Business of the Week: Magpie Consignment

1822 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Fairfax

(415) 258-0200

facebook.com/magpieconsignment

What do they offer?

Magpie Consignment offers vintage and modern clothing, accessories, jewelry and collectables. On the day of this interview, the store was brimming with vintage sunglasses, hard-to-find hat boxes, beaded evening bags, contemporary and vintage day bags, a drawer full of gloves, vintage lingerie and hats, cowboy boots, modern shoes, jewelry, suitcases and train cases.

The vintage look has always been popular and, thanks to the television show Mad Men, anything from the sixties is huge right now. Though the store has mostly women’s styles, they do sell some men’s pieces.   

“For consignment, I just take it if I like it,” said owner Anita Newman Fate. “I have a vintage aesthetic. I like romantic, feminine, sexy, fun clothing. The other day, a couple in their nineties brought in two dresses from the 1930s that were owned by the wife. They are very sweet styles in great condition.” (See photos in gallery.)

Who are they?

Newman Fate, who grew up in Los Angeles, always shopped in thrift stores and flea markets. With a degree in English, she worked in publishing and was a copy editor for the Hollywood Reporter, Hot Rod and Motor Trend Magazines. 

Living off and on in London, she discovered many outdoor markets and enjoyed the hunting process, which, in this business, is called “picking.” In the 1980s, Newman Fate started buying and selling clothes at Los Angeles flea markets, the Rose Bowl and in Pasadena. She also “picked” for several stores.  

How long have they been there?

Newman Fate moved to San Francisco in 1989, two days before the earthquake. She worked at a vintage store on Haight Street, but moved to Marin after her daughter was born. Though she had a job as a proofreader for an ad agency, she continued to buy and sell clothes.

In May 2008, she opened Magpie Consignment. “I finally was ready for my own store. My husband is the co-owner. I still ‘pick' a little, but I have mostly consignment. The people who bring things in know my aesthetic.”  

A big fan of old movies, she and her husband live in a San Anselmo 1936 Mediterranean-style home with the original O’Keefe and Merritt stove, red tile roof, and pink-and-black-tiled bathroom with turquoise tub, toilet and sink. “It looks like it could be in the Hollywood Hills. We love it. Our dog Pepper, a combination of Asta and Toto, fits right in,” she said.

Why are they business of the week?

Magpie Consignment has already won several Best of the North Bay awards from the North Bay Bohemian. In 2010, they were named Best Vintage Clothing Store and, in 2011, Best Resale Store.   

Teenagers are among the biggest customers. Students get a 10 percent discount. Many who wear Magpie vintage are involved in groups, such as the Art Deco Society or swing dancing. Several clients are singers, musicians and in rock-a-billy bands.

“When I opened Magpie, there were plenty of consignment stores in Marin selling high-end expensive designer clothes,” said Newman Fate. “I wanted to sell the kind of clothes my friends and I like to wear: pretty, affordable, eclectic and not exclusively labeled pieces. At Magpie, you can treasure hunt for 30s bias-cut floral dresses, poofy 50s crinolines, modern high-end or funky jeans, new sundresses, 60s sheaths, or just a little tank top or camisole.

“I didn’t know what to expect in Fairfax and have been pleasantly surprised. There are three consignment stores on the same street, but we are all very different. We share customers. We are friendly competitors,” she said.

Newman Fate carefully edits the selections. She donates gift certificates to local community fundraisers at schools, rotary clubs, and for events like the Blue Jean Ball. 

“What I love about consignment is that there’s something in it for everybody - the store, the consignor, the shopper, and the planet,” said Newman Fate. “It is great when the original owner brings something in. I can get a sense of the history of the piece and pass on that knowledge to the new buyer. I like the nostalgia and romance and every day is surprising. I never know what will walk in the door!”