More stores mean more
By Nadine Kam
variety and choice for different
styles and budgets
Assistant Features Editor
Star-BulletinIn good times, consignment shopping is fun, a chance to play at dressing up in boutiques stuffed with clothing in limbo between owners.
In lean times, consignment shopping is almost a necessity. It's an opportunity to pick up a bargain on slightly used clothing while dropping off some unwanted clothes in exchange for a portion of the selling price when the piece is sold.
The cooperative effort of buyers, sellers and storekeepers makes good economic sense.
Cooperation is also a good working philosophy for nine consignment or resale boutiques that refer customers to each other and put out a little directory of their addresses, phone numbers and hours.
"It doesn't cost anybody," said Jan Hackbarth, owner of Jan's Secret Closet, who brainstormed about starting the directory two and a half years ago with her friend Judy Joseph, who owns Pzazz. "Judy has the computer, so she updates the information and gives everyone a few copies, and we make our own copies."
They never worried about the competition for customers, because, Hackbarth said, "We're all very different in personalities." While Jan's Secret Closet carries upscale garments for working women, Pzazz's claim to fame is being able to carry everything from Gap to Gucci.Close to Jan's shop on Waialae Avenue is Sweetie Moffatt's Comme Ci Comme Ca, an eclectic boutique that offers a combination of the old and new. A vintage princess-lined sheath may find a place next to an intricately beaded Chinese silk top or a fur coat.
Shopper Michi Robbs made the mistake of shopping at Comme Ci Comme Ca with no money and came across a shirred, off-the-shoulder velvet dress with a pouf of feathers for sleeves. Then she found rhinestone earrings to match. She had to dash back home for the $80 dress and $15 earrings.
"Ninety-five dollars and I feel like a million bucks!" she said, twirling in her bold new ensemble.
As to where she would wear it, she said, "I have no idea. Bowling? I don't know. I've been a hell-raiser for so long!"
Consignment shops carry an array of items from dramatic to conservative. Joseph said, "I think we have to cover all bases, carry a range in styles, sizes and colors, from the high end to moderately priced."
Rather than compete with each other, Hackbarth said that working together can only help the consignment cause, since she said there are many misconceptions about consignment clothing."People who come into the shop often comment that the clothes look so new. They're more familiar with thrift shops. They're looking at paying $2 or $3 for a blouse."
The reality is that price is relative to quality. An Escada piece that sells for $600 to $900 retail, may run $200 or $300 at Jan's Secret Closet, which focuses on designer garments.
"People are more aware of expenses," Joseph said. "Consumerism as it was isn't working anymore. People are realizing a dollar goes a lot further in consignment stores and you get much better quality than you can afford elsewhere."
On the lower end, Changes or Consignment Manoa sell many items -- priced at up to $120 retail -- for less than $15 to serve a university-age crowd. Recent finds at Changes include a Todd Oldham denim skirt in a size 2 for $15.50; Timberland leather boots in a men's size 8, $27; and Roxy board shorts for $12.
Changes is also one of few places that will buy clothing outright. "Sellers are happy to be getting something. And the buyers are happy because they're getting really good deals," said Changes owner Marlene Campbell.
After determining what a garment will sell for, she will offer 40 percent of the selling price in cash or 50 percent in trade. (The payment formula varies by store, but generally, 40 percent for the owner of the clothes is a norm.)
Since jeans at Changes sell for about $10 to $12, a seller can expect to get $4 or $5 in cash for bringing in their still wearable denim. As at all the boutiques, only clean items are accepted.The stores will usually carry the clothes for 60 to 90 days. If they're not sold by then, they go back to the owners. If the owners don't want them, they are usually donated to charities. Pzazz donates unwanted clothes to Angel Network Charities, which tries to find housing for the homeless.
As for this phenomenon of all those clothes in limbo between owners, Campbell said, "There are a lot of girls running around with a lot of credit cards but no money. They go to the malls, they buy clothes, and a couple months later they're tired of them and want something new.
"Then there are students from out of state whose mothers don't like to think their children are running around in hula skirts, so they send them things to wear, which end up here."
Natalie Lau, who works for her mother Campbell at Changes, said, "When I go the mall, the prices make me laugh." She was wearing a $100 BCBG dress she found at the shop for $14.
Because the clothes in consignment boutiques pass a screening by the shop owner, Hackbarth said that unlike a thrift shop, "Our clothes do not have stains or missing buttons. We don't accept clothes that are old and tired. They're almost in mint condition.
Hackbarth, a former travel industry executive, got into the consignment business three-and-a-half years ago. Before, "I wasn't aware of consignment shopping," she said. "I wish I was. I paid full price all the time. Now, I don't. I buy everything from here or one of the other shops."
Consign chic
Participants in the Honolulu Consignment Boutique Directory:
Changes, 2716-1 S. King St., 944-1039. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Buys, sells and trades contemporary clothing for college set.
Contemporary and vintage attire for men and women.
Features bridal and formal wear.
