Resale Shop Makes Clothing With Name Labels Affordable
The resale business continues to grow for women’s apparel, and a new entry on the scene is Great Labels.
Open only a few weeks, owner Andrea Waters seems to have a handle on the marketplace. She shopped resale for years and worked in an Orange County resale store before deciding to open a place of her own.
The scarcity of resale on the Westside lured her to a Santa Monica location where she is targeting the buyer who wants top names but is put off by prices at the best resale stores.
We found a smart Anne Klein pantsuit for $98, an a.b.s suit on the markdown rack for 40% off the $36 price (or $20), and many other quality garments for a fraction of the original price.
Resale for men has been slow, but it’s catching on. Waters has a good supply of top men’s apparel priced for the working fellow: Richard Tyler, Armani, Zegna and even Yamamoto are on the racks. A Yamamoto suit that originally was around $1,500 is a pleasant $350, and a sport coat with the Zegna label is tagged at $175, a far cry from the new price of $1,000.
A bright and well-decorated store with spacious dressing rooms, this should become a regular stop for the resale shopper. For those who want to turn in gently used quality clothing (no more than two years old) there’s a 40-60 split. Whichever you are--shopper or seller--resale can be your secret wardrobe weapon.
Great Labels, 1126 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. (310) 451-2277. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visa, MC, AE.
Weekend Super Sales: At Sara’s, where women’s fashion has a European flair, everything in the store this weekend (except the art) is 50% off. Sara’s prices are always deeply discounted, but look what happens at sale time: A dress from a well-known manufacturer retailing for $200 was marked $89 but now is tagged at $44.40. There are also great hats, scarves and jewelry, all at half-price. 10216 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake. (818) 755-9070.
For Kids Only, a discounter of quality children’s apparel, is having a store-wide summer sale offering 50% off 80% of the inventory. Boys suits that usually run $220 elsewhere will be $89.95, and shoes start at $9.99. There are imports from Switzerland, France and Germany. Sale runs today through Aug. 15. 18332 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. (818) 708-9543 and in Los Angeles at 746 N. Fairfax Ave. (213) 650-4885.
