HOWELL — Brandy Wimmer says she has a passion for fashion, interior design and finding a good bargain.
Now Wimmer is gearing up to open The Garment District Resale, a consignment store for women’s clothing, furniture and home décor, 120 N. Michigan Ave., where she hopes to put her passions to use helping others find the right style or design aesthetic — at reasonable prices.
“I love hitting resale stores. I love a good bargain, and I feel I’m doing a very small part of being waste conscious by reusing clothes that are lovely,” said Wimmer, who lives in Marion Township.
“It’s shocking the waste that goes into clothing,” she said. “We can still look adorable with something gently used, or sometimes still with a tag.”
Some people know Wimmer as a vendor at the Livingston Antique Outlet in Howell Township. She said she has worked there on and off over the years and also rents space there where she sells furniture and clothing.
She has also worked as a social worker for Love in the Name of Christ of the Greater Livingston Area, known as LOVE Inc., which helps people with basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, transportation and money management through a cooperative effort with various churches and other organizations.
She said she has dreamed of opening her own store, and it all came together quickly after the downtown Howell space became available.
“I spoke with my husband about it. Time’s marching on. It’s now or never,” Wimmer, 52, said.
She got the keys for the storefront a few weeks ago. As of Friday, she had begun to move in racks of clothes, some furniture and other items. She said she has been “hoarding” items she found at estate sales and through friends of friends to build up enough inventory to launch the store.
“I’m accepting consignments for spring,” she said. “I’m looking for (women’s clothing) 2 years old or less, in good condition, smoke free and clean. I’ll take clothing, shoes, handbags, jewelry, furniture and home décor.”
She hopes to open by March.
She said she wants to create a social, fun atmosphere in the shop.
“I don’t want it to be a stuffy store. There will be music playing and I want to serve coffee,” she said.
While she will accept designer items, she wants her store to be affordable.
“I want it really affordable for everyone’s pocket book,” she said. “In the consignment (business), the goal is typically one-third of retail (price).”
She said she thought Howell would be a good place for her shop.
“Howell’s turning into a destination for shopping, and more in the last few years,” she said.
She said she is excited to see what consigners bring in.
“We’ll see what will come in. Will it be more standard stuff or will they bring in some vintage?” she said.
Contact Livingston Daily reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.
