For a video game fan like Russell Berns, FuncoLand is lots of fun. So much fun, in fact, that the 9-year-old Highland Park resident makes his way to the Deerfield store once a week while his parents shop nearby.
Most video game enthusiasts would welcome the chance to sift through and try about 5,000 used video games, all of which cost much less than new games. While video games for systems such as Nintendo and Sega Genesis cost about $45 new, the same games at FuncoLand average about $20.
In addition, FuncoLand accepts used games as trade-ins, allowing players to add to their collections with a minimal investment.
With 27 stores in the Chicago area, and 60 nationwide, FuncoLand is one of the kings of the resale business. In addition to the Deerfield store, there are FuncoLands in Vernon Hills, Crystal Lake, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg and Mt. Prospect.
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 a year, he said, since the first store opened 2 1/2 years ago and expects to do $20 million in business this year.
Pomije said part of the chain’s success is due to the popularity of video games; he also credits the surging interest in resale shopping.
“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 over the last 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.
Lake County is no exception to the trend. The area has branches of resale chains such as FuncoLand and Play It Again Sports in Vernon Hills, which sells used sporting equipment and is part of a 330-store franchise operation. The county also has a host of independent resale stores, including Dog Ear Music and Movies in Libertyville, which sells used compact discs and videos; Golden Kids and Kiddo Ditto in Wheeling and Kiddie Korner in Libertyville, which resell children’s clothes, toys and equipment; Threads & Retreads in Deerfield, which resells wedding gowns; and Treasured Twice Boutique in Barrington and Dolly’s Second Showing in Antioch, both of which sell women’s designer clothing.
Thrift shops have been around for decades, but today’s resale stores are a much different breed from their predecessors, owners said. Whereas some older shops looked a lot like big garage sales, the new establishments more closely resemble boutiques.
Many shop owners carry name brand products only and will not sell goods that are soiled or broken. Several other resale stores will sell only current styles.
The new stores also are popping up in what used to be unlikely places. Resale stores are found near boutiques in upscale communities, such as Barrington and Libertyville. They are found in shopping malls, as well as on downtown streets.
“Resale has been around since before the turn of the century, and privately owned stores have been around since the 1950s,” the 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. A 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 was transferred to the Glenview Naval Air Station, however, the family had to tighten its budget. The cost of living in the Chicago area was much higher than in North Carolina, she found. Retail shopping for children’s clothing and equipment simply was too expensive, Mahady said.
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.”
Fortunately, visiting children’s resale shops was a success. Mahady now is a regular at Golden Kids in Wheeling and said 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.
Mahady is not alone. Resale stores that carry children’s goods are among the fastest growing kind of resale store in the area. Golden Kids and Kiddo Ditto in Wheeling, as well as Kiddie Korner in Libertyville, sell quality 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 said 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, was about $55 at one store; new, the skates cost more than $100.
Francine Stein, Kiddo Ditto co-owner, said that since the store opened 1 1/2 years ago, it has built a customer base including people from as far as Gurnee.
Though the store has an obvious appeal for people on a budget, Stein said, it also attracts customers who can afford to shop elsewhere.
“It’s quality merchandise at a price these young mothers can afford where they cannot afford to go elsewhere. We also 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 throw-away society of the ’80s,” Stein said. “It’s criminal to buy new things that these children are going to grow out of in two months.”
Women’s resale shops also are popular. Who wouldn’t want to buy designer clothes at less than half the price charged at 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 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 stores, of course, would not exist if it were not for the people who sell their possessions. Participants said that selling used items is a good way to keep expenses down and keep their houses and closets uncluttered.
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 much as a chance to recoup part of the $900 she spent on it.
“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 now hangs at Threads & Retreads, where it is on sale for $500. Perhaps this year’s bride will have better luck.
