Bargain hunters buy kids' clothes at resale without sacrificing fashion

-- Stacey Goodwin's 11-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter don't seem to mind wearing second-hand clothing.

And Goodwin certainly doesn't mind saving money buying her children's clothing at consignment stores.

"Why spend hard-earned money paying retailers when the economy is the way it is, and your kids are going to outgrow them in six months?" said Goodwin, a Mattoon resident, while shopping last week at Barb's Little Treasures in Mattoon.

Experts and store owners said savvy parents can save half or more by buying their kids' clothes at consignment stores, which sell others' belongings in exchange for a share of the proceeds.

And those concerned about fashion or a stigma from shopping second-hand need not worry too much, said officials. For one, most consignment stores carry a lot of major brand clothing that is less than two years old.

"And nobody knows you bought it secondhand unless you tell them," said Linda Simpson, professor of consumer studies at Eastern Illinois University's School of Family and Consumer Sciences in Charleston. "If you don't want anyone to know you bought it secondhand, don't tell anybody."

Of course, Simpson freely admits that she does much of her shopping at resale stores. "I see a lot of name brands" there, she said.

Simpson noted that stores like Plato's Closet, which carries secondhand, trendy clothing for teenagers and college students, are helping change some consumer attitudes about buying used clothes.

"An excellent way to save money is to shop consignment and thrift," Simpson said.

At Barb's Little Treasures, owner Barbara Burns said she sells clothing for less than half of its estimated new value, including name brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister. "It makes more sense for them to buy here," she said.

Nancy Kuykendall, owner of Twice Is Nice in Charleston, said she will not accept clothing consignments that are more than two years out of date.

"Everything's up to date in terms of style," she said.

At Repeat Boutique in Mattoon, owner Brenda Scott said much of the consigned apparel is still new, "some with tags even."

She said her customers often tell her they find more of a variety at her store than in most retail stores.

Shawn Ames, owner of Pennies from Heaven in Mattoon, recalled how a teenage boy and his two teen sisters all left her store happy -- the boy in particular.

"They don't seem to mind" buying from a resale store, she said. "It's name-brand clothing at a secondhand rate."

Goodwin said she not only saves money buying at consignment stores, she often ends up making some of that back by reselling the clothes on consignment after her children are done with them.

"It's recycling," she said. source>>>

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