By Amanda Lamb
I needed a festive outfit for the annual holiday party we host at our Raleigh home. I had recycled my sparkly holiday wear more than twice and wanted a new look. When I walked into Revolver, a consignment store on Hillsborough Street, and told owner Liz Johnson what I was looking for, she disappeared into the back room. Moments later, she returned with a black jumpsuit she hadn’t even put on the floor yet. It had a tight, bejeweled bodice and spaghetti straps.
My immediate reaction: No way! I imagined myself trying to unzip and rezip the clingy top every time I needed to go to the bathroom. But Liz was insistent that I try it on. And when I did, I felt transformed into the belle of the ball.
No one is better at creating connection and community than small business owners. Not only is it their livelihood, but for merchants like Liz, it’s their raison d’être. Most customers know Liz, her employees, and her big cuddly dog named Lucy who greets everyone when they come into the store. The clothing may be the draw, but they’re also coming for something that feels like it’s slowly disappearing from the very fabric of our retail shopping experience—the human touch. Recent statistics show that about 45% of clothing is purchased online instead of in person.
Consignment and vintage shopping have exploded in the past few years as people become more conscious of recycling gently used clothing. My adult daughters, who live in New York City, are always eager to check out Liz’s shop when they come home. We love to find unique pieces that are made to last. And as a writer, I love knowing that a garment has a story. How many parties has it been to? Was someone wearing it on the best day of their life, or on their worst? Articles of clothing, like homes, embody their history in ways that we can never truly know.
But what I especially like about shopping at small consignment boutiques is not just the thrill of the hunt, but the personal greeting you get as you walk in the door, and the feedback you get from the owner, employees, and other shoppers as you try on potential purchases and twirl in front of the full-length mirror.
Small businesses are the foundation of our neighborhoods, and by supporting them we keep our communities thriving, not just economically but on a personal level.
When my mother was a teenager, she worked at a family-owned children’s clothing store in Concord, North Carolina. Later in life, she owned a clothing boutique, and then a small gift store in Pennsylvania. I’ll never forget watching my mother interact with customers when I was a little girl. She knew them by name, asked about their families, and offered thoughtful advice on what to buy. It showed me that retail is about more than the transaction.
Today’s small businesses are the general stores of yesteryear. They’re places where people gather, even if it’s just for a brief moment in time to be heard, to be seen, to connect. My mother understood this. Liz does, too.
She didn’t just help me find the right outfit that day. She helped me believe I could pull it off. Judging by the loyal community she’s built, I doubt I was the only one.
Amanda Lamb is an award-winning journalist, author, and podcast host best known for her decades covering crime and courts in North Carolina. A longtime reporter at WRAL-TV, she has written 13 books and now focuses on storytelling through podcasts, public speaking, and her media company, Stage Might Communications. Follow her at facebook.com/stagemight or visit alambauthor.com.
