What could be better than cleaning out the closet and getting cash for excess clothing that no longer fits or isn’t of use anymore? Avoiding consignor fees, of course. That’s the beauty of Twice As Nice, a new second-hand clothing store located in the Manahawkin Mart Shoppes on Bay Avenue in Stafford Township, where individuals can sell lightly used clothing and receive cold, hard cash on the spot.
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| Photo by Ryan Morrill Twice As Nice store owners sort through a mixed bag of clothing brought in by a potential seller. |
Co-owners Carrie von Gorski and Jay Zimmerman, both 1997 Southern Regional High School graduates, call the business procedure “better than consignment” because sellers don’t have to wait for a check like at traditional consignment shops, where sellers usually wait long stretches of time in hopes that their garments will be bought and not returned.
“We absorb all the risk up front,” explained von Gorski, who also owns Belle Curve, a women’s plus-size clothing boutique located inside Manahawkin Mart. She decided to incorporate Twice As Nice into the business locale after working at a similar shop a few years ago in North Carolina before relocating back to the local area.
“It was a lot of fun. It was a total hoot, so I thought, ‘I want to bring this here. This could be great,’” she said.
Zimmerman, who also owns three other businesses – Jerz Shore Jewels, Jerz Shore Estates, as well as Hired Hands Landscaping – and is also captain of the Barnegat Light First Aid Squad, decided to team up with von Gorski after realizing the potential for such a store.
Twice As Nice officially opened the week of July 1, and customers have been coming in droves to buy and sell merchandise, the owners said. Since then, Zimmerman and von Gorski have gone through thousands of pieces of clothing. The shop currently has about 1,000 pieces available, and the store is nearly full, they said.
“It’s crazy, absolutely crazy; crazy, crazy, crazy,” Zimmerman iterated.
The shop took over the former Little Jersey Divas spot in the mart, which has relocated next to Belle Curve.
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| Photo by Ryan Morrill Popular name-brand clothing, including Hollister and Aeropostale, is readily available in the shop. |
“Almost everybody in the family can shop here now,” said von Gorski. “You’ve got little kids’ stuff up front, plus (size) up front, and now you have this, which is for everybody.”
The new store offers mostly women’s clothing, though some men’s attire is also available for buying and selling.
“Date night is about as dressy as it gets, kind of like what you see here,” von Gorski said, while motioning to a rack of stylish dresses. “It’s beach cover-ups to going out to dinner. We don’t do any prom or wedding (apparel). It’s very everyday, casual, cute stuff.
“We don’t do vintage, either. School of Vintage does that in Surf City, and they’re the best at it. We’ll leave that to them,” she added.
The store’s clothing ranges from extra small to plus size. Handbags and unworn shoes are also available on a “super selective basis.”
The average price for clothing sold in the store is about $8. Tank tops range from $2 to $20, and jeans range from $8 to $15. A pair of never-worn Express jeans with the $70 price tag still attached recently sold for $18, and a seersucker Banana Republic jacket priced at $20 “went as soon as it hit the floor,” von Gorski said.
“We’ve been very lucky to get a lot of stuff that’s new with tags: a lot of Banana Republic and Gap, J. Crew, the usual suspects,” she said.
Other popular name-brand clothing such as Hollister, Aeropostale, Lucky, Forever 21 and H&M is also readily available in the shop.
Payouts to sellers are made on a case-by-case basis and are rounded up in the customers’ favor, who can get up to a couple of dollars per piece, depending on the condition and label, von Gorski explained.
“We look at every single piece. If it’s new with tags, you’ll get a little more than something that’s two years or older. Banana Republic will get you a little more than Old Navy,” she said. “We’re very thorough, too. We see stuff here that people won’t see at home, so if we ever pass on stuff it’s just because usually there’s something that you missed at home, like a little spot, a little hole, or something,” she added.
Each piece of clothing is also checked for stains and odors and is made sure to be functional and in great to excellent condition. Customers are asked to bring in clothing freshly laundered.
“We try to buy clothing that we would want to buy,” von Gorski said.
The owners have to see everything to be able to make an assessment and a proper offer, they said.
“The good thing about this is most people that have clothing are going to donate it anyway. Usually it goes into a bin or something like that, so this is an outlet for them to be given cash instead of just donating,” said Zimmerman. “Most people are excited to get 10, 20 bucks because they were just going to donate it. We also have the donation option, as well.”
Clothing that’s a bit dated or otherwise ineligible for sale at the store will be accepted as a contribution. The attire is then sold outside at the flea market for $1, $3 or $5, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Any of the money raised there will go toward a scholarship fund, which will be offered to a Southern Regional student pursuing a degree in business. Zimmerman and von Gorski hope to raise $1,000 for one student. About $100 has been raised in one weekend so far.
Twice As Nice summer store hours are Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Buying takes place from opening until one hour before closing.
For more information, call 609-618-2812.
–Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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