Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

Well, I admit. I was brought up in resale.

So my mom had nothing but good things to say about consignment shopping.

“Quality counts.” Why buy cheap when you can buy inexpensive? Mom taught me to tell quality, not from the brand label, but from the sewing details, the fabric’s drape, the small details.

“The best buys are in the most unlikely places” even in resale shops. My go-to dressy top in college was a bed jacket from the lingerie rack. My favorite “Hawaiian” shirt (and the mixing bowl I still use every week!) was bought in Springfield Ohio.

“Buy it today, it may not be here tomorrow.” Teaches a shopper to make up her mind now. Good training for a consignment shop owner who has to pass judgment on hundreds of incoming items every day!

“Why in heaven’s name would you want to look like everyone else?” Perhaps spoken to avoid a trip to the mall, but oh so true nonetheless. Don’t wade in the sea of sameness.

“Please, darling daughter, buy something that’s not black.” (And wouldn’t that be a great sign on a 2-way display today?)

What it was like, owning a consignment shop in the 1950’s

My mother, and the 4 children she brought up on her 2 shops