Perennials and The Annex Offer Unique, Trendy and Affordable Finds

Whether you’re a bargain hunter or not, if you haven’t shopped a local consignment shop lately you truly don’t know what you’re missing! 

Thrift stores and consignment places are no longer nicer flea markets, oh no — they are chic, welcoming, high-quality, well-organized places that carry eclectic, trendy and stylish clothing, accessories, and household items that are usually exclusive because the merchandise is hand-picked. 

Sure it’s used, though many carry brand new as well, but the screening process most shops use to select their new merchandise definitely reflects premium finds.

With our still soft economy and fast approaching summer season we’ve had a lot of interest from our readers in highlighting South County’s round of consignments.  I recently gained a whole new respect for coupons after learning the ins and outs of “Extreme Couponing” and now I am thrilled to showcase our local consignment shops because not only do we have many friendly places that offer top-notch customer service the clothing, housewares, and dozens of other miscellaneous items they offer are of beautiful quality and unbelievably priced.

The first stop on the “Consignment Crusade” was located at 40 F Charles Street in the Cherry Branch Plaza Wakefield. 

This shop is off the charts amazing in every way!  It was already a flourishing shop before current owner, Brenda Ratcliff, purchased it four years ago. 

She had recently retired from a career in teaching where she finished her run in education as the principal at Clayville Elementary School in Johnston and had always entertained running a consignment shop in the back of her mind. 

“When I learned that Perennials was for sale, I thought it would be a great opportunity for my daughter and I to take on together.  She was completely on board.  What we didn’t count on was that her husband would be relocated to Pennsylvania, so I lost my partner before we began,” she said, chuckling.

Because of Perennial’s success here in town, Ratcliff decided she wanted to take an already well-run business and make it even better. 

“For the past four years we’ve taken steps to make some upgrades such as computerizing the business, redecorating and renovating, and finally reorganizing the store to increase the efficiency of the storage and layout,” she said.

While they’ve strived to make their customers' shopping experience as pleasant and worthwhile as possible, they haven’t wavered one bit from offering the best, possible quality of items and continue to have a following of both devoted shoppers as well as consignors. 

Ratcliff is proud to carry an inventory for teens, men and women of one-of-a-kind articles of clothing, basic pieces that never go out of style, designer labels like Coach, Burberry, Anne Taylor and Chicos, vintage, evening wear, men's suits and jackets, outerwear, an incredible assortment of shoes, handbags and stunning jewelry.  Right now, they have a lovely selection of prom dresses to choose from as well!

Those who shop Perennials often (and there is a faithful following!) have come to know and love one of the store’s biggest assets, Gay Wilson. 

“She has an incredible fashion sense, a great sense of humor, and really knows the business well,” Ratcliff said. 

Wilson loves watching her customers come in for the “thrill of the hunt,” especially when they leave with unbelievable purchases that they would never be able to find at a department store. 

And if you’re wondering how you’d go about finding your size, you’ll be wowed by how organized Perennials is. The clothing is organized by color coded racks, tagged by size and is easy to browse. And wait until you discover the quality and value that Perennials is known for including regular monthly sales.

They are also known for their generosity in giving back to the community.  Ratcliff explains that they routinely have a $2 donation rack.  Items that may be seasonal or have been in their inventory for an extended period of time are placed for sale, $2 for all items, and whatever amount is sold is donated to local places in need such as the Johnnycake Center, the Women’s Resource Center and local food pantries, to name a few. 

Perennials has long been a success story for clothing and accessories, so Ratcliff and her business partner, Sandi Winslow, decided to branch out and open another consignment store — only this one would be for home goods, jewelry, gifts, linens and more. 

Last July, Perennials Annex opened.  It is located in the back of Perennials but is its own separate store.  Here you will find an inviting assortment of old and new including seaside décor, unique mirrors, dishware, oriental rugs, antique furnishings, vignettes of eye-catching glassware, topiaries, serving dishes, cozy throws, candles and much, much more. 

In the Annex, you can shop for a thoughtful hostess gift, wedding and shower gifts, special jewelry keepsakes for graduates, creative teacher gifts, and a host of seasonal items that can refresh your own home.

Ratcliff and Winslow love interacting with their customers and those who would like to consign with them.  Both business women are personable, creative and are inspired to bring the community sensational finds that are affordably priced. 

Those interested in consigning with Perennials and/or The Annex, please call the store at (401) 782-3730 to make an appointment.

Next time you’re in the mood to go shopping, stop by at Perennials and the Annex and see what incredible treasures you might find.  Perennials is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Annex is open Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gift certificates are available at both stores.

Be sure to follow our series on local Consignment Shopping.  We’ll be featuring additional stores in the weeks to come. 

And if you have had a positive experience with any of our local consignment shops, please e-mail me at CB091987@aol.com or e-mail our editor Stephen Greenwell at Stephen.Greenwell@patch.com.  We'd love to know about it!

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