I work with three small boutiques. Each one is different. One wants 1990s minimal stuff. One wants bright colors from the 1970s. One wants workwear, old denim and chore coats and things you could actually fix a fence in.
They call me every season. I bring them 15 to 20 pieces. They pick what they want. I take the rest home.
I've been doing this for two years now. Here's what I've learned.
Condition matters more than the label.
A stained Acne dress is just a stained dress. A perfect condition Gap shirt from the 1990s will sell every time.
I check collars first. That's where dirt hides. Then armpits. Then hems. If something is frayed but fixable, I might still take it. If it's stretched out or pilled, I leave it.
The shops don't want projects. Their customers don't either. People want to buy something and wear it that week. Not mend it first.
Weight tells you everything.
I pick up every piece before I look at the tag. Heavy fabric means good fabric most of the time. Old cotton. Old wool. Old linen. They all have a weight that new things don't.
I found a 1960s wool skirt last month. No label. No size. But the weight was right. I brought it to a shop. They sold it in three days. Nobody asked who made it.
The weird stuff sells best.
Not weird bad. Weird interesting. A jacket with unusual pockets. A dress in a color you never see. A shirt with hand-sewn details that someone clearly spent hours on.
The safe stuff sits on the rack. The stuff that makes people stop and touch it? That's what moves.
I brought a 1970s coat to a shop last winter. Bright orange. Fake fur collar. Ugly in a way that circled back to beautiful. The owner laughed when she saw it. Put it in the front window anyway. Sold it by noon the next day.
Size matters less than people think.
I used to skip small pieces and large pieces. Only bought medium. Thought that's what would sell.
I was wrong.
People will buy something that doesn't fit if they love it enough. They'll hang it on the wall. Give it to a friend. Keep it until they fit into it. I've seen it happen more times than I can count.
Now I buy what speaks to me. The size is someone else's problem.
