Less Is More At Madam Had'em

In a down economy, there are few businesses that remain completely bulletproof. Analysts report that drugstore beauty purchases tend to rise in a recession and the "sin products" – tobacco, liquor, etc. -- always stay above the fray.

But high-end designer clothing and accessories? It's easy to imagine that those luxuries would go the way of fancy new cars and fabulous vacations. Think again. Or better yet: re-think -- as in re-chic.

High-end consignment shopping is not only weathering the storm, but it's soaring. And the reasons behind the booming success might surprise you. Based in Marblehead for five years, Cheryl McGuire, proprietress of Madem Had'em, has seen sales at her shop double in the last 18 months alone.

"It's literally skyrocketed," she said from her Washington Street storefront, an airy boutique featuring gently used (and often never worn) clothing, shoes, handbags, and jewelry from designers whose lines regularly grace the pages of Vogue.

Artfully displayed, it's only the slashed prices that reveal their origins. McGuire explained the recent growth of her business as being a symptom of a diminished economy, but not necessarily – or only -- because of tightened fiscal belts.

"Less is more" and "green living" are big buzzwords in current American culture McGuire said. They've infiltrated the lives of those who tend toward a more luxurious and fashionable lifestyle, too she said.

"Even Jimmy Choos clog landfills," McGuire said, quoting a popular New York Times article on the trend.

In prior years, some of McGuire's clients would only meet her privately to consign or purchase. Now, many of her "regulars" are literally out of their closets and doing business in broad daylight. Indeed, the urge to purge and consign designer items and to purchase togs and bobbles at prices far below the going rate has become utterly chic.

And it's a trend McGuire expects will remain in vogue for a long, long time.

Madam Had'em consigns clothes (by appointment) from North Shore clients, as well as from those in Boston and Cape Cod; she and her clients split the proceeds 50/50 once they sell. Nearly half do repeat consigning with her, due in part to solid business practices and a purchasing clientele that is fiercely loyal.

"Eighty percent of what we show sells within 30 days," McGuire said. "Our inventory changes so frequently that many of our customers will stop in weekly to see what's new. And our consigners have come to expect a reliable income from us."

That income can range monthly between $300 or upward.  McGuire often says, "We treat our customers like our consignors and our consignors like our customers."

Madam Hadem's arsenal of fashion is created with a keen eye for well-known and also up-and-coming designers but also with a commitment to value and nearly every price point.

"I'm sort of a Gap girl myself," MacGuire said. "But I also love gorgeous things that are beautifully made and hard to find – and at a bargain? even better."

In McGuire's previous career as a professional recruiter, she looked for the right candidate for the perfect job. In many ways, her career hasn't shifted much.

"Now, I am the middle person between a consignor and customer looking for that perfect dress or bag or outfit," she said. "I love what I do."