Many students at Montclair State University try to put their best fashion feet forward when attending courses or hanging out with classmates. However, it can be difficult for students to be both sustainable and fashionable on a budget. Double Take Luxury Consignment Boutique in Short Hills, New Jersey, is doing just that, aiming to give people high-end fashion they can afford.
Double Take Luxury Consignment Boutique immerses locals into a high-fashion environment with an intimate shopping experience. Jimmy Choo, Giuseppe Zanotti and Tory Burch sit on a shelf in the form of shoes. Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Gucci grip to the rack as customers slide the hangers over the metal bars. The neatly organized displays carry a wide variety of designers, all consigned by locals in the community.
The CEO and founder of Double Take, Marci Robins Kessler, had the inspiration to create her own consignment store after failing to find good options in her community.
“I worked in fashion sales in [New York City]. When you work in the garment industry, you accumulate a lot of clothes so I was looking to purge my closet,” Kessler said. “I walked into a consignment store and hated it. I put everything back in my car and came home and said to my husband, ‘I’m going to open my own consignment store.’ That was in 1991.”
The entire team changes the mannequins and window displays weekly.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Alicea
Since then, Kessler has rebranded the store to give shoppers a more modern experience. Kessler remodeled the store in August 2020 to give the space a fresher feeling and has worked on creating relationships with consignors and customers.
“Customer service is key,” Kessler said. “If I needed my dress zipped up, I’d want someone to help me.”
Rachel Tressitt, the regional store manager, also believes in giving customers a personal shopping experience.
“A lot of the staff knows [customers] by names, they know their size and know what they like or don’t like,” Tressitt said. “It gives a small business a really close connection to customers.”
The boutique also has a team that authenticates fashion pieces before the shop displays them for sale. Once the team verifies the piece, pricing is set. The team takes many aspects into consideration when authenticating a piece, Kessler mentions.
The boutique even consigns vintage jewelry pieces.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Alicea
“We have a really good process of authentication in terms of looking at the threading, the type of leather [and] the hardware,” Kessler said. “It makes the customers feel secure and there are so many dupes out there.”
While some of the most-wanted pieces can still be a bit pricey for students, the boutique does offer layaway options for shoppers. Students can find a great designer piece and place it on hold till they can pay for the item in full.
Tressitt explains that the store also has annual sales where students can get their hands on designer must-haves.
“We usually do the end-of-season sales twice a year,” Tressitt said. “Our end-of-season sale for winter is in February and our end-of-season sale for summer is in August.”
The boutique recently celebrated reaching 5,000 followers on their Instagram @dbltkeboutique.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Alicea
Shoppers can also sign up for the boutique’s rewards program and use the rewards both in-store and online. For every dollar a shopper spends, they receive one point. Throughout the year, the boutique offers double-point promotions to allow customers to earn extra rewards and it offers various tiers of points in which shoppers can apply to their purchases.
Tressitt says the reward program is an enjoyable experience for customers and that they can’t go wrong with it.
“Shoppers love that,” Tressitt said. “It gives them a little gift for being a loyal customer and makes it fun for them. It’s a win-win.”
Double Take Luxury Consignment Boutique sells a wide variety of designer purses.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Alicea
Locals can visit Double Take Luxury Consignment Boutique Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 12 p.m to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Students can also make an appointment online if they are interested in becoming a consignor and selling items at the boutique.
