| Consignment comes to Moscow |
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| Written by Marcus Kellis - Argonaut | ||||||
| Monday, 30 November 2009 | ||||||
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 Austin Storm, owner of The Storm Cellar, poses for a photo at his store Monday. The Storm Cellar is a newly-opened consignment store at 212 S. Main Street. The paisley shirt and jacket are both for sale. Marcus Kellis/Argonaut
While he was in college, Austin Storm wore a different necktie every day, a habit that came to an end when he no longer had to dress up regularly. Storm opened The Storm Cellar, a consignment and local goods shop, on Moscow's Main Street in mid-November. For months beforehand he and his wife, Laura, accumulated clothing, along with some vinyl records and housewares, to populate the store. Besides that, they've been using Facebook, Twitter and their own Web site for promotion even in advance of the store's opening. Storm said people had brought in things every day the store has been open so far. They're generally looking for brand-name items from within the last four years or "really crazy, vintage stuff." "We definitely have some stuff you can't get anywhere else in Moscow," he said. The Storm Cellar occupies a niche previously lacking in Moscow - that of the clothing-centric consignment shop. The store's business model is more appropriate than some others for the current economic climate - "we didn't have to spend $50,000 on clothes," Storm said - and consequently the overhead is less than other stores' might be. They also accept handmade items, such as those knit or crocheted, for sale. "We started looking for store management software, and we actually ended up - my brother-in-law and I, both computer science wonks - (developing) our own system," Storm said. "If you bring something in on consignment, when it sells you'll automatically get an e-mail letting you know you have money in the store, or we'll mail you a check at the end of the month if it's over $25." Consigned goods are split down the middle, with 50 percent of the selling price each to the owner and the store. For handmade goods, The Storm Cellar takes a smaller cut, 40 percent. "We want to give people as much as (we can), because they're making the business possible," Storm said. Storm uses the store's Web site to advertise new and interesting goods at the store. Some of his recent Twitter updates express consternation over a Members Only jacket having been purchased ("I was really torn up to see it go") and Storm having recognized his first knock-off. The Storm Cellar will have its grand opening Friday. Its hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. As for the neckties, Storm said he's thinking about a frequent-buyer card. "Buy nine ties, tenth one's free," he said.  Add as favorites (33) | Views: 694
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