If I knew how to give an extra half star, I would. Clothes Encounters had the right mix of vintage and thrift, of "serious-oh-heck-yea-I'd-wear-this!" and "oh-man-this-is-perfect-for-Halloween", all crammed into a space that fed my inner digger to a tee. I'm not a fan of fur, but I saw some lovely examples of beautiful, well maintained haute vintage furs and it was 10 steps away a great 70's faux fur cheetah swing coat. Another 10 steps away, there was stuff even I wouldn't wear on a dare. And that's saying a lot. The accessories were very cute and again, either so outdated they were cool or up to the minute trendy. The whole place is a fun study in opposites, which I thoroughly enjoyed because it made hunting that much more rewarding. The shoes. Bleh. I must have come on an off day. But the selection of fun jackets, wraps and coats more than made up for the footwear. I'd just bet if you were looking to score a vintage Michael Jackson "red-leather-period" jacket and pants, your best bet would be to check Clothes Encounters first. read more

Maybe I paid a visit during off-season, but I was none-too-impressed with Clothes Encounter's selection. The racks were large and stuffed and jumbly, but much of it was overpriced and quite dowdy. Also, it was really hot and un-air conditioned when I visited, so everyone in there was kind of cranky. The crazy suit/prom dress section, while somewhat interesting, had nothing in smaller sizes and never seemed to dip below $300. After flipping for maybe a half hour, the best I could find was a one shouldered sweater for $30 (not worth the money), and a J. Crew anchor tank top for $6. The most popular brand there was probably Jones New York or Liz Claiborne. As much as I am in favor of old lady clothing, Clothes Encounter's was old in a boring way, not a crazy way. read more

I often babysit in Eastern Market and yesterday was the first time I had the opportunity to check out Clothes Encounters of a Second Kind. I love second hand stores, but this store is WAY too small and cramped. While second hand stores are hit or miss, I often have a hard time finding stylish clothes as a petite woman. Maybe I need to give it a second chance on a day other than Saturday, but I personally prefer Frugalista in Mt. Pleasant. read more

I have lived in Eastern Market for a few years and I never walked in until today. (honestly I was wasting time until my nail appointment). I'm not a huge fan of consignment/second hand stores unless it's Halloween but I was pleasantly surprised by the selection inside. I will say a majority of the clothing is for the older generation but I found A TON of Lilly Pulitzer at fantastic prices. I'm giving it three stars because the customer service isn't great. I inquired about a pile of Lilly clothes behind the counter and the women who was pricing out the clothing wash not very friendly. She did eventually let me try on one of the skirts but didn't seem happy I bothered her. I'm not going to buy it without trying it on, so I was a little surprised she was so hesitant to give it to me. I doubt I'll always walk out with such great finds but I will definitely make a point to stop in every once in a while. read more

I have a consignment shop in Montana and when I travel I like to tour the local consignment shops to get ideas, learn things and, of course, shop! The shop is small and packed with great find! I came away with a great dress and an Armani tie for my husband. Importantly, the two gals working there were so lovely! They and one of their loyal customers made it a completely enjoyable experience.! Highly recommend visiting. read more

+ Good purse selection. Tons of shoes too, but I was too impatient and tired to go through everyone of the bins. + Conveniently located two blocks from the eastern mkt metro and across the street from the mkt if you want to do both your grocery and clothing shopping at the same time! - Clothes just weren't my style. They have a section of pants and skirtsuits that looked really cute. But the sizes and style were for an older and bigger crowd. It's hard to find something if you're petite. read more

They have plenty of things, some are outdated, I mean yes, it's true. But not all at all, you definitely could find something much more than decent, in a good shape and reasonable price. I think lots of stores commonly have so much stuff that you won't need most of them, but it's right the fun to dig things out. Well, I don't really care what the latest trend is, today you are in, tomorrow you are out. Just keep a couple of basic stuff, and classic ones, that's all. read more

