Within the first hour of opening the new business, a Louis Vuitton bag and $10 worth of fashion jewelry had already gone out the door.
The foot traffic on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara was much better than in Barbara Reed’s old stomping grounds of Montecito, where she worked as a sales associate for many years at Dressed and Ready on Coast Village Road before working for herself.
“Eclectic” was how the longtime local described the crowd passing by Barbara’s Consignment Concierge at 1103 State St., which is next door to The French Press.
After more than five years in the consignment concierge business — driving out to people’s homes, picking up gently used clothes and items and then finding the right home in local second-hand shops or on eBay — Reed was finally able to open her own brick-and-mortar location April 1.
It already felt like home.
Shelves held carefully displayed housewares, handbags, retro Barbie dolls, games, colorful artwork, antiques, jewelry and clothing for the whole family.
“A lot of it came from my own closet,” Reed said last week, looking around at the space she took over from Mystique Sonique, which sold mostly fashion jewelry and accessories.
“I’ve always been the middle person. People just want to clean their closets and get rid of things. It’s a service of convenience. People don’t want to spend their whole days at consignment stores.
“I want people to walk in and get a deal on a pair of jeans or get a present as a tourist. I want to create that kind of world.”
Just because she has the shop doesn’t mean Reed will be confined to its walls. She plans to continue picking up items free of charge from Carpinteria to Goleta, and working with other consignment stores.
Her business, which turns 6 years old in November, takes a 50-percent cut from a client’s profits and last year had more than 100 regular customers.
It’s been a big year for Reed, a Northridge native whose maiden name is Dubbels. She married local CPA Chrisley Reed, turned 40 and fulfilled a lifelong career dream.
Reed moved to Santa Barbara in 1993 to play basketball at Santa Barbara City College and remained local with her mother, Diane Brod, who helps run the business.
Barbara’s Consignment Concierge has another essential: a yorkie shop dog named Riley.
Reed describes herself as quirky, the kind of gal who from a young age always tried to get the most for her money, shopping in the dented-can isle at the grocery store and helping others look their best for less.
“I always loved the treasure hunt,” she said.
Inventory is so high that Reed plans to host a “turnover sale” on April 11, offering great deals so she can bring in more of the clothes she had been storing at her home.
“One day we’ll figure out where to put it all,” she said. “I’m really excited.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.