DoubleTake Gives Designer Clothes More Life

Elvis live, and he's in Short Hills. He's a dog and may greet you if you go to shop at the DoubleTake Consignment Boutique. That is if it's not a busy like a recent sale day with lines that were to the back wall of the store.

But Elvis can be found at owner Marci Kessler's side as she tends to the work running the store, which offers designer-labeled, second-hand clothes and has been in business for close to 20 years and in its current location on Morris Turnpike for the last 12.

Kessler decided she needed to start a high-end consignment store after her own experience about 20 years ago with consignment. She had cleaned out her closet and had a large load of sweaters she wanted to take to a consignment shop in Freehold. "I didn't like what I saw and I thought I could do better," she said.

The Livingston resident didn't want the consignment experience to be digging through boxes. Instead, she wanted it to be a high-end boutique with the same services you would find in those stores. That includes helping customers find the right fit or a caller to find the Prada bag they saw in the store earlier that week. They also offer concierge service to help people consign  their clothes.

You'll find both casual and formal clothing from jeans to blouses to suits to cocktail dresses in sizes 2-24. There's also shoes, bags and jewelry.

More people are cleaning out their closets trying to get rid of things they don't need, Kessler said. And more people are looking for a deal. Consigning, especially in Short Hills, also has become more acceptable as more people are wearing vintage designer clothes, she said. They also want the quality of a designer while not spending the retail price.

"Some of these jeans can cost $225 in the retail store," she said as she motioned to the long rack of designer jeans. "Who wants to spend that on jeans?"

You're only going to find current designs that are in season. The store currently is shifting from summer to fall. Some of the items in the store may even be what's still on the shelf in the retail stores, Kessler said. She also receives items from some boutiques at the end of a season, not just just people cleaning out their closets.

The store has proven to be popular, including among locals who keep coming back. "I find it to be the high quality I want at extremely low prices," said Grace Austin, of Millburn-Short Hills, who has been shopping at DoubleTake for more than a decade. Among her purchases have been Chanel suits, and she said she once bought a long, red, satin Calvin Klein dress to wear to a ball. It cost her $45.

"It's like going fishing," she said. "You need to keep coming if you want to find something."

She comes to the store about once per week. She'll often go to the mall to see what's on the rack before she heads to DoubleTake. "I can't bear to pay that much," she said. "It doesn't matter how much you spent on it when the ketchup hits your shirt and you can't clean it."

And DoubleTake will be expanding to other locations throughout New Jersey. There are plans to open locations in Ridgewood, Englewood and Red Bank this fall. Kessler said she draws customers from all over and they question why there aren't other locations in the state. So she decided it was time to expand.

The stores are due to open in September, but a grand opening event is planned for Oct. 7 at 5-9 p.m. in Englewood.

People can bring in items to sell without an appointment Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The items must be clean, pressed and on a hanger. The items are sold 25-50 percent off the retail price, depending how long it stays on the rack. It's on the rack for a total of 90 days, and there is a markdown after 30 and 60 days. The seller receives half of the sale price.

After 90 days, the seller has the option to take back the items or donate them to a local charity. Right now the items are sent to the Market Street Mission in Morristown. Kessler said she is considering having a portion of sales in a future store go to a charity, but the charity has yet to be pinpointed.

And the stores are dog-friendly. Customers are welcome to bring their own dogs to join Elvis as they shop.