I have been shopping and cosigning at Clothes Encounter for a very long time, and I just LOVE everything about the place!!! I take exception with those who wrote malicious entries. The store takes an assortment of items targeted to their faithful customers. The owner, who has been a successful small business owner for over 30 years, knows what she is doing. If, by chance, she has questions on the latest trends and brands she asks her trend setting staff, led by Nikki, et al, who always has a pulse on the current styles. As a very discriminating shopper and one of the best dressed women living on Capitol Hill, I have had people from all over the world to ask me where I got such and such on any given day. More than likely it was from Clothes Encounter. The upscale items I have purchased include those from Hermes, Etro, Gucci, Chanel, Loro Piana, TSE and Prada. Another thing about the owner, she is wise, has a dry sense of humor, and does not take to fools gladly. In other words, do not try to pull something over her on any items you are trying to cosign from outlet stores. read more

I got kicked out of the store because I got In a conversation with another customer that I had a pair of ugg boots that I didnt want and She was looking to buy. Unbelievable. Just like the soup nazi would do she ordered Me out of her store and told me never to come Back again. No loss because I found the Pickings to be very slim and overpriced. Never Even came close to buying anything there the Few times I went Now I read other reviews and find that in Addition to being mercenary and rude the are Probably dishonest. Can't do worse at the Suburban goodwills read more

CE cont's to be a fav with me!!!Always ready to answer any questions I might have, and if they are not sure of an item...Linda/staff will phone or drop a note before putting on the floor. Truly have no problems with staff or owner...wish all were this honest. I find alot of times..you get what you give... read more

I've been consigning for around 20 years, and have been to numerous DC shops. This one has by far the most professional approach - they send itemized listings, regular checks, and filled out tax slips when items are donated. Unlike other area shops - where you wait weeks or months for an appointment, deal with rude clerks, and have to call to see if they will send your check, this shop is much more service oriented. Once I was in such a hurry I basically dumped huge piles of clothes on their counter and ran out the door. They sent me a full itemized listing that week of everything I brought, and checks followed. I don't live in that part of DC so I don't shop there. But at least this is a business run by grown ups and I think they're great. read more

I've consigned at several other stores in the area but chose this one purely because of location. Unfortunately, it's been a frustrating experience from start to finish and I would advise others to steer clear. In every interaction, I've found the store staff incredibly unhelpful and disinterested and the owner extremely rude. She made condescending comments about my clothes and made me feel like I should be lucky to even be in her shop. I've had to follow up multiple times on the status of my items - she's unresponsive to email but gets annoyed when you call on the phone. Moving forward, I highly recommend the sweet ladies at Mint Condition in Old Town - well worth the drive! read more

I come here almost entirely for the shoe selection. The ladies who own this place have an eye for high-end and, more importantly, functional footwear. You know, that magical pair of 6 inch heels that you can wear for 2 miles walking because the designer bothered to get the geometry right for your feet? A lot of the footwear is non-branded, but the quality and condition of the stitching and leather is a dead giveaway. Expect to find ECCO and FRYE sandals and a few fine cowboy boot specimens as well (though if cowboy boots are your thing, make a once in a lifetime purchase at Heritage Boot in Austin, TX and be done with it). I usually browse the clothing section as well and have found a spring belted trench and a few tank tops that were conservatively designed but with enough to keep my interest: Off-centered vertical functional wooden buttons, a variance in material used in the front v.s. the back etc. Four stars as there seems to be very little consistency in pricing and it takes an average of two visits to find one good item... but that one item will be amazing. read more

I called to ask about good times to bring in some items to consign. The woman who answered the phone basically told me not to bother because they only take certain designers/brands...as if I didn't understand how consignment works. Very off-putting. read more

