Designer consignment store arrives on Thayer

March 8, 2007
By Marielle Segarra

Second Time Around, a designer clothing store that sells everything "from Banana Republic to Chanel" for roughly one-quarter or one-third of the retail price, opens today at 294 Thayer St., said Manager Erika Martin. The location is the first in Providence for the Boston-based chain.

Real estate developers asked the store to come to Thayer Street in the hopes that it would change the "direction the street is going in" and bring back some of what used to make the area special, Martin said.

The shop sells "gently used" and dry-cleaned clothing for consignors, Martin said. Once items are sold, half of the sale price is credited to the seller's account at the store.

Prices for the designer clothing will range from $8 to $500. "There's something for everyone, from the 14-year-old Wheeler (School) girl to the 60-year-old grandmother," Martin said.

It's not "that store that you go, 'Oh, I don't want to go there - I can't afford it,'" she said.

Items are marked down over time, and after 90 days, the consignor must pick up any unsold items. If they are not taken, the clothes become store property and are usually given to Goodwill, Martin said.

The store gives students a chance to clean out their closets.

"I just have a lot of clothes, and closets at Brown are really small," said Si-Han Hai '08, who has already consigned several items to Second Time Around.

Hai is a self-described "boutique-brand" junkie, but said she has no qualms about shopping for pre-worn clothes. "Consignment gives me the same brands - but a lot cheaper," she said.

Consignors are paid the balance of their accounts quarterly, Martin said. Between quarters, sellers can only use their profits in the store.

Both buyers and sellers can check an item's status online at secondtimearound.net and sign up for the store's "wish list," which allows customers to request a phone call when a specific item comes in.

Tory Daines, sales associate at Foreign Affair, a vintage shop at 219 Thayer St., said she didn't see any overlap between the stores. Even if there were, she said, their store used to send people over to Ragtime, a vintage store on Thayer that has since relocated.

"The small businesses have to work together," she said.

Second Time Around has hired former Ragtime manager Mike Rinaldi, who will probably design dresses for the store, Martin said. She added that she is also open to giving new designers a chance to make a reputation for themselves.

Martin said Second Time Around is the only store of its kind in Providence, noting that shoppers often have to travel to New York or Boston for designer clothing.