Cranberry Collective owner Christine Keck is more than excited to debut a second storefront to add to the shopping opportunities in Moose Jaw’s downtown: a consignment store for high-quality retail clothing.
Opening on Dec. 18, Cranberry Consignment will take any high-quality new or gently used clothing, shoes and accessories from individuals looking to clean out their closets and display them in the new store’s location on the fourth floor in the Hammond Building for resale.
The second location will operate like a typical consignment store, offering a space for customers to peruse a selection of secondhand clothing while also doing all of the legwork for those looking to get rid of their own items.
Once their item sells, the consignor will receive payment in the form of either an e-transferred total or store credit that can be used at both Cranberry Consignment and its sister business Cranberry Collective, either in-store or as a gift card for online.
“It's a way for people to get a little bit of money for their clothes,” said Keck. “And I think everyone loves getting something new, so maybe they can sell some of their old clothes and then buy something new.”
Keck said Cranberry Collective is looking specifically for brand-name clothing in very good condition, and staff will sort through potential items before putting them up on shelves to ensure quality.
“We want stuff with what we call brand value, so not fast fashion but things that hold their value and are a bit better quality. We also want things that are in really good shape,” said Keck. “We’ll sort through the items on the initial drop-off and choose what we want to keep, and then they’ll have the option to take back what we don’t keep or they can leave it and we’ll donate it elsewhere.”
The storefront is an expansion of an online version of the idea, which Keck launched about a month ago to a great response — so she decided to build on the clear interest.
“We had really good interest and we got a lot of stock from people in the community,” said Keck. “So we found a space in the Hammond Building [for] a cute little shop for consignment clothing.”
Despite the official soft opening set for later this week, Cranberry Consignment already has lots of items available including clothing, shoes still in boxes, and even a collection of Mat & Nat and Kate Spade purses.
Cranberry Consignment will be the only consignment clothing store of this kind in Moose Jaw, with other spots like the Salvation Army and Rainbow Retro Thrift Shop stocking their shelves by donation.
Experts have been seeing a huge surge in interest in the secondhand retail industry lately, said Keck, with resale retail as a sector growing exponentially more in comparison to its traditional counterpart. Customers are becoming more and more conscious about sustainable shopping, she continued, and secondhand retail is something very on-trend right now.
She’s excited to bring another resale opportunity to the city, especially as a business owner.
“I think it's something different for Moose Jaw, [and] it will be a really cool addition to our downtown,” said Keck. “And at Cranberry Collective, we’ve really been trying to work toward a more sustainable, eco-friendly product offering, and the more research I do, the more it shows that shopping secondhand is a good way to shop sustainably.”
Cranberry Consignment is located in suite 423 in the Hammond Building, at 310 Main Street North, and it will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
