At The Very Thing in Haymarket, business is booming.
"Business is very good and it's just growing all the time," said owner Doris Buck, who opened the shop at 15000 Washington St. three years ago.
Buck says her store is doing well because it is a consignment shop, which sells items owned by someone and then gives that seller a percentage of the sale.
"This is just good both ways," Buck said. "People can make some extra money and get rid of things, making much more than they would in a yard sale. And other people can buy things at a low cost."
The rooms of The Very Thing are packed full of sofas, chairs and bookshelves, picture frames, vases and wall hangings. Buck said the store accepts just about everything, except clothing and toys.
"I think it's the quality of the merchandise that gets people coming back," Buck said. "We have a lot of upscale items."
People bring their items to the store to sell and Buck and her employees do home visits, scoping out furniture and other items people hope to sell before moving.
Buck said many of the goods in her store come from residents of the Heritage Hunt retirement community, and other nearby neighborhoods, moving out of the area.
"We do home visits and advise people about what will sell," Buck said.
Lately, interest in the shop has been growing, and right now there's a waiting list of people hoping to get their goods into the store, she said.
According to the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops, consignment stores typically not only live through a recession, but thrive during it.
About 64 percent of consignment stores that responded to a NARTS survey reported that their sales increased over the past year, with an average increase of about 31 percent.
Another 11.5 percent of the survey respondents said their sales were about the same.
In a news release, NARTS Executive Director Adele Meyer said many factors contribute to the success of consignment shops during a recession, but one reason sticks out.
"One of the foremost reasons that resale thrives in a slow economy is simple," Meyer said. "People love a bargain."
Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.
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