Carousel Consignments

Rude rude rude. Brought nice clothes to consign and was rudely rejected. Bad attitude by staff. Won’t ever go there again. The girl who supposedly helped me acted like she was working in a designer shop. Don’t go.

I went into this store on a whim yesterday — I just happened to be driving by it and my car, like a trusty horse with shopping radar, made a sharp turn into the parking lot. What a happy accident that turned out to be (no pun intended)! It is the loveliest, most welcoming consignment store I’ve ever been in. I would not expect to find such a warm and inviting atmosphere in a store that carries Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton and Lladro; yet it’s true. Carol, the proprietor, is engaging and friendly and the ideal of personal service. I’ve been thrift and consignment shopping for decades and normally in such an upscale shop I am confronted by snooty business owners who won’t even glance at me unless I am dressed to the nines, which I am normally not. The prices are quite fair for items in such excellent condition with high-​end labels; the sale and clearance-​priced items are exceptional in quality and quantity. I cannot wait to go again!

Love this place! Great mix of contemporary and classic designers. On a recent trip, I spotted Trina Turk, White House Black Market, Armani, St. John, eskandar, Akris, Burberry, Etro and Gucci items. Picked up a gorgeous Chanel bag. Also a great selection of evening bags and dresses, and lots of nice (both costume and fine) jewelry. I make a habit of in popping in when I’m in the neighborhood just to see what’s new, since the place seems to be always getting merchandise. They run lots of sales, too — like on a random day, all handbags are 20% off, another time it might be jewelry. I found a vintage Anne Klein necklace just like the one I had seen on ebay for a fraction of the opening bid price. All in all, a fun place to shop.

Wonderful experience! Called the shop on saturday at 3:30 to ask if they had a good selection of cocktail dresses. Arrived by 4, walked out by 5:30 with 2 stunningly beautiful dresses, an evening bag and jewelry to go with both dresses! They also had a nice selection of evening shoes. Carol has an eye for how to put pieces together and was so helpful. This is not a thrift store but a treasure chest. I will go back again, not just for evening wear but also for career wear. The location and exterior of the shop had me wondering before I stepped inside but I am so happy I did.

I rarely to never find clothes I like at consignment stores or thrift shops. I must not have that bargain hunter instinct in me. What I can find, and particularly at Carousel, are nice, sometimes never used, handbags for very reasonable prices.

Over $ 40 is too pricey for secondhand dresses. I know it’s Rockville, but dang, I feel like I can get the same brands at Goodwill for less. However, I do recommend buying shoes here. I saw unworn pairs here under $ 30. Friendly service. If there’s a sale, I’ll return.

Only gave it three stars because they only take women’s clothing! Otherwise shops looks great. Attendants seem very pleasant!

I’m reviewing this place as a consignor, and not a shopper — although the pushy, snotty staff did try their hardest to get me to spend what little money I’d make here. Ugh, what a racket. They have no inventory without consignors, only pay the overhead of rent, utilities, and whatever they pay employees, and then they try to get you to spend whatever you make there.
From the start, I knew this would go bad. But, since I’d worked retail part time and had nice clothes I wanted to clear out of my closets (yes, that’s plural), I persevered. My bad.
You have to make an appointment to bring in your clothes months in advance. I guess this gives them an air of exclusivity or desirability. Okay, fine. But, then, once you get there, the girls who do the intake are off-​the-​scale snotty and rude.
I brought in a range of clothing — some of it very nice and some of it that I wasn’t sure about, but none of it was worn ragged or stained, etc. The girls there turned down the more fashionable and on-​trend stuff. They weren’t familiar with some of the newer, trendier labels that I’d purchased in San Francisco, because I tested them on some designer names. And the attitude was horrendous. These women act like they are working for an internationally known designer, not a consignment store in a warehouse space in Rockville that caters to the geriatric Jewish women (I can say this because I will eventually be a geriatric Jewish woman — God willing). Plus, NOBODY in that store dresses well themselves, so the attitude has absolutely no foundation.
Anyway, having opened an account there and PAID the required $ 10 to do so, I came in about three or four times to consign stuff. Each time, while I was waiting for them to evaluate my clothing, they repeatedly pushed me to shop in the store and buy stuff. The first time, I looked around briefly, but after seeing the same gaudy Chico’s jacket in three different sizes — I guess this is someone’s idea of «find» ??? — I returned to the counter to listen to them make their decisions about my clothes. They were so put off that I was looking over their shoulder. LOL. At that point, I was not gonna move. But they did end up taking most of it.
As a consignor, you only get a check after you sell $ 21 or more. Otherwise your cash sits in their bank account making them more money.
It sounds easy to sell $ 21 worth of clothing, but given that their split is either 50 – 50 or 60 – 40 (I forget which), that they deeply discount clothing, and that sometimes — as was the case with me – you may sell more stuff up front (I think I got a $ 40+ check, then another $ 30+), you may easily find your last $ 20 sitting in their hands. I was 75 cents short of reaching their threshold for check writing. I told them I’d give them 75 cents if they’d cut me a check but they wouldn’t. At that point, I asked to get my few remaining pieces back and closed the account which I did with the owner, Carol.
Carol and her husband, really didn’t want to hear my complaints about their snotty staff. Clearly, they don’t want to hear what other Unilocal reviewers say either because I’m not the first to have pointed out the snot-​factor. Carol kept telling me that she and I were «business partners.» Hilarious. Then fork over the $ 20.25 that’s sitting in your bank account for the inventory that I provided, because without people like me, you’ve got nothing to sell.

