For a video game fan like Joe Vicente, a trip to FuncoLand is a fun night out.
So fun, in fact, the Des Plaines resident makes it to FuncoLand’s Mt. Prospect store about once a week.
It only makes sense, after all. Few young adults who are video game enthusiasts wouldn’t welcome the chance to sift through and try out about 5,000 used video games, all of which are sold for much less than new games. While video games for systems such as Nintendo and Sega Genesis cost about $45 new, the average game at FuncoLand costs about $20.
Vicente says FuncoLand has good deals for serious video game players. “I do play a lot of video games. When I finish the ones I have, I want another one,” Vicente said. “It used to be when you bought them from a store you took a chance that it was something good, but not all are.”
Indeed, with 27 stores in the Chicago area, and 60 nationwide, FuncoLand is one of the kings of the resale business. In addition to the Mt. Prospect property, there are FuncoLand branches in Arlington Heights, Crystal Lake, Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg.
The company started informally in 1982 when founder David Pomije conducted a mail-order video game business from the basement of his Minneapolis home. The company has grown by 300 percent per year, he says, since the first store opened 2 1/2 years ago, and expects to do $20 million in business this year.
“Consumers are looking for real value. Not just cheaper, but real value,” Pomije said. “There is a lot of consumer support for this if it’s done right.”
That, it seems, is true. Resale shopping is becoming big business.
The number of stores that sell used goods has grown during the past decade, and continues to grow by about 10 percent each year, according to Trudy Miller, executive director of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops, based in Chicago Heights.
The northwest suburbs are no exception to the trend. The area is home to branches of resale chains, such as FuncoLand, as well as Play It Again Sports, which has stores in Crystal Lake, Schaumburg and Mt. Prospect that sell used sports equipment and are part of a nationwide 330-store franchise operation.
The area also has a host of independent resale stores including: Phase Two in Palatine, which sells wedding dresses; Wheeling’s Golden Kids and Kiddo Ditto and Cary’s Good Night Moon, which resell children’s clothes, toys and equipment; and Treasured Twice Boutique in Barrington and Second Chance in Prospect Heights, both of which sell designer clothing.
The idea of resale is not new. In fact, the oldest such store in the area, Palatine Resale, which sells clothes, furniture and antiques, opened about 30 years ago. Members of Europe’s royal families have sold their clothes, said Lee McCullough, Palatine Resale owner.
Many of today’s resale stores, however, are a much different breed from their predecessors, owners say. Whereas some older thrift shops looked a lot like big garage sales, the new establishments more closely resemble boutiques.
In addition, store owners say they carefully examine merchandise before it goes on sale. Many carry name brand products only and will not sell goods that are soiled or broken. In addition, many resale stores will sell only those items that are still in style.
Many resale stores also boast large selections. Phase Two, for example, has about 50 wedding dresses. And in the storeroom at Kiddo Ditto there are 20 boxes of children’s clothing waiting to be unpacked and sold.
Patricia Hogan, owner of Second Chance, says her 5,000-square-foot store simply isn’t big enough to meet the growing demand for resale goods. “I wish we had an upstairs because I sure could fill it,” Hogan said.
“Resale has been around since before the turn of the century, and privately owned stores have been around since the 1950s,” the resale association’s Miller said. “They were the best kept secrets among their shoppers. A lot of times people shopped our stores, but they didn’t tell.
“Now people are very proud of their ability to find quality at a bargain price and are telling other people. What is happening these days is a shift in consumerism. People are concerned about quality, but they’re also concerned about price. And our shops offer that,” Miller said.
Rebecca Mahady is proof that even cynics can become avid resale shoppers. Until two years ago, Mahady never shopped resale. The mother of three, she and her family lived in North Carolina, and she believed resale shops did not carry quality goods.
When Mahady’s husband got transferred to the Glenview Naval Air Station, however, the family had to tighten its budget. The cost of living in the Chicago area was lots higher than in North Carolina, she found.
Mahady said her expectations in resale shops were not high. “I was looking for a swing. Money was tight and I thought anything would do as long as it would swing,” Mahady said.
Fortunately, visiting children’s resale shops was a success. Mahady now is a regular at Golden Kids in Wheeling and says shopping resale saves a lot of money. “Ever since I went there and found out what good quality it is, I have been shopping there,” Mahady said. “I can go out and buy each one of the kids an outfit, and it doesn’t break me.” She had never thought of resale stores as an option, she said.
Golden Kids and Kiddo Ditto in Wheeling, as well as Cary’s Good Night Moon, sell like-new children’s clothing and toys, as well as equipment such as strollers and cribs.
And while Play It Again Sports has merchandise for all age groups, much of the chain’s success is due to its business in children’s goods. Parents say they like the idea because sports equipment is expensive, especially when children outgrow much of it in one season. A pair of used in-line skates, for example, cost about $55, while new skates cost more than $100, according to company officials.
Francine Stein, Kiddo Ditto co-owner, says that since the store opened 1 1/2 years ago, it has built a customer base drawing shoppers from throughout the northwest suburbs. Although the store has an obvious appeal for people on a budget, Stein said, it also attracts customers who can afford to shop elsewhere.
“We have a lot of customers who could well afford to go into department stores, but they are committed to recycling. They would rather buy this than be part of the throwaway society of the ’80s,” Stein said. “It’s criminal to buy new things that children are going to grow out of in two months.”
Women’s resale stores also are very popular. Who wouldn’t, after all, want to buy designer clothes at less than half the price of retail stores?
“If you can buy a designer suit for $300, isn’t that better than going to a department store and spending $900 on it,” said Dawn Phillips, Treasured Twice boutique owner. “It’s now very chic to shop resale.”
Sheri Golden, owner of Golden Kids, said many people are indeed drawn to the store for the savings. Others, however, simply find resale shopping a good sport. “For some it’s just fun,” Golden said. “They like to see what comes in and find that one great find.”
Resale shops, of course, would not be able to exist at all if it were not for the people who sell their possessions. Joyce Jasieniecki, for example, has made a sport of resale shopping and then selling back the merchandise. The Northbrook mother of three travels across the north and northwest suburbs looking for bargains for her children. Being able to sell back the clothes and toys, she says, is a big money saver.
Having that option also takes the risk out of shopping. “I have bought items that were not worn. I just go back and resell it,” Jasieniecki said; she gets back a little less than half of what she paid.
People sell their possessions for a lot of different reasons, however.
For Lori, a Deerfield resident who did not want her last name used, selling her wedding gown was as much a break with the past as it was a chance to recoup part of the $900 she spent.
“I was married a year ago. Well, I’m not married anymore,” Lori said.”I just figured I don’t have any kids so it’s not like I’m going to save it for them, and even if I did, chances are they’re not going to wear it anyway. I figured it’s a brand new dress, it’s only been worn once and I can get back part of my investment.”
Lori’s dress how hangs at Threads & Retreads in Deerfield, where it is on sale for $500. Perhaps this year’s bride will have better luck.
