Trading Closets

Great cheerful atmosphere, pleasant help ! I scored an awesome retro coach bag!!! Then took advantage of the sale rack!!! I’ll be sure to stop in next time I’m in town!

After my first visit at trading closets, I know I will be back in the very near future. The store was beautifully decorated and had something for everyone. From the large assortment of jewelry to the endless racks of ‘in season’ clothes, it was a hidden gem! I highly recommend checking out this great store.

The (previous review) experience happened to me early last April. Mid-​September I received a check for $ 28 from Trading Closets’ shop owner with a little scribbled note acknowledging that I had a bad experience. Sorry. Not good enough. It still makes me sick when I think of the amount of items, including brand new with-​tags-​on shoes, belts, and clothing that I brought in. Ok, caveat emptor. Lesson learned. But even more disconcerting than that is the poor communication — like NO communication or PR skills – of the shop owner. This lady is making a lot of money off of YOU.

The store is very appealing to the eye, but look closely. I feel the prices are much too high. Yes, they have name brands. The clothing is clean, pressed nicely, well displayed, but many of the pieces are indeed well worn. I’m not going to pay $ 15 for a Jones New York shirt that’s been shrunken into a boxy square shape no matter how crisply it was pressed by their staff. I can find similar items at Goodwill for $ 5. I feel the shop owners price their cosignment items based primarily on that designer label when they should be inspecting the clothing to see if it’s kept it shape, has any stains, has faded in color, or is simply outdated. I think the store is a nice addition to the Village of Greendale and I hope they remain in business… but they may struggle unless they become more realistic in their pricing.

Consignment shops. I love visiting them, but probably not for the reason most do. Of course I enjoy looking at the clothing cast-​offs of others, there’s styles and colors and designs that I could never afford full price. There’s something fun and decadent all at the same time about pretending.
Trading Closets has a better than average selection of clothes. None of them look like they’ve been worn more than a couple of times, and in fact, some look like they just came off the rack at the original store. It’s a well organized shop, with the the sizes clearly marked and the clothes separated by type. It’s not over-​crowded and doesn’t come across as second-​hand shop.
But, it’s the jewelry in these stores that captures my attention. I’ve become a jewelry junkie. For as nice as the clothing can be, the jewelry often outdoes the clothing when it comes to unique. It’s amazing the things that can be found in consignment stores and it was no exception here. I think jewelry becomes an afterthought and that leads to some surprising finds. Here, for instance, I found a hard-​to-​come by Italian glass-​bead necklace in an unusual color for a awesome price. I can’t believe someone wanted to give it up and that I found it. Score for me!