After 18 years, Some Wear In Time embraces a change

For a business going through changes, store owner Denise Cox keeps the atmosphere of Some Wear In Time just as homey as you would expect a family-run store.

Some Wear In Time is a consignment boutique that has been in business for 18 years. The boutique started in Vestavia Hills, where it was located for three years, before moving to Chelsea. 

After being settled for so long, Cox said she began to notice that the store needed a change. 

“People were coming in all day long asking for things we didn’t have,” Cox said. “I lost my direction.”

While staying true to the fact that Some Wear In Time is a consignment boutique, Cox also decided to include vendors in her business. This sudden change was met with a great response, and Cox said she had a surge of vendors asking to be a part of this new opportunity. But because the store only had so much space available, Cox found herself turning down the majority of the people who contacted her. 

The choice of which vendors to include, and which to turn away, was a deliberate process, Cox said. She wanted to keep the store specialized for ladies, and said it was important for a vendor to sell a product that would appeal to women. 

Even with this classification, Cox still had to narrow down her options, so she then based her decision on the vendor’s previous experience. 

“I was looking for aggressive people,” Cox said. “Around 80 percent of our vendors already have online sites and databases of thousands of customers.”

Cox has brought in about 25 new vendors in these past few months, so established customer bases were key for a smooth transition.

“This way one person isn’t doing all of the work,” Cox said. “They set up their space [and] they do the merchandising, straightening and cleaning.”

In turn, Cox only charges vendors $150 for their spaces to ensure that they will be successful in the store. Cox said that by offering such a modest price for the space, the vendors are able to make their products more affordable. 

The addition of vendors has changed the range of products available to customers. Most of the vendors are bringing in clothing that is more trendy and current. One particular item that Cox has seen popping up in her store, ever since the switch, has been tunics. The item is popular among vendors and customers alike. 

“Tunics, it’s what everyone wants,” Cox said.  “We have hundreds.”

Cox, on the other hand, is particularly excited to see the addition of household items in her store. While the new, trendy clothes have been an exciting new addition, Cox is happy to have decor in the mix, too.

“I personally love all of the household decorations,” Cox said. “I could have every one of those frames and be so excited.”

The addition of vendors has brought in chic clothes at affordable prices, and Cox said both thrifty and trendy shoppers will find something in the store that interests them. 

“It’s not flea market vendors,” Cox said. “These are all upscale vendors and business owners [that] really know that they are doing.”

Some Wear In Time

WHERE: 16161 U.S. 280, Chelsea

HOURS: Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

CALL: 678-9155