Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelley Matthews.
Shelley, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up in Southern California, fashion was fun and easy. I loved thrift and resale shops so much! All of the resale shops out there gave you instant gratification by either offering you cash or trade on the spot for your gently worn items. The idea of a “consignment shop” and waiting to be paid when your items sold was so foreign to me. I loved the idea of bringing the concept of “Buy, Sell, Trade” to the area. But, alas, this was just a dream.
I moved to Boston in 1998 looking for a change…. I sure found it when I met my husband 3 months later! It was a whirlwind romance and we were married just 9 months after meeting. We began our life together working and dreaming of things to come. 5 years later we welcomed our first son. The days of leisurely shopping were gone for me. My dream of a resale shop morphed into a hybrid of new AND resale clothing so there would always be something wonderful to discover in your size, never wasting a trip out. Again, just a dream……
My husband is a skilled craftsman. He loves building and refurbishing anything! Metal, wood, you name it; he can transform it. I thought this would be a cool idea for adding furniture to our “store”. We could use his pieces as fixtures but sell them…. What a concept! It was a way to always change the look of the store. Again, the dream morphed but it was still just a dream.
Life took over and our daily routine was the hustle and bustle of work and kids. We just welcomed our second son into the world and when I went back to work, something had changed. I was not happy and my family could feel it. My husband has always been so supportive in all of my endeavors, whatever they may have been. He saw how miserable I was and encouraged me to quit my job. I thought he was CRAZY! We just had a baby, how could we manage that? He pushed me in the way that only he could and told me that it was time to open the store that I had been talking about since the day we met! He believed in me and he believed in us. He always said; “I can build anything and you can sell anything, why are we working so hard for other people”….. Touche!
So on March 26, 2011 re-find women’s opened. 10 short months later re-find men’s opened. The incredible dreams that were in my head had finally come to life! The stores are doing great and we love our local clientele so much!! We have since expanded our website and can now sell our beautiful wears across the USA. We are hoping to expand in the coming years to feature more furniture and home goods as well as my husband creating custom masterpieces.
Has it been a smooth road?
Nothing ever runs smoothly in business! Managing 2 stores as well as stocking them full of amazing clothing as well as merchandising them has been a challenge. Like anything else, you need to have wonderful staff and support to help you each day. I am lucky that I have had the support of my family and some fabulous worker bees to help me along the way! I take each day in stride and am thankful for the success I have had thus far. I take nothing for granted, ever!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the re-find story. Tell us more about the business.
Both our men’s and women’s brick and mortar locations specialize in new AND resale clothing, accessories as well as reclaimed furniture pieces. Our two stores are just steps apart and our online store with mobile shopping capability makes it even simpler to view and purchase our new arrivals on the go.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Yes, big changes! Hoping that in the next 1-2 years of expanding our men’s store and adding custom furniture and industrial style pieces into the mix. We would like to add home goods and decor as well.
Contact Info:
- Address: re-find re-find men’s
72 Washington Street 244 Essex Street
Salem, MA 01970 Salem, MA 01970 - Website: www.refindstore.com
- Phone: women’s 978-219-9501 men’s 978-744-2365
- Email: orders@refindstore.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/refindwomens/ https://www.instagram.com/refindmens/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReFindWomen/ https://www.facebook.com/ReFindMens/
- Yelp: re-find Boutique
Image Credit:
John Andrews for Creative Salem
