NEW SCOTLAND — Twenty years ago Julie Hilland and Karen Moses were looking for a change.
So, they started Something Olde, Something New, a consignment shop at the intersection of Routes 85 and 85A, and what started out as a small business dealing only in clothing really took off and is still growing.
“People call and we make an appointment and they come in and show us what they have and we open an account,” Hilland said. “And then, as we sell things, we give a percentage of that sale back to them.”
The store features all sorts of wares from women’s apparel and accessories like designer handbags, jewelry and shoes to vintage home accessories like dishes, china and furniture to linens. They don’t carry any appliances or anything that plugs in, Hilland said, outside of maybe a lamp or two.
“Some of our consigners like to go out and look for bargains and then resell what they find them but the majority of people who bring merchandise to us are people who are downsizing themselves or their family members,” Hilland said. “We have a loyal following of repeat customers and consigners and we try to accommodate everyone.”
Generally, the consigner gets 40 percent of clothing and accessories while sales of furniture, housewares and vintage home accessories are split 50-50.
They don’t sell merchandise on eBay or any other online marketplace but rather use a website – somethingoldenew.com – to urge people to come to the store.
“Come in this fall and feel like you’ve stepped back in time” says the website. “Perhaps you will feel like you’re in your grandmother’s house, your mother’s house or perhaps your own?”
And the store is jam packed with all sorts of things like dressers and chairs and glassware and clothing and linens.
“We have people bringing us things every day and we never know what we are going to get,” Moses said. “It keeps it interesting for us and for our customers.”