Verona consignment store helps empower women through sustainable style

The office-turned-storage-area at Shift, a consignment store in Verona, was piled high with hangers, boxes, racks of clothes and bags of donations waiting to be sorted.

While the scene might invoke a shudder from orderly types, the shop is anything but disorganized. The donations in the back room found their way to Shift during a weeklong open consignment clothing drive. The bi-annual drive brings in thousands of garments, shoes, purses and accessories. The best part is that nothing gets thrown away.

“Part of our goal when founding Shift was providing sustainable style,” said Shift’s founder, Audrey Rockett-Collins. “And that doesn’t just include selling inventory that comes from the closets of our current clients. That also means fabric recycling for garments that may no longer be suitable for wear.”

The open consignment, held during the last week in August, had an even bigger impact than just saving 100-plus garments from the landfill. Rockett-Collins joined hands with SOW, a women-run small business incubator in Pittsburgh, to host a pay-what-you-can workwear sale for women in business — all for Dress for Success.

Shift, SOW, and Dress for Success all believe in the same goal — providing sustainable style opportunities for women in need.

Shift’s sale kicked off at 4 p.m. on Sept. 1 in the newly reorganized storefront on Jones Street with enthusiastic welcomes from Audrey, as well as Olga Pogoda and Jenni Repcik of SOW.

Just a few days earlier, the shop had been half-closed for unexpected repairs. But on the evening of the sale, Shift was a pink, cream and gold dream.

Racks of clothes were sorted by size — by customer request via Instagram — and shoppers could snack, enjoy a beverage and socialize. Sofas invited a social corner, and the plush rugs created a pathway through the organic layout of color-organized garments.

Yet even with all of those extras, Shift offers an extremely unique atmosphere that truly set the event apart from others like it. Shift is a branch of Rockett-Collins’ main business called Flourish, a feminist styling collective who believes that it’s every woman’s time to shine. Her education and expertise in fashion, style and psychology, along with her overall enthusiasm for making everyone feel like their best self, is what sets the experience at Shift apart.

As guests arrived, Rockett-Collins pulled selections for individualized dressing rooms to help those in attendance find their best style for the office. Each woman was able to receive Rocket-Collins’ expertise and make connections with one another.

Local Verona councilwomen Trish Hredzak-Showalter and Nancy Carpenter were in attendance, as were Liz Mims, director of operations for Dress for Success; regular Shift customers; and a number of new faces.

Women left feeling confident in their clothing choices and in the affordability of the pieces they chose. The night was not short of laughter, tears, tissues, hugs and gratitude.

“SOW strives to help women who are looking to turn hobbies and passions into financially stable businesses … sustainability is an important anchor point in our mission and we love to help connect women and share resources,” Repcik said. “That’s part of why this event was so important — helping provide affordable and free options for professional clothing to women beginning their personal work journeys. We are so excited to have the opportunity to team with Flourish Styling and Dress for Success to offer beautiful, affordable pieces to our community and beyond.”

The remaining workwear inventory from the sale will be donated to benefit the mobile services and style boxes that Dress for Success offers to give women a new start so they can thrive in work and life.

“In addition to the incredible generosity of local women, we are so appreciative of Flourish’s continued passion for our mission,” Mims said. “This event was a strong reminder of what amazing things can happen when women empower one another.”

For more information on the organizations mentioned, visit shopstyleshift.com, sowpittsburgh.com and Pittsburgh.dressforsuccess.org.