What turned into a sunny saturday, made a beautiful trip of shopping around Eastern Market. I happened upon this store and was delighted to find some good bargins in it, with out too much searching! I found two really cute dresses that looked brand new, but are a cool vintage trendy style. BCBG and Nine West. $20 each! I don't know if that is normal, because most dresses were priced higher, but I was delighted with the name brand bargins. I also found a really cute summery purse in PERFECT condition for oh-so-cheap. Delighted that I just walked in and found fantastic stuff in 20min of searching! The only con is that the space is rather small. There were a lot of people in there shopping, so the tightness was accentuated. But people were super friendly, as well as the staff. The sunshine makes everybody happy! I would check it out. You might get lucky, like I did! read more

Part One: The Clothes The clothes here were NOT GOOD. The prices, for the condition of the items (holes in sweaters, stretched out cardigans, stains), were pretty outrageous. There were very few chic or cute things here, the vibe seemed more geared towards older ladies (Chico's, pant suits, etc). The only saving grace, clothes-wise and price-wise, was their $2 bin. Part Two: The Customer Service The woman running this store was THE RUDEST person I have ever interacted with. I asked if she might lower the price of a sweater with holes in the sleeves- her condescending, sickly sweet reply was both offensive and unreasonable. I will certainly never be returning here- if you are considering visiting Clothes Encounters, DON'T. read more

I've found this place to be a mixed bag. . . I have definitely found some things in there that were nice, great deals, but I agree most things were rather older and larger, and the service a bit surly. Today for the first time, I consigned a few things, and I definitely got the rude owner treatment. I think it went "we want things that are 'relatively expensive.' DO you consider this relatively expensive? She took a few things and rejected the rest. I might not bring more things back there though, as I really do think it's possible to maintain your standards without being obnoxious. read more

I've shopped from here before so today I decided to bring some things to consign. After the way I was treated I won't be back for either. The shop owner looked annoyed the second I came in with a bag (um, isn't this you business?). She proceeded to go through my clothing by throwing them on the FLOOR and dismissing them one by one. She finds two items that she's willing to take and starts to process them. As I'm waiting, another customer comes in to consign and the shopkeeper proceeds to roll her eyes and complain about both of us to her colleague out loud in front of us and other customers. She asks me my last name for the second time (because she couldn't be bothered to listen the first time) and then when she finds I'm not in their system (because, as I already told her, this was my first time consigning with them) she sighs in frustration and says "I'm not doing it! I'm not taking your clothes!! We start taking winter clothes in August!!" No one is forcing you to take my clothes and there is no reason to talk to customers that way. She very simply could have said she appreciated my business but that they were full at the moment and recommend that I bring things earlier next time. Instead she was incredibly rude and unprofessional. Happy to take my business elsewhere since she clearly doesn't want it. read more

I was looking for a consignment shop in SE, DC. was glad to see one very close to me across from Eastern Market. Called be for going and was told the items had to be for the fall season, clean, and labeled. Took two large bags to the store only to find out were not good labels(Jones of New york, and Lauren by Ralph Lauren). She (the owner) took one look at a tweed jacket and said it was to old. I didn't understand I thought that what consignment shops take old but good condition clothing. Not only is the merchandise old but the owner is stuck in the 1940's, 50's, and beyond. read more

Uh, NO! Besides the fact that the store is mostly for the aging population, the selection is poor, and there isn't much turn over, the service is horrid. I went in with some designer jeans to consign and maybe even do an exchange for something. The shop keep was at the front and rolled her eyes at my mere attempt to even fathom she would want my jeans. When she finally took the extreme effort to glimpse at my jeans, she noticed they were indeed designer and suddenly seemed interested. Finally, she gave me a completely lowball offer on a pair of 7 jeans, and R&R. While she did me the "pity" of looking over my things my sister browsed the store and found something she wanted. I decided to take my items elsewhere in hopes of a higher offer and when I informed the shop owner, her response was "UGH, well then get out. It was certainly a pleasure NOT doing business with you. ever." My sister attempted to buy what she found, and the shop keep refused! "I don't do business with people like you. Nor will I ever." My response was that the nature of her business revolved around people changing their minds and it was not unreasonable for me to change my mind. She threw the jeans back at me, told us to get out and "please never come back." And certainly I won't. There are so many other worthwhile, friendly, fashionable places. Don't waste your time with this stinky witch. read more

