Boutique sells consignment fashions in a vintage-themed space

WASILLA — Standing among hundreds of consignment items in Younique Boutique, shop owner Megan Vincent begins to bounce as she hears the unmistakable hook and infectious beats of Mackelmore’s earworm “Thrift Shop.”

The catchy hip-hop single spent more than 12 weeks in Billboard’s No. 1 spot, and perhaps in the process made it cool to compile a wardrobe from vintage and consignment shops like Younique Boutique.

Vincent said she began taking in items and reselling them five years ago in a small storefront on Main Street in Wasilla. But a year and a half ago she moved into bigger digs in the Meta Rose Square, where she offers an ever-changing mix of merchandise from jeans and jewelry to gowns, shoes, hats and tops in sizes 0 to 3X.

As new merchandise is put out on the floor, it is organized by size and type. But because of where the merchandise comes from, the sizes available reflect the women who actually live in the Mat-Su Valley and their tastes in fashion, Vincent said.

“The average size is 12, not 0,” she said.

In addition to her full-time job as mom, the shop is open seven days a week and Vincent teaches fitness classes at the Alaska Club. She said she likes to stay busy and what may seem like a frenetic pace to other people actually suits her.

When she decided to open the business, Vincent said it was important to her that the shop is the sort of place she could shop with her own mother and daughters.

“There’s a mother and daughter — that’s my favorite thing to see,” she said, nodding toward a pair of shoppers thumbing through a rack of cloths on Saturday.

But don’t go expecting another second-hand shop like Value Village or Bishop’s Attic. Here the items are displayed with the sort of style and flair usually found in shops that sell new merchandise.

Vincent said she describes Younique Boutique as a consignment shop that sells women’s fashions in a vintage-themed space. They do sell vintage items, but most of the wares are for day-to-day wear, she said.

“This is a vintage dress, but it’s not something I wear every day,” Vincent said, flaring the straight skirt on her strappy black gown.

A rainbow of sparkling formals hangs from the rafters near the second-floor balcony railing. Vincent said she does a good business this time of year selling fantastic dresses for prom at affordable prices.

“This way people get a return on their investment,” she said.

Vincent said many of her customers are regulars who come back often looking for new treasures. Keeping her merchandise fresh is one of the biggest challenges, she said.

Here’s how it works. Women pick through their closets and take the items to Younique Boutique for Vincent to consider.

Items accepted are put out on the floor by consigner number — instead of the person’s name — and when they are sold, the seller receives 50 percent of the sale price as in-store credit. Those who prefer cash, receive a check for 40 percent of the sale price.

“You get way more this way for clothes than at a garage sale,” Vincent said.

Working in retail also has been a great way to meet new friends and connect with her friends and family who stop by to shop. Vincent said she graduated from high school in the Valley and sees lots of familiar faces come through the shop.

It also was a couple of those familiar faces who got her involved with the Pioneers of Alaska Igloo No. 11’s 23rd annual Salad Luncheon and Style Show at the Palmer Moose Lodge April 26. Every year, the fashion show features local models wearing fashions from a local shop. This year, Younique Boutique’s second-hand fashions were featured in the show.

“I especially like her top,” Vincent said of a diagonally stripped blouse a model on the runway wore. “And not just because it used to be mine.”

Although the shop only sells women’s fashions, it is a favorite among many Valley children for its box of dress-up clothes kept in a cupboard under the stairs to help keep them busy while their mothers — and grandmothers — browse.

“Everyone appreciates the cupboard under the stairs,” Vincent said.

Although the shop is certainly a labor of love for the Vincent family, and manager Veronica McDowell, it would not be possible Vincent said without her mother who brings hot meals to her at the shop four days a week, sews on missing buttons and chauffeurs her grandchildren around the Valley as necessary.

And now that they are in high school, Vincent said her daughters also work at the store, too.

“I love that,” she said.

Visit Younique Boutique, 322 Main St., Wasilla, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday to Friday; from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday; from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday; and from noon to 7 p.m., Monday, or call 373-6040.

Contact managing editor Heather A. Resz at 352-2268 or heather.resz@frontiersman.com.