Wardrobe wonders

Resale shops offer fashion for the frugal

Estelle Wills of Camden, a volunteer at Heavenly Threads, steams clothing before it goes out for sale on the racks of the downtown resale shop. KRIS FERRAZZA PHOTOS

Where can you find Ralph Lauren jeans for $10, a leather Coach pocketbook for $15 or a picture frame for 25 cents? It’s a resale shop -- a bargain-hunter’s paradise. And the Midcoast is blessed with an abundance of these consignment shops and thrift stores, many of which offer high-quality clothes, accessories and household items for a fraction of their retail prices.

By Kris Ferrazza

     Part outlet store, part yard sale, you won’t have to battle the blackflies or wheel and deal to negotiate prices in these shops. Gently used items abound, with clothing bearing designer labels like Talbot’s, LL Bean, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Baby Gap and Carter’s, just to name a few.

Gift from above

     Just off Route 1 in Camden, Heavenly Threads has found a loyal following of frugal shoppers and a small army of dedicated volunteers. An outreach program of the First Congregational Church, the thrift store at 57 Elm St. offers clothing for men, women and children as well as formalwear, accessories and household items.

     Co-managers Becky Ayotte of Waldoboro and Helen Kuhl of Camden keep the store running smoothly with the help of approximately 35 volunteers. A back room bustles with activity as clothing is sorted and laundered, ironed or steamed, organized by size and given a price tag. Another room is dubbed the “SOS Room” and holds items that are free for the taking by anyone in need, essentially serving as a food pantry for clothes, the women explain. It is open from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. each Tuesday and usually attracts between two and 30 patrons per week.

Becky Ayotte, left, and Helen Kuhl, are the co-managers of Heavenly Threads in Camden. The store offers casual and formal clothing, accessories, books, bedding and more.

     All of the items in the shop have been donated and the proceeds, after expenses, directly benefit a long list of Midcoast charities. Heavenly Threads is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday and starting in June, the store also is open on Mondays. Donations are accepted Mondays through Fridays in the summer.

     Ayotte and Kuhl said they like to be sure the merchandise is current (in style) and in good condition, referring to the store and its items as “upscale retail” and “a step above thrift.” In the upstairs room that features formalwear, men’s suits can be found for approximately $35. Picture frames sell for 25 cents, socks are 50 cents and you can find puzzles, books, toys and even a wedding dress zipped up in a protective garment bag.

     The 10-room house known as “The Manse,” formerly the church parsonage, has housed the thrift shop since 1995. Kuhl and Ayotte have been managing the store for three years and say they enjoy the job.

     “It’s fun. It’s really a fun place,” said Kuhl.

     Customer Stacy Heriot of Rockport, a thrift store shopper of 20 years, could not agree more.

     “This is the best thrift store I’ve ever been in,” she said. “It’s very unique. It’s Bergdorf Goodman meets a thrift store.”

Kay Wendt of Rockport greets customers at Heavenly Threads. She has been a volunteer at the Camden thrift shop for three years.

     She said she never knows what bargains she might find, and she also enjoys the helpful staff, who she said are no less attentive than the salespeople at Tiffany’s or other high-end stores. Sometimes they even surprise patrons by putting out cookies and other special treats, Heriot added.

     “If you walk in here with a $20 bill, you can walk out looking like a million bucks. Where else can you do that?” she asked.

     Ayotte said the store sees a lot of return business, especially among summer people who sometimes pack light for their time in Maine, knowing they can outfit themselves with a stylish and affordable wardrobe from Heavenly Threads while helping the church and other area charities.

     Among the non-profit organizations that benefit from the shop are: Habitat for Humanity, New Hope for Women, Coastal Hospice, Knox County Child Abuse and Neglect Program, Meals on Wheels, Hospitality House, Coastal Workshop, Kno-Wal-Lin, Shields Mission Project, Knox County Health Clinic, Salvation Army, Big Brothers-Big Sisters and more.

     For more information about the shop or how to donate items or volunteer, phone 236-3203.

Partners in fashion

     Unlike a thrift store that accepts donations and resells them, consignment shops are a partnership between a store owner and its consigners -- which are people who bring items to be sold and who share in the profit with the merchant.

     In Damariscotta, Consigning Women has one of the biggest consignment bases around. The store, located on Business Route 1 in The Overlook Building, shares the first floor with a Subway sandwich shop and does a brisk business.

     Owner Terry Fairhurst purchased the enterprise five years ago. It had been started by Suzy Blackler three years earlier. Blackler now owns and operates another consignment shop, Frugal Suzy’s, in downtown Camden.

     During her time at the helm, Fairhurst has doubled the consignment base to more than 2,000 consigners. Without them, she said there would be no store.

Terry Fairhurst, owner of Consigning Women in Damariscotta, says she has more than 2,000 consigners who are like “partners” with her in her shop on Business Route 1.

     “It is a partnership with my consigners,” she said. “I love it. I absolutely love it. I love the people, I love the clothes, I love everything about it.”

     Open six days a week, Fairhurst and one employee run the store. They wait on customers and help consigners who come in to drop off clothing and other items to be sold. The consigners take their wares to a back room where they hang them and then Fairhurst looks over the items to be sure they are saleable and in season. Then they are priced and put out for sale on the racks in the store. Consigners have the option of picking up items that do not sell within a certain period of time, or they may agree to donate the merchandise to charity, Fairhurst explained.

     “It’s so much fun and the people are so nice,” she said. “And best of all, you get to help other people.”

     Items that are donated benefit organizations like Sweetser, New Hope for Women, area nursing homes and clients at the Mobius center in Damariscotta.

     “We try to find different charities all the time,” she said.

     Victims of house fires also have benefited from the shop, as have people being trained to enter the workplace through the Dress for Success program. Fairhurst said she enjoys matching clothes with people, especially when someone is getting ready for a job interview and is looking to her for advice and expertise.

     A self-admitted clotheshorse, Fairhurst said opening the shop gave her easy access to lots of clothing at reasonable prices.

Heavenly Threads also offers children’s clothing for infants, girls and boys.

     “Oh, I’m wicked. I am so bad,” she said with a laugh. “It’s like it supports my addiction. I love it.”

     She explained the store specializes in “what women wear,” and that ranges from casual and formal clothing to maternity wear, plus sizes, lingerie, medical uniforms, shoes, jewelry and other accessories, including pocketbooks, belts, hats and more.

     The store is full of name brands and she requires that every item be in good condition.

     “A lot of our stuff still has the original tags,” she said.

     The mother of two daughters, Fairhurst said she is a “girl’s girl” who loves being around women and talking about clothes. She jokes she sometimes feels like a bartender because customers often strike up conversations, which makes every day interesting.

     “It’s like therapy. It’s always fun and people are happy because they’re shopping,” she said.

     For more information about Consigning Women or how to consign, call Fairhurst at 563-7200.