Oh, Shop It: Luxury Consignment Boutique Adds New Store in Birmingham

Closet NV has opened a second location! Before the ladies of Closet NV started to sell clothes via brick and mortar, owners Lisa Rosenberg and Robin Bloom first sold items on Ebay for family and friends. “We knew in our hearts that we someday would want to open a luxury designer consignment store, thus came Closet NV,” says Robin. “It was truly a natural fit for the both of us with our knowledge of retail and beautiful designer items.”

DG3 visited the new boutique after a lunch meeting down the street and it was a magical shopping trip. The tops and bottoms are sorted by sizes (great for shoppers who would rather not dig around to find something they might like then realize it’s not the right size), the dresses are clustered by occasion, and handbags and jewelry are plentiful throughout the space.

If you haven’t stopped in yet, or even if you have, Closet NV is having a grand opening at the Birmingham store on Wednesday, January 14. Time and details are still in the works so make sure to ‘like’ Closet NV on Facebook to stay up to date on the particulars of the event. We caught up with Lisa and Robin to learn a little more about their genius idea and talk designer goods:

DG3: You mentioned that all of your items are certified. What does that mean?

Closet NV: We ensure that all of our merchandise is authentic. We have taken classes and worked with different companies that will authenticate our merchandise. We currently utilize a company that will go through a number of protocols and procedures to ensure that the merchandise we receive is genuine. We take pride in being an upscale resale store that houses and sells only veritable merchandise. That is our promise to our loyal shoppers. 

DG3: When people are looking to buy designer handbags, jewelry or apparel online, what are a few things they should look for to keep from getting cheated?

CNV: It is extremely important to know who you are buying from - make sure it is a reputable buyer who would stand behind their goods and also familiarize yourself with the designer and their product. 

DG3: What are the three biggest things to look for when determining if a handbag is real or fake?

CNV: There are more than three things I would look for when it comes to a counterfeit handbag versus an authentic one. I would pay attention to the zipper, the stitching, the material it is made out of, how the logo/ monogram/ designer name is reflected and, of course, the serial number. 

DG3: When it comes to people bringing in items to sell on consignment, what is the most popular designer brand around the metro Detroit area?

CNV: Honestly, there is really not just ONE popular brand. A good deal of Lululemon for active wear, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gucci for leather goods, and when it comes to clothing, we see a good amount of Vince, Dolce and Gabbana, Eileen Fisher, Tory Burch and St. Johns. North Face, Burberry and Moncler are popular outerwear items. David Yurman, John Hardy, Chanel and Tory Burch are just a small handful of designer jewelry that comes through our doors as well. 

DG3: When it comes to the shoppers, what are the most desired designer brands around the metro Detroit area?

CNV: Lululemon for everyday wear, Tory Burch and Chanel handbags, Christian Louboutin shoes, and when it comes to clothing it truly varies.

DG3: Anything else you'd like to share about real/fake designer goods?

CNV: We cannot stress enough to know whom you are buying from. We recommend if you have the opportunity, to look and feel the designer item in person, versus buying online blindly. Make sure the owner will stand behind the merchandise and the well being of the customer is at the forefront of their business model. 

On The Town: West Elm Opens in Birmingham

Launched in 2002 out of Brooklyn, NY, West Elm’s mission is to help customers express their personal style at home, and boy, did that come across when walking through the doors this morning. The store is beautiful and is set up with public living spaces in the front (living and dining rooms) and bed and bath towards the back. The furniture and home décor is like something out of your dreams and it seems like every item in the store can be styled with other items in the store even it they aren’t from the same section.

The color palette is mostly cool tones from greys to muted blues with pops of white, metallic and fur to warm up everything. One thing they do very well with their staging is mixing metals and metallics, which is a great home décor (and even fashion) trend, and will work especially well for holiday decorating. Overall, the brand is rather affordable, and the little home décor items scattered around the store would make for great gifts, holiday or otherwise.

One great thing about West Elm is that they have a service called “Home Stylist” that is free of charge. The stylist will help you with design ideas, recommend other great stores for certain furniture or décor items they don’t carry, and even come to your house (free of charge, again) to look at your space and set up a floor plan for you to use when decorating.

For those of you who love to shop local, you’re in luck! West Elm has a shop local section with products made by Michigan designers. Each product has a card next to the display, noting the designer and a little about them so you can be really familiar with whose item you are purchasing. If you are a home décor designer or gift maker, who would like to be considered to have your products sold at West Elm, you can speak directly to management at the store or email westelmlocal@wsgc.com. Some lucky local designers’ products may even make it to their website, for more selling opportunities!

The store is located at 211 W. Maple, in Birmingham, and the website is www.westelm.com. Happy decorating!