Williamston resident Christine Benington has always loved clothes, but it wasn’t until she went to Stevie Wonder’s birthday bash in the Bahamas that she decided to open her own upscale consignment store.
At the party, she met one of Wonder’s next-door neighbors, who just happened to be a designer. They agreed that the economy has hurt the retail market, but has done nothing to curb people’s appetite for nice clothing.
For many, the only way to afford designer clothing is by getting it second-hand.
“You have to offer a good price, because the way the economy is, people don’t want to spent $200 on a dress,” Benington says.
When she got home, she started building her designer inventory. Saturday, she officially opened Sequels Consignment Boutique. The 1,300 square foot store is at 153 E. Grand River in Williamston, across from the Red Cedar Grill.
Sequels Consignment Boutique has women’s clothing, a small line of men’s clothing, shoes and accessories, and a fairly large bridal section.
“I think you kind of need to find a gimmick with this kind of niche, and we have with the bridal and formal line,” she says. Aside from creating a niche for herself, Benington also wanted to put her business in a growing area.
“Williamston is really trying to change the face of the downtown area,” she says. “There have been so many vacant buildings down here, but some of them have been restored. It just looked like this was the prime time to be doing something like this.”
Source: Michelle Aniol, City of Williamston
Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.
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