![]() | WeRecycleIT: We ALSO provide collection of eWaste with no resale value from homes and offices. This service is not a valuation or buyback. DM or Email us about 3 hours ago |
![]() | MinkBeauty: RT If ur looking 4a supplier of MAC makeup in the US stop &holla @me lol I can give u great deals so u can resale or keep :) (via @MizWiki) about 8 hours ago |
![]() | MizWiki: If your looking for a supplier of MAC makeup in the US stop and holla at me lol I can give you great deals so you can resale or keep :) about 8 hours ago |
![]() | Chapinc: It's important to own your feelings--though I'm not sure why, as you can't wear, drive, or eat them, and they have no resale value. about 10 hours ago |
![]() | andreacaruso: I want 2 shop so badly but Im working. grr. If youre an interior designer, buyer or have a resale license come 2 the L.A. Mart 2day or tomm! about 15 hours ago |
| By Julie Lawrence OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Julie Lawrence |
| Published April 5, 2009 at 11:24 a.m. |
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Walking into Rethreads, 2943 N. Humboldt Blvd., you'd never guess it was a resale shop. Its walls splashed with warm, vibrant hues and its displays carefully detailed in shabby chic design, it embodies the independent, creative flair of a boutique.
The thing is, it's got the selection of a department store -- and at a fraction of the price.
The incredibly well-designed used clothing store for men and women is the latest evolution of the 2007 Riverwest development flagshipped by Alterra's roasting and café headquarters.
The Humboldt facility was honored as the "Best Environmentally Friendly Project" by the Business Journal Real Estate Award and as a retailer, Re-threads fits cohesively into this theme. The store buys, sells and trades strictly in recycled fashion.
Only, it's not a thrift store.
Owner Beret Isaacson gets 100 percent of her inventory from her customers -- members of the community looking to sell or trade unwanted items that are still in good shape, and in good fashion.
It's really a great system; bring in your extra clothing and if accepted, you have a choice: receive 35 percent of the sale price (what Re-threads sells it for in the store) in cash on the spot or get 50 percent for in-store trade. You can use it that day, but you don't have to. Your coupon never expires.
"It's something that people get into doing," says Isaacson, who got the idea for the store from working in similar ones in other cities. "People who have free time or want extra cash, they get to know how we buy, get an idea of how we price and they'll scour the thrift stores and bring it all here to us."
Sounds like a pretty efficient system.
Nothing in the store is ratty, torn, dirty or full of holes and zillions of familiar and favorite name brands are represented. The fashion is current -- save for a small but savvy collection of wearable vintage items -- and everything is amazingly affordable.
A J. Crew T-shirt might be priced at $6. Miss Sixty and Citizens of Humanity jeans range from $17.50 to $35. Although the store also carries pre-owned shoes, bags, hats, belts, scarves and other accessories, Isaacson hopes to acquire a line of new merchandise made by local artists. For now you'll find wallets and magnets from Milwaukee's Rosiebird.
"I think I can get everything I want without having to leave Milwaukee. I don't want anything made in China."
She believes in the power of a sustainable, local economy. It's really quite simple: when the store can buy it for less, they can sell it for less. Everybody wins.
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3 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Posted by angieisstellar on April 25, 2009 at 1:48 p.m. (report)
I DON'T recommend going there! They don't seem to turn over clothes very fast (probably because they have Target dresses on their racks for $9 - really?!?) I'm a name brand girl that takes really good care of my clothing and I have had very little success selling my clothes to them. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!!
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Posted by allehman33 on April 22, 2009 at 10:08 a.m. (report)
I just discovered this store the other day and LOVED it! Most of the staff was friendly, but I believe some of them could use some assistance in the customer service department! I will surely purchase from this shop!
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Posted by erinlinn on April 5, 2009 at 12:35 p.m. (report)
What age group are they cartering to? Is this a place I can stop in with my grade school kids and grab a new shirt for them? Or is strictly teens/grownups?
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