My daughter forgot to pack her jeans & it's REALLY cold here this weekend. We found this store around the corner from where we are staying. The two women there were so helpful and led us straight to what we needed. Within 15 minutes, we had what we needed AND shared some laughs together. Calvin Klein jeans for $22 and the right size - doesn't get much better! read more

Most discriminatory owner I've encountered in Eastern Market. The owner told me that although she was hiring I need not send any teen mothers to apply because they won't "fit in". Wonder if that's because I'm a young black woman my girls won't fit in. Smh wish I could rate this no stars! read more

I guess I'm one of those older women, since I find lots of stuff at Clothes Encounters. :-) Never-used black Ann Taylor trench coat, $40. Ralph Lauren jeans, $10. I check this place out regularly. Most of the staff is friendly, but the owner can be snippy. But for $10 for a pair of Ann Taylor capris, I can live with that. read more

I love this shop! It is full of high quality clothing and accessories for women who need suiting, evening wear, or high-end casual pieces. The owner is a delightful lady who has terrific suggestions and is very helpful. As a non-profit professional, it is nice to be able to get higher-end business clothing and accessories here that have been my go-to power suits for important meetings. I also looked here when I've had special events and functions for which I needed a cocktail dress. I would highly recommend this consignment shop to any of my friends who want a refresh on their wardrobe! read more

While I don't think this store caters to the latest trends for women, they do have a pretty cute jewelry section. There is a large selection of jackets and shoes and the staff is very friendly. I feel like there is an 80s theme to a lot of the clothing, so if you're going to a costume party... :-) read more

The staff is weirdly unfriendly. Also, I wish the window displays were neater!

I agree that this place definitely DOESN'T have the latest trendy clothes, but That's not to say I don't love it there. I consistently get cute skits and blouses there. I found a GORGEOUS polka dot Jessica Mclintock dress for 15 bucks. And I also just scored a lactose shirt for 15 bucks. Cant beat that! The jewelry is cute, but you cant really count on anything except digging through racks and possibly getting some good stuff and possibly getting nothing. read more

I love this place except I just went there and the lady behind the counter said "she was insulted that I use a credit card on a $2 item"! Well, I would have preferred she say that they "don't take cards under $10." However, another sales lady saved her butt by being nice. Great deals but bring cash. For the record, I bought 4 items worth $8 -- there's no sign at the cash register stating that there was a credit card minimum. The $2 item keeps bringing back into the store even with a rude cashier. They have Michael Kors, Coach, Fendi, etc -- BUT, you have to look. read more

I generally only buy accessories here, because i can't be bothered to sort through the racks. They do have a ton of inventory and if you're patient, you could find a gem. I do consign clothing here and I've found over the last few years that - due to the crowded racks - they've been more label driven than previously. That's fine because they're clearly getting a lot of stuff that meets their requirements. The only thing that bothers me is dealing with staff - not the owner - when attempting to consign something. They'll tell you 800 times that she's probably not going to take something, for whatever reason, and they're mostly wrong. For instance - a turquoise silk DVF cocktail dress - you have to argue with the staff to get them to keep it for the owner's review, and then she decides to consign it. read more

