50 percent of the item as credit in the store or 35 percent of the item’s price when it is sold.

“These are things people would normally donate, but they can make an income from them,” he said. “The fact that we take everything of good quality means we have more quantity and more income for consignors. It’s almost an insult to people if shops don’t want to take their items.”

Oliveira has completely revamped and tripled the size of the Salem store located on State Street. He said it’s important to be able to offer customers enough of a quantity for all their children.

“It’s a one-stop shop,” he said, adding the store has quality clothing from newborn to size 18 as well as maternity clothes, cribs, strollers and high chairs.

“We run the store like a department store, complete with refunds, dressing rooms and a large variety of sizes.”

With school starting again, there’s been an influx of items.

“We receive hundreds of items every day,” he said, “because people are cleaning their closets to make room for new school clothes. It’s a race to get them all out. On one shift we’ve put out as many as 500 items.”

His customers are appreciative of his services, he said.

“Many have said they wish this shop had been around when they were kids.”

Another consignment store, Echo Shop on Market Street in Boardman, has been in business since 1975, but only two years at its current location. This shop now specializes in new and gently worn women’s clothing and accessories, accepting items on a seasonal basis. The store’s brochure clearly outlines what will be accepted and when.

Beth Werner, a co-owner with Carlena Patton, was a stay-at-home mom and used to buy children’s clothes at the shop when they were available. Later, a “Help Wanted” sign appeared, she took the job, and then she and Patton bought the shop when it went up for sale.

Werner explained a lot of consignment shops are just for children, so Echo doesn’t take any children’s clothing at all now, carrying only women’s items.

“Anything a woman can use …if you see it on a woman’s vanity, we’ll try it,” she said. They also accept other items such as vintage jewelry, designer purses and furs.

At the Echo Shop, the consignor receives 40 percent of each item sold, and prices are set by the shop. The consignor signs a contract for a pick-up date if the item is not sold.

“It’s a venue for people to sell things,” Werner said. She added people can pick up unsold items after 90 days, or the store can donate them to a charity.

On the customer’s end, she said women know they can get quality for a good price. She said one of her frequent customers always says, “Fashion is a look, not a price.”

Marsha Vaughan of Salem found shopping in consignment shops a great idea. Having lost several pounds on Weight Watchers, Vaughan found her clothes didn’t fit but, as a retiree, she wasn’t ready to go out and buy all new ones.

“It’s really interesting,” Vaughan said. “I was looking for capri pants. I bought the pants, a pair of slacks and a nice leather belt. They came to $1.55. It’s amazing.”

Buying a whole new wardrobe is too expensive, Vaughan said. “I plan to go back to see what I can pick up as far as winter slacks. I have a friend who’s going to go with me, and we’re going to try some other shops.”

However, consignment shops aren’t just for people looking to buy or sell good clothing items. Many used furniture and antique shops operate in the same manner.

Howard Covert of Lisbon used to buy and sell antiques for about eight years with his late wife, Joyce. He said they considered what they were doing a hobby, but the pieces also provided a pretty good income.

“We’d take antique cupboards, wheelbarrows or knickknacks to a place called The Attic in Columbiana,” Covert said. “But we went to auctions everywhere to get those things. I always refinished and sometimes reassembled the items to make them look like new.”

Covert explained that with antiques, the owner sets the price and there is usually no limit on how many items you could bring to sell.

Sometimes they had other options, he said.

“We would take our things to an antique store in New Philadelphia,” he said. “We’d pay for a booth, and we gave them a right to sell the items. Sometimes they would give a discount or even call us to see if we would lower the price. A place we took our pieces to in Brookfield was the same type of thing.”

The buying, refurbishing and selling was a lot of physical and mental work, Covert said.

“Joyce did most of the mental work, finding out what items were worth. But it was fun to explain to young people about the history of the piece or how it was used in the past.”

Consignment shops must be a good idea because they are popping up all over, according to Werner.

And the experience is different.

“It’s a real adventure,” Vaughan said.