North Hollywood : Shoppers Discover Boutique’s Bargains

Shopper Elaine Marshall was ecstatic as she clutched her prize, a grinning, mahogany-colored Buddha with arms raised blissfully toward the heavens.

“Where else can you find something like this for $20?” said the Van Nuys woman. “We found a Japanese tea set here yesterday. It was $100, but I know it’s old.”

Like the Enlightened One, Marshall had found bliss. However, hers was from a more worldly source: She had discovered a new, upscale boutique with low-rent prices operated by the Salvation Army.

Sally’s Boutique, 6130 Lankershim Blvd., in North Hollywood, opened a week ago, next to a regular Salvation Army thrift store. In its traditional stores, Salvation Army officials said, certain sections are set aside to display the finer merchandise, but it is often overlooked.

They said the new store was opened to more effectively display the expensive donations that come in.

“They started realizing that nicer things should be segregated so that people could concentrate on them more,” said boutique manager Liz Lyle.

One shopper, Jan Copley of Studio City, said she dislikes sifting through items at traditional thrift stores to find things she really wants.

“Here, you don’t have to spend hours and hours going through the stuff,” she said.

Friday’s inventory included a reproduction of a Chinese painting from the Sung Dynasty that looked so expensive Lyle said she at first thought it might be an original. It had a price tag of $275. There was also a rose-colored armoire for $1,270, and a ceramic bust of a young woman, made in Ireland circa 1929, with an asking price of $450.

But there were also some lower-priced items too. Adrienne Clements of Van Nuys found a black leather jacket in like-new condition for $45.

“I don’t mind coming here and spending my money,” she said, “because I feel I’m getting some good, quality stuff here.”

The store is attracting a lot of customers, Lyle said, probably because of its location, in a busy shopping center.

Clements said she was hooked on the boutique.

“I’m going home now; I’m broke,” she said. “But I’ll be back tomorrow.”

The store is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center in Van Nuys.