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Second Time Around
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Business New Haven
8/20/2001
By: Priscilla Searles
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Consignment shops, an ancient concept, have taken off like a rocket in the last few years. You name it and you can find it in a consignment shop. Two area women who have made a success of the consignment business are outspoken about the rules and ethics that such shops operate under.
Linda Ciaburri is the owner of Classical Consignment, which recently relocated to 1770 Post Road, Milford from the Fire-Lite Shopping Center in Orange. Definitely not a flea market, the shop sells upscale contemporary furniture, glass and crystal, artwork and jewelry.
Ronnie Lytle is owner of My Secret Consignment Boutique, an upscale clothing store located at 501 Boston Post Road, Orange. In the consignment business for 11 years, Lytle previously worked with her husband in sales, but then she decided she wanted to do something on her own.
“At the time we were in a recession,” says Lytle. “Everyone was feeling it. I realized it was the perfect time for a consignment shop. We didn't have an upscale clothing consignment shop in our area, but we had lot of women who bought upscale clothing. There were a lot consignment shops in Fairfield, but not in this area. I knew Woodbridge and Orange would be a great area if I could get on the Boston Post Road.
“Another consideration was the fact that people who had been giving clothing way for years no longer wanted to do that,” Lytle says, “they wanted a return for the clothes they no longer wore, enabling them to use the money toward other clothes.”
Both Ciaburri and Lytle work on a 50-50 split with individual consigners, and both offer a 90-day contract to the items' owners. Ciaburri and Lytle agree about the basic rules of their business. Rule No. 1: call for an appointment; don't expect to walk in and have your items looked at instantly. Rule No. 2: wash, clean, polish - whatever it takes to make sure the condition of the item is good. And don't expect every item to be accepted. The proprietors are the experts; they have a sense of what will move and what won't, and they have a high stake in a successful sale.
Both women did their homework before going into business. Lytle studied consignment shops from coast to coast, noting what worked and what to stay away from. Lytle and Ciaburri both believe that going into the consignment-shop business requires study, expertise and a clear game plan.
Ciaburri lets clients set the price of the items if they know the value. “If clients don't know the value,” says Ciaburri, “the quality shop will be honest with the customer. If they don't know the value they will consult with an established expert in the field.”
In addition, Lytle provides privacy for people bringing in consignment items. “I have a back door for consignment,” she says. “First, the customer won't be embarrassed if the items are not accepted, and customers out front won't be pushing to see what just came in. And I never buy clothes from my own shop because it's hard on customers to see their clothes on the owner when they are shopping for new items.”
Lytle and Ciaburri believe that the formula for a successful consignment shop is being in a high-traffic area, having expertise in the field, being upfront and honest with customers and putting a lot of effort into presentation of the consignment items. They are proof that the formula can indeed work.
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