Consignment shop in Mall Plaza offers Styles For All Seasons

Kathy Jennings | Thursday, January 23, 2014

Talking traffic signals, sidewalks suited for guide dogs, and transportation that is friendly for a person losing her eyesight are a few of the reasons Sharmese Anderson decided to move from the Detroit suburbs and relocate in Kalamazoo.

Anderson's exceedingly busy life as a professional image consultant, interior designer, assistant to a pastor of a large congregation, and a woman responsible for family members' care came to a halt with one visit to the doctor.

What she thought was night blindness was diagnosed as retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that often leads to blindness. She could no longer drive. Anderson came to Kalamazoo to learn how to maintain her independence as her eyesight failed and found the help she needed at the Michigan Training Commission for the Blind.

She decided to leave the Detroit area in 2009. After she moved to Kalamazoo, she continued to help people look their best and after settling in, people at her church, Mount Zion, encouraged her to open a boutique where she could continue to do the work she loved.

Styles For All Seasons was born in 2013. She opened the 1,800-square-foot consignment shop in December in time to catch the eye of holiday shoppers.

Anderson has opened a store where she invites customers to come in to look for attire for their first job interview and to come back after they get after they get the job.

Toward that end, she is working with organizations such as Michigan Rehabilitative Services, the Gospel Mission, Goodwill and Ministry Community to assist those seeking inexpensive work attire. Though Anderson offers elegant work wardrobes, she also has many other type of clothing. "Everything but jeans and T-shirts," she says. Accessories, including boots, shoes, and more also are on sale in the store.

Men and women's apparel is sold. She says the store also is the perfect place for the college student on a tight budget.

She describes her shop as a place where customer can leave looking like they have spent hundreds of dollars when the total price is more in the $75 range.

She accepts clothing on consignment and pays each Friday to those whose clothing sells. Those who contribute new or gently used clothes receive a 40 percent commission on the sale of those items. Anderson is assisted in the store by Stefanie Waites.

As Anderson continues to spread the word about the work she does to make people look their best, the store will be participating in Girlfriend Getaway, coming in February, and the spring Art Hop.

Styles For All Seasons is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. It's found in the retail space formerly occupied by Amy Zane and across from Sangha Yoga in Mall Plaza.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Sharmese Anderson, Styles For All Seasons