Grandmother Pam Jones plucked through racks of brand-name clothing and showed her grandson Louie Casados the shirts she thought might work.
The little boy nodded his head yes or shook it no, and through that process the pair found four shirts and black jeans for his new journey into kindergarten.
The total bill for Grandma: $15.38. And that included the 5-year-old’s favorite find, a red Nike shirt with gray sleeves that cost $2.
High gasoline prices, slumping home equity, increased grocery costs and costly trends for kids and teens have parents and grandparents like Jones turning to upscale resale for back-to-school shopping this season. Stores like Children’s Orchard of Parker – where Jones shopped Tuesday – Once Upon a Child in Arvada and Plato’s Closet locations throughout the Front Range are seeing an upswing in business this month.
“It’s cheaper, they outgrow everything, and they play hard,” said Jones, who also shops resale for herself. “I don’t know what I’d do without resale stores with everything else being so expensive – gas, electricity, rent.”
The resale industry is expecting a 5 percent to 10 percent increase in new stores this year, according to the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops. According to the economic census, consumers spend $200 billion annually on used goods, which also includes vehicles and other merchandise.
Families with school-age children are expecting to spend 6.9 percent more on back-to-school than last year with the average family expecting to spend $563.49 this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2007 Consumer Intentions and Actions Back-to-School survey.
And increasingly, a portion of that pie is going to resale stores.
Back-to-school ranks as the busiest time for resale stores, especially those focused on children’s apparel, said Susie Stults, who has owned Once Upon a Child in Arvada for seven years. The store carries newborn to children’s size 14.
“We gear up for back-to- school all year round,” she said. “My inventory is huge right now, and in a few weeks I won’t have anything left.”
Back-to-school-season shopping at the store last year was up 17 percent from 2005, and Stults expects sales to increase again this month.
“It’s not like (customers) can’t afford to go to the mall and spend hundreds for new clothes,” said Stults. “It’s a value umbrella. Everybody is thinking about what’s the best value they can get for their money.”
Theresa Preston, a partner in three Front Range Plato’s Closet stores, is already seeing a 20 percent increase over last year in her Littleton and Fort Collins stores and 50 percent more sales in the Colorado Springs store.
“We have more inventory than we’ve ever had,” Preston said. “In the Littleton store I have 1,800 pairs of women’s jeans, and in Colorado Springs we have 3,000 pairs of jeans.”
Plato’s Closet, a franchise operation owned by the same company that franchises Once Upon a Child, targets 12- to 24-year-olds.
Jeans and hooded sweat shirts are the most popular items at the store. Old Navy jeans can go for $8 and Abercrombie & Fitch jeans for $20 to $35. Brand-new jeans from those retailers run from $29 for Old Navy to $89 for Abercrombie.
“High school kids are so fascinated with brands,” Preston said. “A lot of parents are not willing to pay $40 for a T-shirt that says ‘American Eagle,’ but they are willing to pay $8 at our store, so it’s a good compromise.”
Parker Children’s Orchard owners Kenya Huppert and her mother, Betsy Schutte, opened their store in October after amassing 15,000 pieces of “gently loved” items and are well on their way to meeting their $200,000 annual sales goal. The store carries from newborn to children’s size 10.
“I’ve been spending on kids’ clothes for a long time, and I know how expensive it is,” said Huppert, 36, who has a 7-year- old and an 8-year-old. “Life in general is so expensive, and it’s not an option not to buy clothes for kids.”
Upscale resale stores mostly buy clothes from individuals, and owners like Huppert, Stults and Preston are particular about what they buy. No stains, tears, pilling or fading allowed.
Reagan McCann, 4, tried on a pristine white tulle flower-girl dress at Huppert’s store Tuesday.
The $40 dress would be close to $200 if it were brand new, said her mother, Connie McCann, who was going to take a photo and send it to the bride for approval.
“We’re a one-income family, so we try to shop clearance racks,” she said. “We don’t want to spend that much on clothes. I like the store; it’s neat, and it’s great for kids because they don’t wear clothes that long.”
Staff writer Elizabeth Aguilera can be reached at 303-954-1372 or eaguilera@denverpost.com.
RESALE: The numbers
5 TO 10 PERCENT:
The increase in new stores expected this year by the resale industry, according to the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops.
$200 BILLION:
According to the economic census, the amount consumers spend annually on used goods, which also includes vehicles and other merchandise.
6.9 PERCENT:
The increase this year in the amount that families with school-age children are expected to spend on back-to-school, averaging $563.49, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2007 Consumer Intentions and Actions Back-to-School survey.
