by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Straight from the runways of the most chic designers such as Versace and Chanel comes the latest clothes in the fashion world. Trendy dressers need not fly to New York City to outfit themselves, though. Fifi’s Fine Resale Apparel on Hendricks Avenue has gently worn threads at reduced prices.
As with any consignment shop, Fifi’s sells previously-owned merchandise to the public with a percentage of the profit going to the owner. Harry Mill, Fifi’s owner, only accepts up-to-date, name-brand apparel.
“Brand name is everything,” said Mill. “There has to be a name association. If the customer doesn’t know the brand, they won’t buy it. I tell them that if they can find it in the mall, they can find it here.”
In operation since 1986, Fifi’s changed hands five years ago when Mill purchased both the San Marco and Mandarin stores from its founder, Fifi Queen. In addition to designer apparel, business attire, formal gowns, bridal gowns and casual clothing, Fifi’s also carries an assortment of accessories such as shoes, jewelry, purses, hats and hair scrunchies. The 5,000 square-foot location almost doubles its 2,000 square-foot sister boutique.
“I’ve been in consignment shops in all the major Florida cities and I’ve never seen one larger than this,” boasted Mill.
As the sole owner, Mill wears many hats. He can be spotted inspecting clothing coming in for resale, pricing articles, setting up displays, manning the cash register, answering telephone calls and helping customers. He splits his time between the two stores with the aid of one employee. Like any other small business owner, Mill experiences the joys and hardships of being his own boss.
“I take off when I want to go fishing,” he said. “It’s nice to schedule your own time but I pay for it. I have to pay someone to work while I’m gone.”
The franchise relies on repeat customers and referrals. Mill utilizes only Yellow Pages advertisements to tout his business. Those pieces that are not sold within a couple months are discounted. If there are still no buyers, the clothing is donated to Fifi’s neighbor, Angel Aid, which serves the needs of children in life-threatening situations or with terminal illnesses. They will attempt to sell the clothes through their bargain store, Angel Attic. Obviously, Mill takes care to not bring in labels that don’t move well to keep revenues up.
“Consignors bring things in if they’ve changed sizes up or down, received something as a gift and didn’t want it, or have a full closet and want something new,” he said. “Between the two locations I have over 6,000 consignors. If they paid a lot for their clothes, they want something for it so they don’t take it to a standard consignment shop. There has been a rise in awareness that high-end consignment does not mean thrift store. Their popularity started on the West Coast and has slowed moved this way. Goodwill might have something nice but it could be ripped or stained. You have to dig through everything.”
Because of the broad array of clothing — tags range from Liz Clairborne to DKNY — Mill is visited by patrons of a wide age group. Young women browsing for Calvin Klein jeans or Tommy Hilfiger tops, older women trying on Ann Taylor dresses and middle-aged professionals shopping for Armani suits can be seen sifted through the racks. He claims to take in an average of 100 plus pieces a day.
“I don’t hardly have to do any advertising,” said Mill. “People talking about it has caused my success. Quality speaks for itself. It keeps them coming back. Sales have increased steadily every year. We might open another out towards the beach.”