Located centrally in downtown Ellensburg is one of the city’s few consignment stores, ReRuns Consignment Boutique. 

A hole-in-the-wall establishment that could be easy to miss from the outside, contains an eclectic collection of secondhand clothing items and accessories. Bold paintings and murals line the otherwise gray and brick walls. The two customers shopping inside appear to be high-school aged girls. 

“I love the vibe of ReRuns, it is clean, organized and feels like home. They have friendly staff, a great selection and fair pricing. I encourage you to try it out!” said customer Emma K. via the ReRuns website.

The store made its grand opening on Aug. 8 of this past summer. The establishment began because of “a need…We had nothing like it in Ellensburg and I know there was one several years ago and people were very disappointed when it left the area” said store owner Sarah Beauchamp. Beauchamp also owns a local cocktail bar called The Mule. 

Reruns is a consignment store, not a thrift store. Although consignment and thrift stores both sell second hand clothing, thrift stores receive their merchandise through donations, whereas consignment stores pick selective items from consignors, who get a portion of the item’s sale price once that item has sold, according to the Goodwill Monocacy Valley Website.

“We’re very picky on seasonal [clothes], like I wouldn’t take you know, summer dresses right now,” Beauchamp said. “[Clothing] needs to be clean and you know, no stains and all the buttons and zippers need to work…because we do want to make sure that we have really quality merchandise.”

Anyone can become a consignor for Reruns. To do so, one must “fill out an online profile, create their account and then they will set up an appointment and bring stuff in to me” according to Beauchamp.

Reruns likes to sell middle to higher-end brands that aren’t typically found in other Ellensburg stores, like Eddie Bauer, Michael Kors, Victoria’s Secret and Jones New York according to Beauchamp. 

Buying second hand clothes has become popular for multiple demographics. Time Magazine website states that “consignment shops catering to high-end clientele started to emerge in the 1950’s, and wealthier consumers started coveting ‘vintage’ clothes. The thrill of finding couture at a more affordable price has never waned.”

Reruns gets a wide variety of customer types, Beauchamp said, from college-aged people all the way up to people her mom’s age.

Beauchamp believes that at some second hand stores, the items are “kind of outrageously overpriced for what you’re getting,” but she is “picky about what comes in, so [they] price it accordingly.”

To determine the price of clothing, Beauchamp said that Reruns uses software in which brands and descriptors of an article of clothing can be input, and it will show an average cost of comparable items at online stores such as Etsy and Poshmark. 

According to Beauchamp, if she is not completely happy with the price she gets for higher-end brand name items like those from Coach or Michael Kors, she will do some additional research before she sets a price. 

“I think about ‘what can we realistically sell it for in Ellensburg?’” Beauchamp said. 

Reruns, Girl Name Wyatt and Cascade Kids are currently the only consignment shops in Ellensburg, however there could easily be more in the future given the ever-growing market for it. The used goods market makes up a $14.2 billion industry, according to a state of the market report from IBISWorld. 

“Being a small business owner is very challenging,” Beauchamp said. “ [But] our community is wonderful.”