Not your average but potentially better shopping experience

BEVERLY– The Golden Hanger and Worthy Girl are consignment shops that encourage a greener and cheaper way of styling yourself.  With specifically chosen pieces presented in their store adhering to recent trends and incoming styles, they have been successful in creating a place where people can do their regular clothes shopping.

With more than 25,000 resale, consignment, and nonprofit resale shops currently in the United States, second-hand consignment has reached a high in the merchandise industry.  

“In total, by 2023, the secondhand and resale market is expected to reach $53 billion; with $27 billion in resale and $26 billion in traditional secondhand (thrift and donation),” according to the latest annual forecast from ThredUp, an online sustainable fashion company.

Second-hand consignment is a business arrangement where items are given to a store by what's called a consignor, and the items are then chosen to be presented in the store for consumers to buy.  Similar to thrift stores where items are donated to the store and they are put in the store as long as they are in good condition.

“So it's different from regular thrift stores, the difference between consignment shops and thrift shops is how the goods are acquired for the shop and where the proceeds go,” explained Kim Weaver, the owner of the Golden Hangar. “Thrift shops typically have donated goods that are all put out and the proceeds are donated to some cause or organization. Consignment is a bit different, but all second-hand shopping.”

The Golden Hanger is located on Cabot Street in Beverly, Massachusetts.  

“One-of-a-kind pieces are our best sellers, we try to make sure our customers know of our one-of-a-kind designer items,” said Weaver. “We have purses, wallets, jewelry, and shoes. I think people love to be able to find things they normally wouldn’t be able to.”

Secondhand consignment and thrift stores offer items from several different decades and brands all typically at a lower price.  The market appeals to a variety of ages and demographics.  

“Sixty-two percent of Gen Z and millennial consumers said they look for items secondhand before buying new. And almost half of Gen Z and millennial consumers (46%) consider the potential resale value of an item before purchasing it,” stated the Association of Resale Professionals.

There is a convenience, cost, and generational appeal to second-hand consignment and thrifting.  Bridget Herlihy, 21, is a local college student and frequent shopper at thrift stores and consignment shops.

“I think it’s super popular around people our age because the prices are so good and not everyone can afford designer clothes, or just a lot of cool companies are just way too expensive for the product they're selling,” said Herlihy.

Cost efficiency of second-hand shopping is one of the main reasons consumers purchase these goods and the shops themselves can thrive from profiting off donated items.

Jonah Hulbert, co-owner of Worthy Girl located on Cabot Street in Beverly, Massachusetts provided an understanding of how the economy impacts the popularity of thrifting and second-hand consignment on consumers.  

“In a really good economy, people who are fashion-focused and planet-focused but also don't feel like they need to go shop full price will still shop at Worthy Girl. But then when the economy turns down a little bit, things get slower. People don't have as much disposable income,” said Hulbert.  “They have to tighten the belt a little bit. Well, that's where bargain shopping comes back in as well.”

Secondhand shopping allows people to still find clothes and items they love for a good price that they would normally not be able to afford to purchase differently.

“So just because your disposable income shrinks, it doesn't mean that you have to then change your style necessarily,” said Hulbert.

Fast fashion introduced a way for people to shop cheaply and quickly but in a harmful way.  Fast fashion is essentially mass-produced inexpensive clothing that is inspired by the latest trends.  

This type of fashion blew up because consumers were able to buy almost any type of clothing at a very affordable price, but it had a large detrimental effect on the environment and workers producing these pieces.

A second-hand consignment is a form of shopping however that prompts a greener way to shop and reuse items.  

“The reason for second-hand shopping being planet focused, sustainably conscious, as opposed to fast fashion that took off like a weed. It provided people with the disposable wardrobe that they were looking for,” said Hulbert. 

The fashion industry already makes up 10% of global carbon emissions.  And according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, one full garbage truck worth of textiles is wasted every second.  

With climate change being an immense and timely issue, second-hand shopping allows for a limit on the amount of clothes being designed, manufactured, and produced that all require a large amount of textiles, services, and emissions.

“In the United States, individuals throw out 60 to 80 pounds of textile waste each year. It can take months and even years for these materials to fully break down in landfills,” reported Goodwill.

Choosing to purchase secondhand clothing and various items reduces waste and has shown long-term effects of lessening the negative impact the fashion industry has on the environment.

“The way style comes back throughout different decades makes it so thrifting goes so well for people because they can find stuff that was in style years ago and it recently is back in style again.  It also is cool to be able to find stuff and have it be ‘one of a kind’ in a way,” said Herlihy.

Secondhand shopping also has grown in popularity due to the ability to create one-of-a-kind outfits and find items from different decades that come back in style.  

“I think that seeing old pieces of clothing of name brands that were popular in years prior and still popular now are typically bought without question.  Like if I find a pair of Levi jeans I’m immediately trying them on or buying them,” said Herlihy.  “Levis were huge when our parents were younger and they are popular again so you find them sometimes at thrift stores which is super cool.”

Consignment stores are successful because they prioritize keeping up with current trends and styles that come in and out of style. Both consignment stores say that they only take pieces that fit the season and the recent trends.  Keeping up with the recent trends online and what their target demographic is wearing right now is crucial to the success of their business.

“The key to consignment is to take pieces that are fit to the season.  That’s pretty straightforward though, you don't want to take a boatload of pieces that won’t sell for months because they’re put out during the wrong season, no one will wear them,” said Weaver.

The Golden Hanger appeals to a wide demographic of women but for the most part, targets women anywhere between the ages of 25 to 60.  Worthy Girl has a slightly different demographic that they target and can acquire as customers.

“So our most probable customer, as we refer to, is 25 to 36,” said Hulbert. “We do well with high school kids around here and some college students.”

Creating a consignment shop that targets a certain demographic has shown to have positive outcomes. Each of these shops can be successful in running their business and adhering to recent trends and favorable items of their customers. 

“[It is] estimated that the U.S. secondhand market will more than double by 2026, reaching $82 billion,” according to a report by GlobalData and explained by The Association of Resale Professionals.

With favorable positive impacts of second-hand consignment and thrift shopping, the market is projected to only increase throughout the next few years.  This also means that there will be a positive impact on the environment and economy.