Word: shopped
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...selling this one for a mere $200. Oh, and how about those Prada evening shoes she's got priced at just $140? They'd usually set you back several hundred bucks. So what's the catch? Well, most of the chichi clothes, shoes and accessories on sale at this shop are ... well, preworn. Weeks' boutique is in fact an upscale version of the ubiquitous Oxfam charity shop, a humble mainstay of Britain's shopping streets...
...Sixty years ago, Oxfam pioneered the notion of raising cash by selling donated clothes and goods from charity shops. Now it has decided the concept needs tweaking. Most of Oxfam's 730 shops across the U.K. are slightly dowdy affairs, crammed with a wide variety of used clothes, bric-a-brac, books and CDs. But the Notting Hill shop - one of three in London recently reopened as high-fashion boutiques - looks downright chic, with polished dark-wood flooring, arty light fixtures, and top-brand ladies' wear displayed on stylish wrought-iron racks. The shop also sells brand-new fair-trade...
...Creating specialty shops dedicated to high fashion was the natural answer. Some Oxfam regulars already knew they could often find real gems buried within the jumble of dull duds packed into ordinary shops. Oxfam had already had good success with other types of specialty stores: it has 120 used-book shops in the U.K. and recently opened five shops dedicated to selling used vinyl LPs and CDs. Farquhar says the Notting Hill shop's makeover should increase that site's revenues 100%. The boutique's average sale is $40, four times the average sale at a regular outlet. The other...
...There is no shortage of stock, and nothing goes to waste. Oxfam receives around 150 tons of clothes each week, which are typically sold at the shops that receive the donations. That's why the designer boutiques are expected to work best in posh areas. "Like attracts like," Farquhar explains. Clothes deemed unsuitable for sale at individual shops end up at Oxfam's "wastesaver" operation in Huddersfield, north England. From there, some are sold via Oxfam's online shop, while others are sold in bulk to dealers in developing countries. Clothes that are completely unwearable are shredded and sold...
...looks young and active," says carpet seller Abdul Saboor, 56. "Bush has made too many mistakes in Afghanistan, so if Obama can change the policy it is good for America and good for us." Saboor is acutely aware of the problems insecurity have brought to his country; his carpet shop, which used to be next to the Indian embassy, was blown up in the terrorist attack. "I hope this new guy has new ideas for security. He says he wants to bring troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. Iraq is improved now, so maybe those troops will improve security here...