by Malia Durbano

“Well, let me see. Everything I currently have on came from a consignment store,” brags Durango artist Amy Vaclav-Felker. “I had to wean myself from telling people what great deals I got on my clothes when they commented on my cute outfits.”

 

Vaclav-Felker buys everything she can for herself, her husband and two kids at local consignment stores. “Why pay full price when you don’t have to for like-new items?” she asks. “Plus it really coincides with my reduce-reuse-recycle philosophy.”

Lori Yenser, another local thrift store shopper, agrees. “I can find much more fun and interesting things than are in the mainstream stores,” she says. “It’s fun to get quality merchandise at such affordable prices. It spreads my clothing budget.”

 

Durango boasts a variety of second-hand stores, according to Mary Thomas, a manager at the Humane Society Thrift Store. “A resale store owner buys items from other places, like garage sales, flea markets and even other stores and re-sells them,” she explains. “In a consignment store, people bring clothing, household items, jewelry, etc. to the store.  When the item sells, they are paid a percentage of the selling price, and the store keeps a percentage. In a thrift store, like ours, everything is donated.”

 

Whatever the shape, second hand stores and shoppers are booming in La Plata County.

 

“I have seen an increase in business due to the downturn in the economy,” Thomas admits. “We appreciate the good donations and good community support. People can get quality merchandise at good prices.”

 

The National Association of Resale Professionals, an association of resale, thrift and consignment stores, reported a 12.7 percent growth in sales in 2009. Many local stores have seen considerable growth in sales during the last five years, with 2009 being a stand-out. In the same period, retail sales dropped by 7.3 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

 

Consignment stores are not only helping consumers with tight budgets, they are transferring cash back to local families, according to Donna Whitcomb, owner of Second Time Around, a downtown consignment boutique. “With the economy posing a challenge and the fact that many people have an overabundance of possessions, savvy shoppers and sellers are recycling perfectly good merchandise,” Whitcomb says.

 

However, Whitcomb adds that Durango was hip to thrift and consignment stores long before the recent economic downturn. “The recession alone is not the reason for our success,” she says. “I’ve been in the same place for 24 years. I haven’t seen a huge change. Business has been pretty steady, except for the year of the Missionary Ridge Fire, which was tough for everybody.”

 

During that time, Whitcomb has worked with more than 10,000 consignees. “My 21st consignee still comes in, and she’s now 85 years old. You come into a consignment store and find really nice, in-style clothing for about 70 percent off what you can buy new. That just resonates with a lot of people.”

 

Lori Brouner, who has managed the United Methodist Thrift Store for 15 years, has noticed an increase in sales and in donations in recent years. “More people are shopping second hand and re-using instead of buying new,” she explains. “There’s a recent emphasis on having too much. People are simplifying. Clothing is the biggest seller, and the thing we get the most donations of.”

 

The Methodist Thrift Store also gives back to many nonprofits in the community. And in recent years, the store has been able to increase what it gives to orgnizations like Manna Soup Kitchen, the Durango Food Bank and the Red Cross because more is coming through its front door.  

 

Durango’s thrift store shoppers have numerous outlets to choose from and each likes different stores for different reasons. Shaheen Hood, a second hand enthusiast, likes the uniqueness of Reruns, one of Durango’s resale stores.

 

“Reruns has a wide variety of really cool clothes, shoes and jewelry,” she says. “I can always find something unique that isn’t too expensive there. The last item I got from Reruns was a nice pair of cowboy boots in great shape and a fun style, and I only spent $30.”

 

Barb Niccum prefers the wide variety of the Humane Society Thrift Store. “I’ve bought everything from shoes to a crock pot to some great yarn,” she says. “But there are good finds everywhere. You just have to take the time to look and keep going back.”

 

Anita Smith shops at all the resale stores in town. “I have found brand new items at the Methodist Thrift Store for under $5,” she says. “I got a great pair of pants and a sweater I just love. I go to Second Time Around when I’m looking for something specific or a little more high end.”

 

Second Time Around and the Human Society Thrift Store regularly run sales to help make items more affordable for their clients. The Humane Society has created “Wacky Wednesdays” the first Wednesday of every month when everything in the store is half off. “If people have been eyeing something, they can come in on that day and get an even better bargain,” Thomas explains.

 

Corporations are also getting hip to the trends and franchising resale stores nationwide. Play It Again Sports is one of five resale franchise brands owned by the successful Winmark Corp., which currently operates 900 shops in the United States and Canada. Winmark’s reported net income for the first two quarters of 2010 ending June 26 was $4.5 million, up from $2.6 million in 2009.

 

Resale stores are flourishing all over, according to Second Time Around’s Whitcomb, and it’s not difficult to see why. “We’re saving the customers money, making money for our consigners and re-cycling,” she says. “It’s win-win-win.”