The place to shop luxury consignment in person or online
I don’t even know where to begin with writing about The Refind Closet. But I’ll start from my beginning with them, and hope you will share a similar experience if they’re a new find for you. This story begins with a cautionary tale though: this luxury consignment store in Seattle Washington will behold your wildest designer dreams. Imagine shopping consciously while being able to rock the most delicious designer clothes, shoes, handbags, and accessories? You’ll have access to items still available in luxury stores, and some vintage that carry a legacy in and of themselves. Are you excited? Drooling? Good.
When I first came across The Refind I discovered them through Instagram, and while I’d heard about them through a friend I didn’t quite realize what they were. After scrolling through their posts and stories I became hooked. There were so many products I couldn’t control my excitement; which was only increased once I realized they had Instagram lives several days a week. Six to be exact (with surprise lives from time to time and now a second slot on Wednesday afternoons!). These gorgeous and highly educated women in the world of fashion were going live most days around 9am to show and try on items from the store.
Was this real life? I’d recently come across the world of luxury reseller accounts and sourcing profiles online, but I had never seen a shop quite like The Refind. It wasn’t just the beautiful Chanel, the Gucci, the fresh Jacquemus, it was the community that surrounded this place. I began watching the lives every day and fell in love with Susie and Jeannine (the fabulous owners), and their femme fatale family. There were women who would log on every day, posting their enthusiasm for the pieces that would come across the screen, but also encouraging each other. I found this beautiful community of women who were genuinely excited for each other’s purchases and their little triumphs when posting “sold/find + the item” in the comment section and getting the piece they so desired.
And it’s not just about shopping, it feels so much more like female empowerment. Women are making ethical purchases that make them feel excited, powerful, beautiful, optimistic, and connected. It feels shopping with your best friend, but still being in the privacy of your own home (or office, as a handful of women stream from their desks, tucking away a few minutes or hiding their phone for the 2-2.5 hours the store is streaming #multitasking).
It’s the community that I believe is the secret sauce to The Refind’s success. And their Instagram community touts over 39.5k followers, and growing. It’s the community that also provides the products we’re all buying. Jeannine and Susie have created this masterful flywheel of recycling, women consigning their pieces, and then buying their next favorite item. It’s a cornucopia of luxury love.
You feel the warmth and love in the shop just as much as you do online, and that’s a balance I’ve seen other businesses struggle with. I think we all aim to be authentic these days online, or at least have begun to realize that people want authenticity, but when I met the women IRL I had the same feeling of being welcomed and appreciated as I did online. Each woman who works there welcomes you into the shop and gives you whatever experience you’re looking for. They’re not overbearing or pushy, but they’ll curate an entire look, or five, based on whatever you need. My favorite way to shop the store is start with the handbags, spread across the front tables and in the back of the shop, and then go through the shoes and clothing. This process lets you ponder your bag choices so you can go back to it after you’ve pursued and/or made your selections throughout the store. But that’s just me, you can probably tell what my weakness is…give me all the bags please.
I can confidently say that most of my wardrobe, or at least my most worn pieces were found at The Refind. From my favorite Acne Studios blazer, to my favorite Chanel double flap, The Refind has everything you need. I’m writing this post as a super fan and client–this truly is my favorite shop, but beyond that–female owned business.
