It’s a good job Louise McIntosh isn’t keen on shopping for herself, given the eye-popping choice of designer pieces she sees each week.
LouSells in Stonehaven’s Market Square is a fashionista’s paradise, selling high-end pre-loved labels in clothing, bags, footwear and other accessories.
Louise has always had an interest in fashion but admits: “I’m much better shopping for other people than myself so that’s probably why this works.”
The bricks and mortar shop opened in October, but Louise has been building up a following since 2017 through social media, pop-ups and online sales.
As a result, she has customers as far away as France and California.
Doing things differently
LouSells doesn’t buy in stock and then turn it around in the traditional way.
Instead, it takes in consignments from individuals and sells on their behalf, taking a 40% commission when an item sells. If something doesn’t sell after around three months, the seller may choose to discount it or simply have it returned to them.
Louise, a mum and former HR executive, believes having such a specialised shop in Stonehaven benefits both buyers and sellers.
“It gives a massive variety of good-quality brands and designers that customers would probably have to go far and wide to get otherwise. Add in the fact that they are probably a lot cheaper than they would have been originally,” she says.
“We check and verify everything so we know it’s as new or as close to new as it can be and anything that isn’t is always reflected in the price.
“From the sellers’ aspect they have the convenience of having a wardrobe clear-out and getting something back fast without really any effort. If you put it on eBay or Facebook Marketplace you’re going to be inundated with questions and haggling with prices and things and this gives them a better chance of being able to get a good price for it without having to deal with any of the hassle.”
Keeping things fresh
This month LouSells is trialling a buyout offer for a very exclusive selection of goods, such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci or Dior handbags, whereby it will buy the item outright from the seller.
Louise says: “We have a lot of clients get in touch and they’ve just got one really nice high-end bag and they just want the cash in their pocket there and then. We’ll do a restricted amount each month and see how it goes.”
She adds: “Mulberry is possibly our most popular item; we’ve got a list of people just waiting to buy them.
“The Bayswater backpack we had in this week got dropped off and went online just before I left here and by the time I drove home it had sold. It was our fastest-ever selling item.”
To find out more about LouSells, visit the website or the shop at 21 Market Square, Stonehaven.
