Okay, I really need to find humor with my experience bringing items to this shop for consignment…read more
At first glance, the shop may have been strategically planned out for maximum inventory to sell, but I found the racks too close/tight for comfort. Rather difficult to pull a shirt off the rack and have enough space to put it out in front of oneself to see all the fine details.
What disappointed me most was being told the items that I brought in.... which were handmade (double-stitched for longevity), displayed in craft shows, and never worn...that the item "looked worn". The clerk never even gave the handmade denim purse I designed a second look that others have commented was a work of art.
Help me out here. What is in the ad for this CONSIGNMENT shop? "Women's Clothing, ACCESSORIES, USED, Vintage & Consignment". I think I see the words "accessories"...which I think my purse qualified .... and even IF the fleece baby buntings HAD been worn, they were still in the very best of condition should they have been "used". The clerk didn't really inspect the small details of the stitching, the embroidered patch or inside finishings.
There I was standing there being told MY items were "too worn" next to a shelf of SHOES that were previously owned. Call me a picky, those shoes showed more wear and tear than the items I brought in. I even had a lovely patchwork quilt I made that would fit a baby crib perfectly but the younger clerk said they don't take blankets and didn't even bother looking at what I had brought with me.
What I really breaks my heart is that a couple other customers came in looking for some winter shirts that were on a rack. There were several colors of this one style. Sadly, that one style is similar to many of the clothes sold at Walmart. They were waiting for the sale to begin next week which they could get 20% off whatever price the shop would assign. Still, these aren't high quality items even if they were brand spanking new. New doesn't always equal quality.
I have to remember that I AM a professional seamstress and not everyone looks at clothing the way I do. Some will look at handmade items and think less of the quality. Or that it isn't as "good" or "will last as long" as store bought or vintage.
What helps boost my morale after this experience is remembering a denim jean jacket I designed years back and finally outgrew. I gave it to a friend of mine who always admired it and fit her far better. She had worn it to a visit to a Talbot's (an upscale swank store in St. Paul) she frequented for her work wardrobe. The clerk there admired the jacket and asked where she had purchased it. She replied, "My seamstress made it for me." So if an upscale, high-end, women's shop acknowledged my work with peaked interest, I'm back to finding the humor in this particular situation.
The old adage of their loss and someone else's gain must be true. I donated the remainder of my fleece stroller/crib blankets that were pain-stakingly edged with some colorful yarn and have never been used to another shop down the road. You know, the one with the bell ringers every Christmas. :-) So those of you who need to keep your little ones warm when out this Christmas season in their strollers, head on over to their shop. :-)
