Suzy Gage at Echo Boutique
Where to find your newest look from local secondhand stores
Secondhand clothing is not just a frugal way to save money and look stylish at the same time — it’s a sustainable alternative to the rapid-cycle fast-fashion market, where trends seem to come and go every few months, resulting in a hugely negative impact on the environment and the garment industry’s labor force. Good news for style seekers: Spokane’s vintage and consignment boutique scene is flourishing, offering everything from one-of-a-kind vintage pieces to high-quality brands at budget-friendly prices. Here’s where to start your next closet refresh.
Veda Lux Boutique
Located in an adorably tiny converted cottage — affectionately and aptly dubbed “the Dollhouse” — in the South Perry District, Veda Lux is literally brimming over with hand-picked, and statement-making clothing and accessories. Owner Summer Hightower is known to travel near and far to find unique, covetable vintage and contemporary attire to stock Veda’s racks, as well as for her handmade jewelry collections that aren’t for the faint of heart. Those who’ve shopped there before know a trip to Veda is like playing dress-up in your coolest sister or gal pal’s closet, where fashion “rules” are meant to be broken and personal styling is the team’s priority. New pieces and outfits are frequently shared on Veda’s Instagram and Facebook page, so if you see something there you like, don’t wait too long to call “dibs.” 1106 S. Perry St., vedalux.com, 475-1674
Echo Boutique
Located in the heart of downtown’s flourishing west end, Echo Boutique offers amazing discounts for bargain-hunting fashionistas — up to 70 percent off retail prices — for its complete inventory of new and gently used consignment pieces. If you’re doing a pandemic-inspired closet cleanout, consider setting aside any higher-end items in excellent condition and make an appointment with Echo’s team, led by owner Suzy Gage, to take a look and help you earn some extra spending money. The boutique stocks women’s clothing in all sizes, from athleisure-wear to shoes, handbags to coats. Also, don’t miss the shop’s end-of-season clearance sales for an even better deal. Another great detail of Echo’s model is that consignors can opt to have anything of theirs that doesn’t sell in a season donated to a local nonprofit. 1033 W. First Ave., echoconsignment.com, 747-0890
Fringe & Fray
Also located on West First Avenue in downtown Spokane is this must-visit, locally owned resale clothing shop. Like its local counterparts, Fringe & Fray operates on a “buy, sell, trade” model, meaning you can trade in gently used pieces from your closet for cash or store credit. Check out the store’s website for a rundown on what styles and items they’re looking for and to book a trade-in appointment. Shoppers can expect to find a mix of vintage and modern clothing for both men and women on Fringe’s racks, which are also virtually browsable on its website. Outfit flat lays and new inventory are also frequently shared on its social media accounts, where buyers often snap up pieces within minutes of a post. Besides clothing, Fringe stocks locally made jewelry from several area artisans and a small section of home decor. 1325 W. First Ave., fringeandfray.net, 720-7116
Boulevard Mercantile
For both vintage home decor and clothing — some of the best in the region, in fact — treasure seekers know to make regular rounds at Boulevard Mercantile, which moved to a new and larger space on North Washington Street back in March. The store is home to a handful of top-notch vintage sellers, including Red Leaf Vintage (offering midcentury men’s and women’s clothing) and Vagabond Soundtrack (focusing on vintage workwear), each of which have owners committed to seeking out high-quality vintage as their full-time jobs. Rounding out the store’s vintage fashion variety is Evening Star Vintage, a local vendor specializing in a huge selection of old-school band and pop culture T-shirts, plus denim and more. If you love vintage and don’t want to miss something epic from any of these sellers, make sure to follow all of them, and Boulevard’s main account, on Instagram for the latest inventory updates. 1012 N. Washington St., facebook.com/BoulevardMercantile, 327-7547
Garland Resale
Despite its name, this boutique is not located in Spokane’s Garland District, but rather downtown. Garland Resale is a newer arrival to the region’s secondhand style scene, having opened in summer 2019 after a major hurdle: a fire at its building earlier that year just weeks before initial grand opening plans. The boutique gladly accepts consignment pieces from local customers, and focuses its inventory on high-quality, upscale women’s clothing, accessories and gift items. The latter includes new items like candles, jewelry, artist prints and greeting cards. Customers can shop confidently knowing that each item, whether consigned or hand-picked by staff, has been carefully inspected for flaws and was chosen for having quality construction and fabrics that meet Garland’s mission of sustainability. To that end, the shop is committed to making careful repairs to items that may have minor flaws but a lot of life left in them. If this commitment to sustainability is important to your fashion ethos, make sure to check out Garland Resale and stay in touch via social media and its customer email newsletter. 11 S. Howard St., garlandresale.com, 676-6030 υ
