Consignment Shopping Lesson #1: Once Is Nice, Twice Is Better

I've discovered first-hand that the old adage "it's never as good as the first time" certainly doesn't apply to consignment shopping.

My in Downtown Plymouth left such a positive impression that I immediately began anticipating my return, and when the time came for me to visit new stores, excitement had my stomach turning over like a rotisserie chicken. Here's how it all went down.

Home sweet Home Again

The name Home Again Consignment is appropriate for this particular store for several reasons. For one, nearly all of the items are for the home; secondly, the store feels, well, homey; and third, many of the items look familiar. Not in a used sort of way, but in that one could easily find these things – silk floral baskets, carved wooden statues, and antique china – within the pages of Martha Stewart Living or, say, Architectural Digest. Upon entering, I am immediately transplanted into a Christmas-themed sitting area complete with neutral furniture, white poinsettias, and a tall, slender, beautifully decorated artificial balsam Christmas tree. The large dining room table next to the tree is blanketed with a tablecloth and runner and displays a festive place setting with everything just so – all that's missing are a turkey and the trimmings.

And then it dawns on me: Consignment shopping rocks; but consignment shopping during the holidays is totally the cat's pajamas.

But being the clotheshorse I am, if there are clothing and accessories on the premises, I will sniff them out like a shark does blood. Predictably, I am led to the back of the store where I spot a rack dripping with silk scarves, purses, and necklaces. And that's where I meet Carl Spradlin and Janet Krust of Plymouth. Krust is just browsing, but Spradlin is on a mission to find marbles. "I was pretty lucky for quite a few years, but people with money have gotten into it, and they're hoarding them all so you can't buy them," Spradlin explains. "Most of them are made in West Virginia in this country and the really good ones come from Germany."

Why, I had no idea. (I wouldn't be able to distinguish a good marble from a kidney stone.)

Spradlin and Krust routinely make the rounds to all the consignment stores in Plymouth. "It's part of being green," says Krust.      

"Have you been to Assisted Moving Consignment across the street?" Spradlin inquires. I tell him it's my next stop. "Good. My condo is filled with their stuff," he says. He's like a walking consignment shop Zagat Survey, this guy.

In the accessories area I find lots of things that make me swoon (including a $14 Mexican-made rawhide leather purse), and although the prices are right, I resist the temptation to impulse buy because I doubt I'll wear any of it. Then I see a small black ceramic pot with a cork top. It reads Tips. Oh, what the heck, I think. It would be the perfect addition to the sports bar my husband and I have stationed in the corner of our great room. My two additional finds are vintage Christmas ornaments.

Store owner Brenda McManaway and her associate Michelle Girard ring me up and explain Home Again's pricing structure. Every item's price tag displays three prices: the starting price and two markdowns. If I wanted to pay less for my things, I could roll the dice and wait for their first or second markdown date, but I choose not to because they are simply too unique to pass up. My total comes to a mere $13.99.

And there's more where that came from: Home Again currently has well over 3,000 items in stock. "Just on the Boyd Bear Collectibles [a line of resin and stuffed teddy bears] I've got almost 200 of those," says McManaway, who launched Home Again Consignment in July after she was laid off.

But perhaps the most impressive feature of Home Again Consignment is that they've taken consignment shopping to the web. Because Brenda has more furniture to sell than she has space in her showroom, the store's web site, homeagainplymouth.com, displays photos of furniture that can be shown at the seller's home by appointment only.

I run into Spradlin again on his way out. He didn't find any marbles, but he did purchase several Christmas ornaments. "I'd wish you a Merry Christmas," he says to McManaway and Girard, "but I'll be back in the store before then."

That makes two of us.

Are these items really pre-owned?

Across the street from Home Again Consignment is . But don't let the store's plain name fool you; not only do most of the items look brand new, they are arranged in such a way that gives Art Van a run for its money. Additionally, the story behind the store is an interesting one because it's far more than just another consignment shop.

"We're actually a licensed moving company," says owner Bryan Neal, who is the former director of an assisted living community. "We move senior citizens out of life-long homes and into senior housing. We help them decide what to keep, pass down, discard, and sell. This consignment store is an outlet for them to earn money on their gently used home accents and décor."

The variety at Assisted Moving, LLC is unrivaled. In one corner is a pair of life-sized wooden toy soldiers; a pristine vintage wicker baby buggy stands a few feet away. The overwhelming majority of items are large pieces of furniture, including dining room tables, recliners, and bedroom sets. I am blown away by how well the showroom is organized. I have a hard time periodically rearranging my living room furniture; somehow, I don't think I'd fair any better with five times the space and six times the merchandise. Assistant manager Barb Tomaszycki likens the process to putting together a jigsaw puzzle. "You look at what you've got and what you've got coming in, and you see where you can gain a few inches here or there," she says.

I see plenty that catches my eye, but I'm not in the market for an antique Italian accordion or a gently used sofa. (Besides, hiding a dress from hubby is one thing; hiding an antique dresser is another.)

But I'd totally buy that vintage baby buggy if I had $100 to burn. Or a baby to push around in it.

One day.

Home Again…literally

Consider this final paragraph a footnote: I went back to Home Again today and bought the Mexican-made rawhide leather purse. Please don't judge me; I put up a valiant fight for five days before caving in and returning to the store to buy it. I couldn't help it; it was calling me. And please don't use my own words against me and say that I probably won't carry it.

It's on my shoulder right now, thank you very much.