Ellen Lessard is living a true-life Cinderella story. With merely a wave of her magic wand, she turned a dank, dark and scary warehouse space at 113 Storrs St. into a sparkling center for gowns and garb. Well, maybe it wasn't quite that simple.
While there were already plenty of thrift stores in Concord, Lessard thought that none of them really provided high-end women's clothing at a reasonable price. Tired of driving to Portsmouth or Boston to meet her upscale consignment needs, Lessard decided to open up her own shop in Concord.
“I felt like there was a niche that needed to be filled,” Lessard said. After settling on a warehouse space down under the bridge on Storrs Street, on the first floor of the Merrimack Mill Building, it was time to get down to the nitty gritty.
“It was six months of hard work,” Lessard said, “truly a labor of love.” Along with her husband Greg, she overhauled, scrubbed and remodeled the space into a classy consignment clothiers.
“It's more beautiful than I ever imagined,” Lessard said.
Ever the vintage treasure-seeker, Lessard used items and lumber found in the warehouse, some of which date back to the turn of the last century, to decorate the store. Perhaps that's why the newly-opened boutique feels right at home in historic downtown Concord. Be sure to check out the city skyline art on the way into the boutique; the metalwork was just one of the antique items Lessard restored for her decor.
Lilise Designer Resale opened in early August, and Lessard said she already feels like she's been plugged in to a tight-knit consignment community. If someone brings in an item that's not quite up to her high-end standards, she recommends them to one of the area's other thriving thrift stores. In turn, the other consignment stores in the area now know where to send consignors with above-average women's clothing to deal.
“I'm finding a lot of people very happy to have an outlet for their higher-end consignment,” Lessard said. After all, you're not going to find many people willing to shove their Vera Wang wedding gowns or Gucci pumps into a donation box somewhere. Even with her shelves and hangers already brimming with designer fashions, Lessard is always on the hunt for new consigners.
“My merchandise is getting purchased quickly and I need to replace it,” Lessard said. “My objective is to attract consignors to metropolitan areas.” People who sell their items at her store split the proceeds 50/50.
Now that she's filled the newest niche in Concord's downtown, Lessard foresees good times ahead for her shoppers.
“There's just something about getting a good deal,” Lessard said.
