EVERETT — With 10-month-old Hannah on her hip, Krista Leitch browsed through racks of children’s clothing at a Silver Lake store last week.
The young mother had discovered Other Mothers only the previous day. But Leitch and several other mothers arrived at the “gently used” clothing store moments after it opened Friday morning. With another baby on the way, the Monroe resident traded in goods and planned to use up her store credit on items for her growing family.
“It’s difficult,” Leitch said. “With gas and everything going up, we can’t afford to go out and buy all new stuff.”
When people find fewer dollars left over after paying for food and fuel, consumers shop where their dollars will stretch the furthest. While high-end retailers across the nation are taking the hard hits, secondhand shops in Snohomish County are flourishing.
Shirley Hyatt, owner of Other Mothers, relocated her “gently used” children’s and women’s clothing store to Silver Lake Plaza a little more than a year ago. Her growing business needed more space than its Murphy’s Corner location offered. After nine years in operation, Other Mothers continues to draw more business each year.
And the rapidly rising cost of food and fuel haven’t hurt Hyatt’s business.
“Everybody wants to save and find a good deal,” Hyatt said.
Although the government’s economic stimulus checks recently gave retailers a bit of a boost, many major clothing chains have reported dreary profits so far this year.
For May, sales at Gottschalks Inc. plunged 8.6 percent, while Saks Inc., which surprised many in April with promotions and a 24-percent sales bump, slipped down 8.7 percent last month. An early promotion helped Nordstrom Inc. score an 11-percent improvement, but the company is projecting a slide in sales of 18 percent to 22 percent in June. Bargain-hunting consumers pushed off-price retailer Ross Stores Inc. to a 7 percent increase.
Lake Stevens resident Rachel Day visits Hyatt’s consignment shop a couple times a month. While her 2-year-old daughter, Jillian, entertained herself in Other Mothers’ play area, Day noted why she likes the secondhand store.
“They tend to be picky about what they take,” she said. “It’s a nice mixture of brands, new and used.”
Many items in Other Mothers still bear the original store tags — Old Navy, The Children’s Place, OshKosh — because they’ve never been worn. A used toddler dress from The Gap sells for $4.99. Used onesies cost 99 cents. A Fourth of July-themed baby T-shirt sells for $2.49.
Day estimates that she spends less than half of what she would have to pay retail for clothing and other children’s items that she buys at Other Mothers. With a 7-year-old son, Jillian, and another girl on the way, “it’s nice to fill in the gaps without spending a lot,” Day said.
Leitch said she tends to buy clothing new for herself, though not at high-end stores such as Nordstrom. But buying used items that she or her family will wear only for a relatively short time — like baby or maternity clothes — provides a good opportunity to save money.
Special occasion garb, such as prom dresses or formal wear, have been highly sought at Another Round, a consignment shop in south Everett. Owner Kim Deinas said the main difference she has noticed as fuel prices rise is the change in clientele at her store. It’s not just the regulars who come through the doors of Another Round, especially when it comes to speciality wear.
Sales at the secondhand store tend to fluctuate with the seasons, and that hasn’t changed as the cost of living has crept up, Deinas said. What has changed is the number of trade-ins the shop is seeing. Rather than donating clothing or giving it away, people are looking either to exchange those items or get cash for their goods. “A lot of people are trying to get more use out of their wardrobes,” Deinas said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reporter Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.
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