A boutique approach to consignment: RE Park City

PARK CITY, Utah — When Jennifer Redington and Eileen Mullane set out to open RE Park City, a consignment shop, their vision was clear from the start: curated, uncluttered, with clothes grouped by color and a space that feels as good as it looks.

“We didn’t want to have miles of packed racks,” Redington said. “We wanted it to be more of a boutique shopping experience.”

Over a glass of wine around Thanksgiving, Redington, who had spent about 30 years in San Francisco working in healthcare and technology, said the town needed a consignment store for clothing. Mullane was already a longtime friend of Redington’s sister and the idea was born.

Mullane brought the retail experience. She co-founded Right at Home, a consignment shop known for furniture, home decor and accessories, in 2001 and ran it for two decades. Redington, who moved to Park City in 2022, brought the eye for fashion.

“I knew all the computer stuff and the processes, but not that much about fashion,” Mullane said. “Jennifer is the fashion side of the business.”

Redington said they had a hunch; she believed local closets held plenty of elevated brands with broad appeal.

“That was our bet,” Redington said. “And turns out we were right.”

By Jan. 1, they had space in the Iron Horse District. They studied shops in San Francisco and Los Angeles along the way. Redington said the idea came together in about six weeks. The shop is now about a year and a half old.

Mullane said the color-based layout is meant to make browsing easier. “We try to do our shop by color, so the black tones, the blue tones,” she said. “I just think it makes it easier for shoppers to shop.” The owners also want the consigning side to feel low-stress. Redington said people are often parting with clothes that carry good memories.

“People are bringing in things that have been loved and they’ve had great memories in, and we wanted to honor that,” she said. “So maybe somebody else could love it too.”

Consignors book appointments Thursday through Saturday. The shop takes what the owners call elevated brands and splits the sale price 50-50 with the consignor. Items are expected to sell within about 60 days, a window the owners say keeps the racks fresh and leaves room for new arrivals. Prices are discussed with each consignor, and payments go out by check at the end of the month. Some months that means about 150 checks.

Consignors are asked to bring no more than 12 items at a time, and the shop takes clothing by season. Sweaters are coming in now that summer is over, and ski jackets and ski wear arrive in October. When appointments fill up, as they often do, the owners offer a later date, sometimes a couple of weeks out.

Unsold items can be picked up or donated on the consignor’s behalf.

The owners describe the shop as a social space. Groups host shopping parties, and the store has held events where a portion of proceeds went to charity, including one with Hope Alliance. It has also hosted pop-ups for other small businesses, such as a jewelry showcase called Recycled Bling. The shop donated gift certificates to KPCW’s pledge drive. The most recent pop-up was with local artist Quinn Prints.

“People pop in, and they visit for a while and chit-chat,” Mullane said.

Events are announced mostly through an email newsletter, so signing up is the best way to keep track. Anyone hoping to organize an event or trunk show can email the shop or message it on Instagram.

The Iron Horse location suits the owners. It has parking in front and back, and Mullane said she likes being a few steps off Main Street.

The name came from a search for words starting with “re,” of which the owners counted about 3,000. Reimagine, recreate and redo were all in the running. They later learned a shop in England uses the same name. It’s pronounced “ree,” though some customers spell it out as R-E instead.

Whatever the pronunciation, they promise one thing: Every customer gets a greeting and welcome into the space.