Spring Break
Second Glance gives clothes another chance
Anna Swain
Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: Diversions
If you're anything like me, when you hear "consignment shop," visions of mom jeans and pilled sweaters featuring embroidered cats come to mind. However, I had this conception revised substantially upon my first visit to Second Glance on SW 3rd Street in downtown Corvallis. My older sister introduced me to Second Glance when I was just an innocent freshman, and I've been hooked ever since.
Second Glance is not your average consignment shop with strange smells and even stranger clothes. Instead, owner Nancy Kneisel had made it her mission to offer "wonderful labels for a decent price." She only accepts current - purchased within the last two years - styles that are in excellent condition, and when you donate clothes you get back 40% of the selling price, which is a pretty good deal as consignment goes. She especially looks for designer labels and name brands, and makes certain that those designer labels she carries are authentic, rejecting any fake pieces she may come across. Kneisel takes the issue of knock-offs so seriously that her employees go through extensive training in recognizing fakes. Kneisel explains her policy on labels, saying, "If you're going to pay $60 for a pair of jeans, they had better be real!" When asked why authenticity is so important to her, Kniesel points out that the majority of profits from selling knock-offs first-hand goes to support drugs and crime. She refuses to take any part in this, and thus is very passionate about recognizing fakes.
The longer one talks with Kneisel, the more it becomes clear that this kind of ethical conscience is the basis for all aspects of her business. For example, when Second Glance receives a piece that cannot be sold in-store, or if a piece doesn't sell within 60 days, it is donated to charity. Kneisel also emphasizes the importance of being eco-friendly. "It's a wonderful way to recycle," she observes. Additionally, she enthusiastically tells me how "in this economy our business has just boomed. More and more people are becoming aware of the opportunity [to buy second hand], and it's so much more accepted."
Second Glance is not your average consignment shop with strange smells and even stranger clothes. Instead, owner Nancy Kneisel had made it her mission to offer "wonderful labels for a decent price." She only accepts current - purchased within the last two years - styles that are in excellent condition, and when you donate clothes you get back 40% of the selling price, which is a pretty good deal as consignment goes. She especially looks for designer labels and name brands, and makes certain that those designer labels she carries are authentic, rejecting any fake pieces she may come across. Kneisel takes the issue of knock-offs so seriously that her employees go through extensive training in recognizing fakes. Kneisel explains her policy on labels, saying, "If you're going to pay $60 for a pair of jeans, they had better be real!" When asked why authenticity is so important to her, Kniesel points out that the majority of profits from selling knock-offs first-hand goes to support drugs and crime. She refuses to take any part in this, and thus is very passionate about recognizing fakes.
The longer one talks with Kneisel, the more it becomes clear that this kind of ethical conscience is the basis for all aspects of her business. For example, when Second Glance receives a piece that cannot be sold in-store, or if a piece doesn't sell within 60 days, it is donated to charity. Kneisel also emphasizes the importance of being eco-friendly. "It's a wonderful way to recycle," she observes. Additionally, she enthusiastically tells me how "in this economy our business has just boomed. More and more people are becoming aware of the opportunity [to buy second hand], and it's so much more accepted."
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