Brought to you by labelswap
labelswap™ is unlike any other consignment store in Tampa. The store’s owners have spent over 30 years in the secondhand clothing industry and is second-generation in a sector of fashion that has made sustainability the coolest it’s been in 50 years. The trendy new South Tampa store aims to plug this gap on a local level, first in Tampa and possibly beyond on the west coast of Florida.
At labelswap™, there is no need to wait for items to sell, and consumers don’t have to follow up with the store to collect payment, owner Chris Pearson says.
“We felt that the traditional consignment model was outdated, inconvenient, and broken,” he adds. “With how busy people are today, having to wait and hope their items actually sell, and then follow up with the store to find out and get paid, is not convenient.”
labelswap™ purchases items directly from the consumer for cash on the spot or a higher amount in store credit. The store offers a large selection of men’s and women’s fashions in a trendy and clean environment with plenty of parking. labelswap™ is geared toward fashion-forward individuals who appreciate quality name brands and don’t necessarily want to pay the inflated retail prices these brands typically command.
The store carries most brands you would find at International Plaza, like Lululemon, Rag and Bone, Free People, Ann Taylor Loft and White House Black Market, as well as higher-end brands such as Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and others. The labelswap™ team is working hard to keep the price points approachable to the public while still offering the best quality name brands and designer brands. Their “designer alley” is a place in the center of the store focused on luxury and designer brands, while the other racks offer items at various price points for the financially conscious shopper.
At labelswap™, the idea was to bring the Thredup™ secondhand clothing model to Tampa in a brick-and-mortar environment but remove the inconvenience of the outdated consignment model from the equation. They have successfully brought this idea to life in a beautifully designed space right in the heart of South Tampa on Kennedy Boulevard.
While we experimented with the online process and felt that while this was new and trendy, it was not a good long-term solution for the industry,” Pearson says. “Purchasing items that are preowned require the purchaser to have a certain comfort level with the condition of the item, the quality, and most importantly, the fit. The new concept allows customers to try on the clothing before they make the investment.”
labelswap™ has put a large focus on the experience that the buyers and sellers will have in the store. This includes opening in a property that has over 40 parking spaces, with three dedicated to the sellers, making the process easy and convenient. Their Instagram wall is a destination not to be missed, because who doesn’t love to brag about finding a good deal?
With sustainability and reuse of clothing becoming an increasingly hot topic, labelswap™ is on the cutting edge of a new fashion trend. Pearson notes that even Nordstrom has announced it is entering the national market with a used clothing store brand. Even the labelswap™ customer bags have a purpose: Buy something and get a reusable bag. Fill it up and bring it back to get a discount on your next purchase.
The labelswap™ team have trained their buyers to look for modifications to clothing brought into the store and to understand on-trend items so shoppers can have the confidence to know that what is in store has a good probability of being something they will actually want at a price that they will love.
“labelswap™ is the result of many people coming together to build a concept focused on fashion, sustainability, and value to the customer,” Pearson adds. “It is a trendy and approachable environment, where men and women can come to explore and see what we have in store for them.”
While labelswap™ does not offer e-commerce at this time, the team has plans to revisit web sales in the future.
“We want to take what we have built, do great things with it, and hopefully please a lot of customers along the way,” Pearson says.
