This segment aired on Houston’s Channel 11 News at 5 on December 17, 2008 (watch it).
Resale is the new retail! Resale shops are clean, organized, have unique fashionable pieces, and give you lots of bang for your buck. The merchandise is in good condition (sometimes it’s even brand new) and is current and fashionable. They are great places for unique and inexpensive holiday gifts (no one needs to know how much you spent or where you got it). Think of the staff as resale stylists – they can help pick the right piece for that special someone and have creative ideas for mixing resale pieces with your existing clothing.
Sarah Shah took Channel 11 News viewers on a field trip to some of Houston’s hottest resale shops. Here is a list of the stores we visited, the items pictured on TV, plus some extra gift ideas and tips to make your resale shopping spree a positive experience.
Taxi Taxi
1657 Westheimer Rd (east of Dunlavy), Houston – (713) 528-5500
Taxi Taxi specializes in contemporary young clothing and accessories. This is a great place for the trendy young men and women on your gift list. Look for Vintage Members Only jackets (yes, right out of the 80’s) for $25, graphic t-shirts starting at $7, skinny jeans for $25 (women) $35 (men), and “bang on” t shirts (you pring the picture, they “bang it on” the shirt for you) $30, “fly kicks” (the coolest sneakers) $40. Bring cash, credit, or your own clothes to trade. Here are pics of the outfits that were on TV.
Leopard Lounge
1657 Westheimer Rd (inside Taxi Taxi), (713) 528-5500
Leopard Lounge specializes in fashionable vintage clothing and accessories. Manager Brandon West has impeccable taste and hand selects every piece in the store. This is a great place to buy for fashionable young women and men on your gift list. Look for vintage western shirts from the 1930-40’s ($80+), contemporary western shirts ($10+), vests ($17+), dresses ($10+), and western boots ($50). Here are pics of the outfits that didn’t make it on TV.
More Than You Can Imagine
2817 Westheimer Rd (at Kirby), (713) 668-8811
More Than You Can Imagine is a resale Boutique. There is nothing resale about it except for the prices. They specialize in Designer pieces (think Gucci, Prada, Channel, Zac Posen, Monolo, Jimmy Choo, Hermes) at Department Store prices. This is not the place to come with $5, but if you come with $200, you’re leaving with something FABULOUS for a party!!! They also have brand new gifts and accessories starting at $20. Look for designer handbags, shoes, party dresses, tops, etc. Clothing sizes from 0 to 16 and shoe sizes from 6 to 11. And swing by the last chance sale rack….saw a pair of size 6-1/2 red satin Gucci shoes for $105!! I almost cut my toes off to fit into these shoes. On second thought, they’d be beautiful displayed on a bookshelf in my office!
Shopping Tips (thanks Dardan, resale shopper extraordinaire)
Bring cash or credit cards (many stores don’t take checks). Check the pricing schedule (it’s usually posted), the item you want might be ready for another mark down. Check the return policy so you know whether items can be returned for the same value. Bring along any items you want to match so you can tell right away if they work together. Size labels may not be accurate – items may have shrunk, stretched, been mislabeled, or the brand can run small/large. Hold it up to you, try it on, use a tape measure or ask the staff for assistance. Buy the item because you love it rather than because it’s a great deal. Then you’ll enjoy it and actually wear it.
Other Favorite Resale Shops
Marry-Go-Round 719 W Gray St, Houston, TX 77019(713) 874-0688 (http://www.marrygoroundinc.com/) Wedding gowns sizes 0 to 24, viels, and new accessories. Get a fab dress for your wedding or sell the fab dress you already wore.
The Guild Shop 2009 Dunlavy St, Houston, TX 77006(713) 528-5095 (http://www.theguildshop.org/)
A Fantastic variety of jewelry (real, costume, vintage) and home accessories.
What’s Sarah Wearing?
Donna Ricco red cross-over top (Macy’s http://www.macys.com/), Isabel denim flat-front trousers (Dillards, http://www.dillards.com/), gold potmetal pendant (Harwin St.), black stiletto leather knee boots (http://www.ninewest.com/).
Here’s the link to the segment: http://www.khou.com/video/index.html?nvid=314277
Thanks for watching!