T. Berry Square owner Jennifer Quinn Payne in her store’s new consignment section. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
It wasn’t long after Jennifer Quinn Payne added a consignment section to her boutique children’s store, T. Berry Square, that she realized floor space had become a precious commodity. She kicked off the new operation in June with about 30 pieces of lightly used children’s clothing, and quickly, the Broad Street shop started getting smaller.
“It was kind of taking over,” Quinn Payne said of the consignment section. “We needed to expand.”
So expand she did. With Courtney Medd, brought in as a partner to help oversee the resale portion of the store, Quinn Payne packed up and headed south to a bigger space next door, to 64 Broad, to be exact.
The business relocated to the storefront one door south on Broad Street.
The move into a space last occupied by furniture seller A Peaceful Home allows T. Berry to have a healthy mix of old and new, though the shop’s niche is still upscale children’s clothing and accessories.
The decision to start selling used pre-owned new and gently used clothes was based mostly on the economy, and seems to have paid off. It’s attracted a new clientele base that thrives on bargains but also appeal to the frugal sides of the store’s faithful.
“It has just exploded,” Medd said of the business. The initial 30-piece inventory has grown to some 1,500 articles of clothing. “It’s awesome.”
But don’t think that T. Berry is making a wholesale shift to a thrift shop status. Quinn Payne says even the resale part of the store consists of designer label clothes. But shoppers are bargain-minded, which is why T. Berry has also added used accessories, such as strollers and cribs.
“In this economic climate, resale shops are thriving,” Quinn Payne said. “People are excited.”
