Revente: Redefining Couture in the Midlands

Since the mid 1700’s, royalty and those of aristocratic society have sought custom made clothing that signals to the public their social hierarchy. While what designer label people wore once placed them into a designated social class, the designer label no longer signals financial status, especially in Columbia, South Carolina where clothing boutique Revente has redefined for women the meaning of both “high society couture” and “thrift store finds.”
For the past decade and a half, Revente has reigned in Columbia as the premier boutique for upscale consignment. With their wide-variety of not only designer labels, but also sizes available (0 to 26+), even the amateur female shopper, in search for quality and assurance in fit, can appreciate the diversity Revente offers.
Manager Heather Craig, who has been a part of the Revente staff for seven years, credits the assortment of styles and sizes offered as the motivation behind Revente’s success. “When you go into a mall,” says Craig, “it’s not the same” as coming into a store such as Revente. Many of Revente’s customers, who once turned to shopping malls as their main clothing supplier, now find it difficult to find clothing that is appropriate for their needs. According to Craig, “women are frustrated because the sizes are not the same” as they once were. Women who turn to Revente can expect to find what they need and want; “we have everything” that the sophisticated fashion diva desires, says Craig. The “we have everything” selling point would not be an exaggeration of the store’s offerings. Just as Heather prepared for the interview, a loyal consignor (with an appointment) brought in nearly one-hundred items of possible inventory. The loyalty between a Revente customer and what Craig calls a “sales girl” extends beyond a simple economic definition of supply and demand. “All sales girls have client books,” says Craig, which provides insight into which items each client typically buys and in which sizes. Having such a record of their customer’s clothing preferences allows for a more personal shopping experience between the loyal customer and the Revente sales team. Therefore, a staff member will contact those documented customers when preferred items arrive, which could result in “seeing the same people two to three times a weeks,” notes Craig.
Customer loyalty also reflects through Revente’s regional accolades. According to the store’s website (shoprevente.com), in 2005 and 2006, Revente was voted the Best Consignment Shop by readers of The State newspaper, Free Times, and Columbia Metropolitan Magazine. Such customer driven accolades can be attributed to Revente’s steady business. Craig notes that “for about two years when others would say business was down for their stores, Revente’s was not.” With the exception of vintage pieces by designers such as Chanel or Armani, all other clothing items accepted from consignors are no more than two years old which the Revente staff also credits as a factor in customer loyalty, stating, “our customers determine our selections-we can only accept what [our customers] will buy” (“Welcome to Revente Online”).
Annually, manager Heather Craig, and owner Debbie McDaniel, travel to New York City to purchase jewelry and accessories that also offer Revente customers possible eclectic wardrobe pieces from our nation’s fashion capital (“Welcome to Revente Online”). While offering exclusive fashion designs and allowing the customer to dictate supply are not groundbreaking elements in retailing, the way Revente has met, and will continue to meet both demands, can be viewed as regionally inventive. What Revente and sister boutique Sid and Nancy (which offers a more alternative style of dress for males and females) does allows both customers from middle-and upper-classes to find items that create in a person a sense of individualism. Revente has for the past fifteen years helped redefine fashion trends in the midlands, thus making the possibility of an additional fifteen years in the retailing business a seemingly effortless feat.