I would have given this store two stars for their selection but since trying to consign there it gets a one. The racks are filled with outdated items and mid range at best quality (boxy, shapeless tops - tapered leg pantsuits - loafers with big chunky heels) that you might expect in a thrift store but not what I would look for in a consignment shop. In five different outings since the summer of 2009 I have purchased one cashmere blend turtleneck sweater. I expect more from digging through that much clothing that many times. Trying to consign was an interesting experience. Some items that I thought could be marginal were not accepted, fair enough. However the transaction went downhill FAST when the employee (or maybe owner) didn't agree with me when I told her I wasn't insulted personally that she called my clothes cheap but that Anthropologie, and Talbots might be. At that point she gave me back all my items. Seriously....has she seen what is hanging on the racks? If you like to dig-dig-and-dig some more on multiple occasions in hopes that you might find one OK bargain, go for it. However, it was obvious that my business as a purchaser or a consignor wasn't wanted. read more

I love this store! The prices are great, considering the inventory they carry. You can always find something great! The costumer service is also top notch. read more

I personally didn't see anything I would have wanted here. However, there was a steady stream of women in their 50s and 60s both buying and consigning, and they all seemed pretty happy. read more

I'm not sure what spawned the vitriol from other reviewers, but I just got an amazing Cavalli dress and a nice Max Mara turtleneck at Clothes Encounters for $60. The staff was friendly and helpful. One of them, Nicki, helped me search for the perfect top. I had a great experience and will return again and again. read more

Oooooh Clothes Encounters... Were it not for a severe dearth of consignment stores in the Eastern Market/Capitol Hill area, I would never submit myself to your harassment again. But as it were... I had the most interesting experience in there over the weekend. I came in just shortly after opening, was poking around near the back of the stores, when I heard a conversation between the owner and one of her workers that proceeded thusly: Worker #1: "I went into another consignment store when I was on vacation and oh my! Their prices were so high! You really should consider raising your prices." Owner: "Ah, well, I can't really. I got some bad reviews." Worker #1: "Bad reviews!?! Well don't you worry, Worker #2 and I will make sure to put some good reviews up.... and we'll space them out so that nobody knows they're not real reviews." So there you have it. Fake good reviews. Also, I noticed that this time she didn't completely act as though I was the scum of the earth --- it was more of a restrained abhorrence. "A" for effort! It looks like these reviews may actually be communicating that when we are spending our relaxing weekends in your store, we don't want to feel like you despise us, or that we are inconveniencing you by spending our money on your often overpriced stuff. Finally, just watch out in the purse section. Seems to me a consignment store should know when a purse is a knockoff or not, especially when it comes to a ubiquitous brand such as Coach. Not so much, since the owner told my friend that it's "not [her] job" to know whether they're fake or not. Turns out, it was fake. Bravo. read more

Nice items to choose from, fairly priced, etc. Buy the things you like and leave. This store isn't for the easily offended. Read into that as little or as much as you'd like. read more

Super cute consignment store! Good selection for all ages. It's nice to pop in while visiting the flea market. They have shoes, bags, and lots of clothes at good prices. A good portion of the clothing is designer and in good shape. Lots of fun! read more

I like this place a lot - both for buying and selling. You're not going to find any insane deals here but everything is high quality and decently priced. There's no cheap h&m or forever 21 type stuff. The way consignment works is that if they decide they're interested in your piece, they'll take it and give you the price they think they can sell it at. If they sell it within a certain time period, you get 50%. If it doesn't sell, they'll return it to you. Very reasonable and transparent. read more

I love stopping in here on a weekly basis on my way home from work. I do not love when the owner is there. Don't try and speak to her either or you're in for a RUDE clothes encounter. Yeesh. read more

"A-OK," which is what the 3 star designation is listed as, is exactly right. If you go in there knowing that the service is below par, they have a lot of good clothes and shoes and scarves and jewelry. I was completely and totally ignored. The person behind the counter was talking to a regular customer the whole time I was there. Oh well. I tried on a dress and bought it. I would go back. read more

My girlfriend went by here to attempt to sell clothes and came back in tears because of the way she was treated: A rude, loud dismissal because they did not fit the supposed level of quality. I get it, you can't buy everything that arrives at your door, but that's no reason to humiliate someone. read more