BUFFALO, N.Y. — Take a step into Second Chic Contemporary Consignment in the Elmwood Village, and see it right away. The racks are overflowing with clothes, shoes, jewelry, and accessories.
"Immediately after quarantine. The doors opened, and people just came," Owner Annie Adams told 2 On Your Side. They have had an influx of people dropping clothes off ever since.
Gloria Zona was one of those people. She's made several hundred dollars consigning a closetful of vintage clothes she inherited in 2020. She prefers the ease of reselling through a store, then on her own.
"I just bring it in, they hang it and tag it, and the price they take care of the money, and all I do is pick up the check," she explained.
While traditional retail has struggled during the pandemic, Adams reports that 2021 was her best year of sales in the twelve years she's been in business.
"We broke all sales records, monthly goals, year goals, everything," she said. "We're over the moon, we're so excited. It's just been a really magical year for us."
Her staff at both her Elmwood and Village of Williamsville locations take appointments every 10 minutes on their six days a month they accept clothes.
"We fill up all those appointments," she said. "People are on waiting lists to come in and bring their stuff because they don't want it in their homes anymore. They want to bring it here and sell it."
A Buyer's Market
There is plenty of demand to meet all the supplies of consignment shops and thrift shops. According to ThredUp's 2021 Resale Report, 33 million people bought secondhand clothing for the first time in 2020. The average thrifter bought seven secondhand items in the past year, that they otherwise would have bought new.
"There's stuff out there with tags on it that you can get," Debra Jaeger of Amherst told 2 On Your Side. "I very seldom spend anything over $10."
Jaeger has become a thrifting pro in the last couple of years. Just last week, she paid less than 30 dollars for a Kate Spade coat at Savers in Hamburg.
"Brand new it was going for $368, and then at Poshmark it was going for $265," she said. "So for $24, I got this beautiful designer coat."
Jaeger says she's seen larger inventories and better selection since the pandemic.
"Especially after Christmas and after the change of the seasons," she said. "There's a selection out there. It's a good time to be thrifting.
The Ripple Effect for Non-Profits
Nonprofits that rely on clothing donations are also seeing the ripple effect of the demand for secondhand. Buffalo's chapter of Dress for Success, which provides free professional attire to women entering the workforce, hasn't been able to accept clothes in over a year.
"We don't have a large facility, we don't have a lot of storage space," Executive Director Michelle Barron explained. She says donations from women who now work from home, or have retired, have piled up.
"It's difficult trying to explain to people that as much as we want to take your clothing, we're just not in the position that we can handle them," Barron said.
Barron says they often have to turn away people who mistake the organization for a second-hand boutique. In her eyes, it's all further proof that people no longer want to pay full price to look fashionable.
"They don't! They don't want to spend the money," she said.
While typically the only way to "shop" at Dress for Success is by making an appointment for a referral visit for an upcoming interview, the organization is planning to hold an inventory reduction sale fundraiser in the coming months.
Stay tuned to the Dress for Success Facebook page for an announcement.
Looking to Sell Your Clothes?
If you want to make some money in the resale business, Adams says one item is more likely to move than anything else: dresses.
"We always sell sweaters, always sell tops. Dresses are always, especially during the spring, summer months, dresses just sell. That's always our top selling item."
"Pants are the hardest sell," she continued. "There's a little more gray area with tops or dresses versus a pant."
Western New York Consignment and Thrift Shops:
Blasdell
Buffalo
Cheektowaga
Clarence
Depew
Niagara Falls
Tonawanda
Williamsville
Locations Throughout WNY