Craving Consignment

It was a private limo tour for a group of lovely ladies in their 40s. They left the husbands and kids at home and although they were searching for designer pieces, they had no intentions of paying full price. So we headed to some of the most amazing consignment shops in the city.

At first, they had mentioned shopping for vintage, but when I explained to them the difference between vintage and consignment, they decided that it was more the consignment that they were craving. Vintage, I explained, is from another era, (even though the 80s can be referred to as vintage now).... Yeah--I don't think Madonna and Cindy would be thrilled to hear this...nor is my mother. Consignment, on the other hand, is second-hand as well but it can be from someone's closet just last week. In the case of New York City, many of the consignment shops contain ready-to-wear from recent fashion weeks along with red carpet recently worn by the likes of Chloe Sevigny and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Our first stop was West Soho--INA. They carry some of the most amazing consignment in the city. Their shoe collection contains names such as Lou Boutin, Choo and Blahnik--enough said. One of the women was looking for a recent Gucci handbag, but she wanted it at a consignment price. That's the one thing about consignment that can be difficult--having one specific thing in mind. Because there is only really ONE of everything when you shop consignment. It's very rare that you'll find two of the same pieces.

The next stop was the street vendors for many along with a bite for lunch at Snack--a stylish Soho cafe. It was a beautiful day so they enjoyed leisurely strolling the streets.

After West Soho, it was back in the limo and time to head to the East Village. I wanted to introduce them to Buffalo Exchange. INA was a little pricey for their liking. There was a small distraction when we headed over to East 11th Street--Viniero's Bakery--a delicious distraction. The ladies loaded up on treats to take back to the hotel for later. They have some of the most amazing pastries in the city.

Buffalo Exchange didn't really peak their interest although some of the ladies enjoyed browsing Min K next door and Tokio Joe's (aside from the crowded factor.) I figured we should try out Tokio 7. They carry very similar designer consignment as INA but the pricing is a little more reasonable and the clothing slightly more dated. Nonetheless, they really enjoyed it and some of them even tried on some things.

By this point, since they had decided to incorporate lunch and dessert into the tour, we only had time for one more stop. I figured that Cadillac's Castle would be the best option. This was one of the most successful stops where almost everyone left with something including jewelry, shoes and dresses. Cad's Castle really is a hidden gem and their prices are extremely reasonable for what you can find. All in all, it was a great tour and the ladies had an enjoyable afternoon.

If you'd like to tour some of the most amazing consignment shops in NYC, visit www.shop-nyctours.com/guidedtours for more information. We look forward to shopping with you!

Chic Boutique Tour with Carolina Gal!

I absolutely LOVE North Carolina!  So when I found out I was giving a shopping tour for a woman from Greenville who currently lives in Raleigh, I was really looking forward to some "Carolina bonding."  Afterall, I went to college in Wilmington, and pretty much partied all over the state (in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Chapel Hill and Greenville) during those days of youth..... ;-)  I have a lot of fond memories of NC.  

This woman was really sweet, early 30s and engaged (her fiance lives in New York.)  She works as an attorney and pretty much comes to New York every weekend to visit.  The shopping tour was a gift from him and since it was just a solo tour, he opted for the subway/walking tour which she actually preferred.  She said she felt like walking and taking the subway was more authentic to NYC.  She also commented how she could see tourists really benefitting from having a tour guide to teach them about the subway system.  

At any rate, the tour stops were all the same as usual.  In Greenwich Village, she particularly liked La Petit Coquette (as did her fiance) for their classy lingerie.  (In fact, I think she pointed out some neglige sets she liked to give him an idea of her taste.)  She also tried on quite a few outfits in Owl's Lab, which seemed to be one of her favorites.  She took a card and made a note that she wanted to go back there after the tour.  She wanted to have some time to think about her purchases before she bought them--smart girl!

She actually made a comment halfway through the tour that even though she lived in New York for almost five years and visits every weekend, she had never been to the stores I was introducing her to.  Like most New Yorkers, she was always too busy to explore the often "hidden gem" boutiques in the city.  

When we got to Soho, she really enjoyed New York Look and tried on a few things there as well.  Instead of sticking to the more commercial stores, after New York Look, I suggested we head to West Soho to visit some of the vintage boutiques.  She really enjoyed Chelsea Girl Couture and Laurel Canyon (where she tried on a pair of their awesome vintage cowboy boots.)  I also mentioned Flying A and she commented that she had been there before and had been meaning to go back.  I told her that this would be a good time, since they offer 15% off vintage items to my tours.  

