Today’s trend in retail expansion is all about budget stores. While traditional retailers such as Sears and Macy’s are closing stores, the various dollar store chains are expanding rapidly. And so are the chain stores that sell thrifted clothing. The largest clothing resale chain, Winmark, franchises the store brands Clothes Mentor, Style Encore, Once Upon [...]
You know that a brand has cachet when you start seeing knockoffs. For Whiting & Davis, a maker of metal mesh purses that has been in business in Massachusetts since 1876, knockoffs have been a sincere form of flattery for almost that long. (The current knockoffs come from China.) Originals are highly collectible. You can [...]
One of the benefits of thrift shopping is the near-constant element of surprise. You can’t predict what you’ll find on the racks – or in the case of a recent visit to a very good Goodwill in Easton, Maryland, what you’ll hear from salesclerks. “Everything’s half-off today – all except the new merchandise!” the clerks [...]
