Today I decided to visit a handful of consignment and second-hand shops in the Lancaster area and review them all for you. If you don't live in the Lancaster, PA area, I'm sorry, but if you ever come to visit, at least you'll know where to go for a bargain.
I didn't really go into this review process with a formal checklist- I decided to do this at the last minute, so it wasn't exactly planned out. Despite that, I think I have a pretty good review system figured out to make this clear and easy for you. I'll rate each store on a scale of 1 to 5 (1: poor, 2: fair, 3: average, 4: above average, 5: perfect) in the following areas: presentation/cleanliness, selection, and price. I'll also give a breakdown of what you can find in each store and a brief description of my experience and impression.
A little about each category and rating to start. Presentation/cleanliness is a really important category for me. I don't like feeling like I'm in a second hand shop. Whether you admit it or not, the less you feel like you're in a discount/thrift/second hand shop, the more enjoyable the experience. I prefer stores that are bright, clean, and organized. Selection is not necessarily about high end labels, but rather about variety. In other words, is this a shop for the preppy girl, the girly girl, the rocker chick or all three and then some? Finally, the price rating is determined by what you get for your money. In other words, the prices in a shop may be very low, but they also have mostly low-end garments, so it's not that great a deal. I'll be sure to explain my ratings. Enjoy!
Deja Vu
1521 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, PA
Shop Type: Consignment
Presentation/cleanliness: 4
Selection: 3
Price: 3
Plus size: Minimal selection
Formal wear: Yes
Jewelry: Yes
Handbags: Yes, mostly new
Shoes: Yes, minimal selection
Children's clothes: No
Menswear: No
Furniture/Home Goods: No
Deja Vu is picky about the pieces they will accept to consign. As a result, their selection is of a high quality, if not a high quantity. I prefer it that way, to be honest. The prices range a great deal, but overall you are getting a relatively decent price. They average a few dollars less than what you'd pay for something similar in Marshalls or TJ Maxx, but there are also some amazing bargains. For example, I got a pair of fun, sparkly shoes for only $2. In my opinion, the jewelry is a tad overpriced, but it also appears to be mostly new, as do the handbags.
Wearhouse Consignment
329 Main Street
Landisville, PA
Shop Type: Consignment
Presentation/Cleanliness: 2
Selection: 3
Price: 3
Plus Size: Yes
Formalwear: No
Jewelry: Yes
Handbags: Yes
Shoes: Yes
Children's Clothes: Yes
Menswear: No
Furniture/Home Goods: No
This store is located in a somewhat dark space- there is little natural light, so it has that "bargain basement" vibe to it. The racks are crowded and not as organized as they could be. Also, the store itself feels cramped and crowded. I rated the price "3" because I felt that while some prices were phenomenal (less than $40 for a pair of gorgeous Frye cowboy boots), I felt that others were way too high (almost $30 for a FAUX Prada handbag). When I considered each item at face value, I often couldn't understand the logic behind the pricing. For example, there was a pair of Old Navy ballet flats that were a little bit dirty- clearly they had been worn several times before. They were priced at $8. While $8 is not a lot of money for a pair of shoes, it would seem like a much better deal if the shoes weren't low-end and worn-out to begin with. Had they been brand new, and mint condition, then $8 would have seemed appropriate. It seems that the Wearhouse isn't as selective in terms of what they are willing to accept on consignment and maybe they should be. What I liked about this shop is that the tags clearly display when the garment or accessory will drop in price. The dressing rooms were the cleanest, brightest area in the shop.
Divine Consign
37 Market Square
Manheim, PA
Shop type: Consignment
Presentation/cleanliness: 4
Selection: 4
Price: 4
Plus Size: Yes
Formalwear: Yes
Jewelry: Yes
Handbags: Yes
Shoes: Yes
Children's clothes: Yes
Menswear: No
Furniture/Home goods: Yes
This is one of the better consignment shops I've seen. They seem to have struck a good balance between carefully selecting their items while keeping the store well-stocked. The prices were the best of the day, hands down. They were also pretty consistent. Nearly every pair of jeans was under $15 including designer labels. In fact, there wasn't a lot there that I saw over $15-$20. I'll definitely be heading back there again soon.
RE:Purpose
342 North Queen Street
Lancaster, PA
(Inside Building Character)
Shop Type: Thrift
Presentation/cleanliness: 4
Selection: 4
Price: 4
Plus Size: No
Formalwear: No
Jewelry: Yes
Handbags: Yes
Shoes: Yes
Children's clothes: No
Menswear: Yes
Furniture/Home goods: Yes
RE:Purpose is one of the many vendor "booths" located inside Building Character and is run by two lovely sisters. The shop offers not only very gently worn clothing and accessories, but also discounted new pieces from a handful of high-end designers. The selection is fun and youthful and is constantly being updated. The sisters even travel around the world and bring back fashions from the places they visit to sell in the store. It's a very cool shop and they always have some sort of special sale going on as well.
Next To New
1920 Lincoln Highway East
Lancaster, PA
Shop Type: Consignment
Presentation/cleanliness; 4
Selection: 4
Price: 4
Plus Size: Yes
Formalwear: Yes
Jewelry: Yes
Handbags: Yes
Shoes: Yes
Childrens clothes: No
Menswear: No
Furniture/Home goods: Yes- across the street
Next to New was the most impressive of the consignment/thrift shops I've visited. The organization is stellar- clothing is arranged by type and within type by size and within size by color/print. Divine Consign was also organized this way and in both stores I felt the least like I was in a second-hand shop. It's all about presentation and those two shops do it best. What struck me about Next to New was the enormous selection of accessories- there is jewelry everywhere you turn in that store! And they had the best selection of handbags by a long shot. The shoes were about on par with all the other shops, but I noticed they actually carried quite a lot of large size shoes- 10-11. This store is also the largest of all the shops I visited, and the layout feels spacious, not at all cramped or crowded.
Well, I hope this review has been helpful to those of you who live in this area. If you are from the Central PA area and would like a review of a specific shop, let me know. I'll do my best to keep you informed. Since I shop so much in my line of work, I'm a good person to ask if you're looking for something specific. I shop in person at actual shops, but I also shop online a great deal. Feel free to ask if there's something you're looking for. I'll do my best to help you out!
No comments:
Post a Comment