Lost: Poor Little Rich Girl. FOUND: high-end fashion in Davis Square. FOUND, which opened in early September, caters to style-savvy Somerville locals with its unique collection of contemporary vintage and designer clothing and accessories. While it has taken the place of the popular store Poor Little Rich Girl — a former staple for trendy Tufts students — FOUND is hoping to fill the resale shop's shoes with even more varied, high-quality fashion than its predecessor.
Meredith Bennett, co-owner of FOUND along with her husband Fred Bennett, has been in the consignment business for a long time.
"The concept started with my mother and sister years ago," Bennett said. "Before I had children, I just noticed there was so much waste."
Bennett successfully capitalized on this "waste" by opening an upscale children's clothing boutique that she operated until she took time off to focus on her family. Now, with the opening of FOUND, Bennett is hoping to return once again to the things she loves — people, clothing and giving back to the community.
After debating on a name for the shop, Bennett and store manager, Ri Heller, settled on FOUND. "A family friend suggested that when a woman goes shopping and she calls her girlfriend on the phone, she says, ‘Guess what I found,'" Bennett said. "And I went, ‘That's it!'"
Normally when customers enter a resale or thrift store, they're forced to sort through a hot mess of questionably clean flannel shirts mixed in with frighteningly sparkly '80s numbers. Because these shops receive an overload of "new" inventory every week, sales associates barely have time to put items back on hangers before another customer is rummaging through the disarray of packed clothing racks.
Any true thrift store shopper will argue that half of the fun is digging through piles of mediocre clothes in search of that one-of-a-kind piece they can nonchalantly brag about finding when people ask them where they bought it. Part of FOUND's charm, however, is that it is one of the rare resale stores where the clothing and accessory displays are as aesthetically pleasing as the individual pieces themselves.
Hoping to create a more boutique-style shopping experience, Heller said shopping at FOUND is like "walking into somebody's really well-organized walk-in closet."
"It totally runs the gamut," Heller said. "We carry everything from basic brands like Banana Republic and J.Crew to high-end Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent."
And with all of the clothing and accessories impressively arranged by style, color and type, browsing through the store really is like being in Cher's personal walk-in closet in "Clueless" (1995). But it's also the shop's expansive menswear section and witty little touches — like seeing designer track jackets playfully paired with Nike Air Forces and Converse hanging by their shoestrings — that truly set FOUND apart from the crowd.
Thanks to the help of Fern Hammer, whom Bennett affectionately describes as the "gatherer," the store resells items from clients in Florida, New York, Boston and Washington, and FOUND specifically resells contemporary styles from the last three to five seasons.
The way it works is that clients schedule an appointment to have their pieces priced for resale depending on the item's condition. While places like Buffalo Exchange have a quick turnover in inventory and give consigners only a third of the retail price, Heller explains that FOUND has a more in-depth resale process.
Because FOUND is more selective in choosing to resell higher-quality designer pieces, the store gives clients 40 percent cash and keeps items on the floor for 90 days before they are either returned to the owner or donated.
There's no question FOUND has an incredible selection, but Bennett admits that some people say the store is still "too pricey."
She believes, however, that FOUND is fortunate in all of the high-quality designer pieces clients have been willing to resell. "We've just hit the lotto. We're getting in really high-end pieces of clothing, so you have to be respectful to that," Bennett said. "My motto is: I'd rather see a person have fewer things, but nicer [things]."
Sure, the store is a bit pricier than what most college students are used to, but like Bennett said, sometimes less is more. And if anyone finds herself lost in a clothing rut of Goodwill sweaters full of holes and nautical striped shirts from Buffalo Exchange, why not spice it up with something FOUND just across the street?