While in transit to the last stop on the tour, we talked about some of the amazing vintage stores in North Carolina, including Buffalo Exchange (which I told her recently opened a store in NYC) and a lot of the cool vintage shops in Chapel Hill.  We also talked about downtown Raleigh and how it's such a beautiful, quaint town.  I told her I went to school in Wilmington and she told me she had been there within the last month and actually bought the sandals she was wearing while she was there.  (These sandals were adorable and she got SO many compliments on them throughout the tour!)  

Darling, in the West Village/Meatpacking area, was the last stop, which I knew she'd enjoy because by this time, I had a good feel for her personal taste and style.  I also think she was a little overwhelmed by this point since we had been shopping for 3 1/2 hours and she had seen a lot that she really liked and wanted to go back to see after the tour.  She had also been awake since the crack of dawn and had plans to go out with friends that evening so I walked her to the nearest subway and pointed her in the direction of her fiance's.  She was really grateful to me for the tour and said she had a wonderful time.  I had a great time too.  We hugged goodbye.  I'm telling you, it's something about those Carolina connections...... :-)

If you'd like to take one of our subway/walking shopping tours, visit www.zerve.com/ShopNYCTours for more information and to purchase tickets.  I hope to shop with you soon!

Vintage Boutique Tour for Browsers

Yesterday's tour was unique.  It consisted of 2 women: one from Vermont and one from California.  They were on a short weekend getaway.  I could tell from the beginning that they weren't going to be big shoppers, which was completely fine.  I think what some people don't realize is that my tours are meant for shopping, but even if you're not a shopper, you'll have a wonderful time just experiencing the neighborhoods and browsing the boutiques.  On my tours, you can have an AMAZING experience even if you don't buy on thing.  

We began, of course, in Soho--but on the west side of Soho.  I always explain to people that the east side of Soho is where they have the more commercial stores (Old Navy, H&M, Victoria's Secret) and high-end designer stores (Prada, Chanel.)  I focus on west Soho on my tours because it's a quaint, clean, quiet area of Soho where there are a lot of individually owned, smaller boutiques.  In fact, there's actually something called "S3" (which stands for Shop Small Stores) that smaller, locally-owned boutiques have created to promote shopping in their boutiques.  At any rate, the ladies really seemed to enjoy the neighborhood immensely.  They weren't spending a lot of time in any of the stores because they were just browsing--not shopping but it still allowed them to enjoy themselves.  One of the ladies commented on how it was fun just simply exploring.

After Soho, we headed to the East Village and they really enjoyed Buffalo Exchange on East 11th Street.  They spent quite some time browsing but didn't end up buying anything.  It was the same with O Mistress Mine.  They loved looking through Wanda's (the owner's) collection but they didn't make any purchases.  Again--they were just having a nice time strolling through the stores and exploring.

On our way to East 9th Street something very exciting happened!  We saw Leonardo DiCaprio!!!  Yes--even though I'm a local, I admit, I was very excited.  We weren't sure if it was him so one of the ladies said she wanted to go back to the cafe where he was sitting to get a drink.  She didn't really buy a drink, of course.  It was just to confirm that it was him.  And it definitely was!  I couldn't believe how grungy he looked.  You know, he's one of those Hollywood stars that dresses very chic and sophisticated for the most part.  He looks very polished on the red carpet whereas someone like Johnny Depp tends to look a little more grungy.  But to my surprise Leo looked like a regular East Villager.  I do think, however, that he had to TRY to look this way.  He was TRYING not to stand out which was cool, I guess.

Anyway, on East 9th Street, they explored Fabulous Fanny's and Cadillac's Castle for a bit.  They were also excited to see AuH2O so we headed to East 7th Street immediately after that.  One of the ladies bought a pair of Obama earrings for her mom and the other tried on a top but didn't make a purchase because it didn't fit.  They definitely had a really strong interest in Kate's boutique though.  

We had a little time left after East 7th Street so I decided to take them to St. Mark's Place.  I figured they might enjoy seeing an area that was still a little "off the beaten path" but also a little more touristy and with shops that have some lower prices and some souvenirs.  (I knew they had teenagers they might want to buy for.)  So we strolled along St. Mark's.  I told them that was one of the perks to it just being the two of them.  I was able to show them something that wasn't part of the usual itinerary.

Following St. Mark's, I asked if they'd like to visit the West Village since we still had an hour left with the car service, but they decided to head back to the hotel.  They said that they had a wonderful time already and they were anxious to change clothes and have dinner before their show.  One of the ladies was actually waiting for her lost luggage to arrive at their hotel so she also wanted to get back to check on it.

I think the tour started out a little rocky but as time went on, the ladies realized that there was no pressure to shop.  I was happy just showing them around and they were happy just exploring.  

If you'd like to browse with ShopNYC Tours, visit www.shop-nyctours.com for more information about us!  I hope to shop--or browse with you soon!