Many of us look into our overflowing wardrobes and claim we have nothing to wear. The honest truth is that we simply don’t want to wear what’s in there anymore. But there is a way that you can part with your clothes AND do your purse a favour – you can consign with Siopaella.
Siopaella, ambulance meaning ‘Ella’s Shop,’ was opened in early 2011 by Ella de Guzman and Stephen Ryan. Ella, who grew up in Canada, was surrounded by consignment stores and decided to bring the innovative idea to Ireland. Now, having expanded to two shops, both with the same name, the consignment trend has caught on like wildfire. With appearances on Xposé and being featured in the sunday business post, the Irish Times and the Sunday Independent magazine, the shop currently has over 1,500 consignors who bring in pre-loved, brand new and vintage men and women’s clothing and accessories, almost every single day. In Ella’s own words, she opened the shop for a combination of three reasons, “I loved working with people, I loved fashion and there weren’t any consignment shops in Dublin like ours.”
The two shops are both located in bustling Temple Bar, one on Temple Lane South and the other, just around the corner on Crow Street. Being spoilt for choice, the shops boast both high street and high end designer brands. The Crow Street shop hosts mainly the high street trends such as Topshop, American Apparel, Ted Baker and Zara, whilst the Temple Lane South shop is more luxurious, treating us with the likes of Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chloé and Alexander McQueen.
As if being surrounded by such brands in a shop wasn’t good enough, Siopaella also has a booming Facebook page. Staff style outfits in a range of sizes and post them each day on their page, where people can comment about price, size, style as well as being able to ask to hold items until they can try them on in the shop. The Siopaella team receive numerous compliments about their friendly and caring attitudes, as is evident in Facebook recommendations, so don’t be afraid to call up with any queries at any time.
If you are interested in bringing in your clothes, to open a consignment account with Siopaella, you must have at least fifteen items, which may also include accessories. Consignments are by appointment only, which can be arranged over the phone and clothing must be of a high quality-something that Siopaella is very serious about.
At the moment, the high-street shop is fully stocked, however, Ella posts regularly on Facebook when they will be taking new stock in, so keep an eye out.
Luckily for us college students, Siopaella will be hiring again in Spring 2014. They are looking for candidates with a minimum of two years retail experience preferably with experience in consignment. Fear not if you have zero retail experience, as they do also offer an unpaid internship which provides you with the basic training needed to work in a consignment shop and any retail outlet for that matter. As a past intern, I have nothing but great things to say about the shops; brilliant retail experience, exposure to designers, a welcoming team, customer contact and a working environment that is never boring, I would recommend anyone with a love for fashion to apply next Spring.
Visit www.siopaella.com or their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/siopaella, for more information. Call 01 532 1477 for a consignment appointment or further information.