Be ready to take your time when coming here. Don’t rush it, or you may miss the best perfect find for yourself, or as a gift.

They are a great store to shop in. and they are really really nice and down to earth here… I don’t feel pressure to buy anything and or «watched» as some store clerks can do that to you! I like the owner. she is a really genuinely kind and terrific person as are the people who work at this store along with her! They are all easy going and fun people to talk to and be around and they are also soooo helpful as well! I like this store because the prices are considerably lower than other consignment stores. and they always have great things! I think that it’s a «dangerous thing» to come in there for me (lol!!!) because I USUALLY walk out of there with a LOT of fun items! I can NEVER resist! They have designer items… from shoes, to handbags to jewelry to whatever you may be searching for. They also take other items. furniture, bird cages, glass and silverware table ware, etc… teddy bears and more!
Note:
This consignment store only takes Chico’s and St. John’s clothing! Also, it has a bit of everything. mostly for older women. I don’t think that I have ever seen mens clothing there. but, I have seen some small sizes and maybe children’s sizes or sizes that small!
On another note. when you decide that YOU don’t want to keep what you have at home. if it is clothing make sure that you have it pressed and looking nice! They will NOT take wrinkled clothing. they have to be able to sell it on the floor! (as in. once they put it out on the shopping floor. it has to look NICE so that others will like it and buy it)!! You can set up an
sell your clothing. they will ask you to hang the clothing up while you are there. they check on spots and wrinkles and how recent the article of clothing it is and so on. It depends on what season the clothing is as well. you should always check with them what types of clothing they will take!
You can also bring by jewelry. and this can be ANYTHING. including Chico’s and St. Johns items! Some jewelry. if the wire is bent on necklaces. they may not take it. so be warned. but, as I said. it has to be sell able! Make sure that everything looks good! They also sell odds and ends of accessories. such as belt buckles, and scarves, pins and perfumes/​lotions etc. I see a LOT of really wonderful items here. and if you ever want to know more with regards to this store… Join Unilocal and email me!

I’m a big thrift store/​vintage shopper (see my other reviews of boutiques in the DC-​area) and I’m not a fan of Carousel Consignments. Everytime I walk in to the store, the owner will literally look you up and down (most of the time I’m shopping on the weekends, I’m in sweats and I don’t need to impress anyone) and you just get the feeling that the staff is somehow «better» than you (which they’re not… this is not Neimans, let’s face it, it’s in a garage off Nebel street).
That being said, in terms of inventory, the brands they offer skew older – think 50 and above (which may work for some). They do have a good jewlery selection – both costume and high end.
I once bought a cute, fake burberry there – and a year later was told they «never» buy knock-​offs – which is just not true. I still have the purse. Also, there’s a waiting list when you consign there and a very specific list of things they are looking for (which is fine).
If you are looking for cute home-​goods items, it is worth checking out. The prices in their home goods section are great – and they do have unique items. They need to expand their shoe selection – it’s very small.

I love this place. Now granted, I don’t really have much experience with consignment stores so maybe they’re all wonderful, but I know this one is. Yes there are a lot of pieces for the older crowd as stated below, but there are tons of great pieces for us younger folk. :) I always end up taking probably 30 pieces into the dressing room, and always have high hopes for all of them. The saleswomen are so friendly and helpful, never minding my absurd piles of clothing taken into the dressing room, and happy to lend an opinion on how something looks, etc.
All the pieces are always in good condition, and occasionally still have the original store tags on them. The saleswomen obviously take great care with how they treat the pieces and what they bring into the store. I have never seen anything that I wouldn’t think was new if I didn’t know otherwise. Stock changes over seasonally, and there are always some good finds.

I used to consign there and I stopped because they were taking my stuff and used to tell me that they were stolen. Ok, after a few times that it happened, come on, give me a break. If it was their own stuff, I was pretty much sure they would be more careful not to let people walk out with their items. I do not recommend them because they are not honest people.

A lot of shoulder pads up in here.
This consignment store is geared toward the older crowd, with lots of St. John knits, oversized Escada blazers, and those ugly printed almost sheer print blouses that the early-50’s set seems to love. A couple of neat Lilly Pulitzer pieces, Hermes scarves, and some fun costume jewelry, but the prices weren’t low enough to make me bite. The store was almost overwhelming with colors and crap on the walls: there was no way to see everything.
I know it’s Escada, but $ 400 for an orange zoot suit is never good.

A great find tucked away on a little-​known street in Rockville. That’s what this store is. It is not nearly as big as Secondi is, but there is always something to catch your eye. A few months ago I bought a pair of Diesel jeans for $ 35.
Not everything is used. They had a rack of Lilly Pulitzer pants and tops with manufacturer tags still attached. They were probably last season’s stock, but for $ 20, who’s gonna know.
They have tons of shoes and purses if that’s your thing. On some of the racks the clothes are arranged by color. Other racks, by designer (Burberry and Escada).
The ladies who work there are friendly and will let you in on when the next arrivals will be in and when things will be on sale. I saved 20% today! It’s worth a trip to the burbs.