Reunion, the Newtown Consignment Store Run by a Swop Founder, Wants Clothes With “Little Stories”

In Newtown, neighbouring Enmore Theatre and a splattering of wine bars, is Reunion. The two-year-old consignment store has recently had a small facelift; a warm chocolate brown exterior now invites visitors to “rewear, relove [and] reunite” preloved clothes.

Inside, the boutique is airy and bright. Its tall ceilings, concrete floors and white walls are inconspicuous – Reunion’s founder Beth Wicks says that that’s the point. “The product is the hero,” she tells Broadsheet. The store’s blank canvas, complemented by industrial clothing racks and timber shelving, provides a backdrop to Reunion’s ever-changing stock, ranging from Chanel bags to vintage Supre pieces.

You never know what you’ll find at Reunion, but you’ll know what to expect. The store’s been sectioned into clothing categories – bags are at the front, designer goods are to your right, bottoms are colour-coordinated, denim is split between light and dark washes and near the changing rooms, there’s a rack for garments sized 16 and over.

“We’re really lucky that we’ve got a really big space so we can experiment a bit more with the kinds of brands and styles we take,” Wicks says. “We really have an opportunity to provide to so many different customer types, budget types, styles [and] interests.”

Wicks’s earliest memories revolve around op shopping with her mum and exploring her grandma’s closet. “She’s a hoarder; not an over-the-top hoarder, just like a nice amount,” Wicks clarifies. After finishing school, she started reselling and buying clothes on eBay. Then in 2013, Wicks founded one of Australia’s biggest consignment store chains, Swop, alongside her high-school friend Brigid Gordon.

Swop was created after seeing clothing exchanges like Buffalo Exchange and Beacon’s Closet flourish overseas. “Me and my business partner thought, ‘Let’s just go for this thing and see where it takes us’. Within 12 months, we tripled our shop space,” she says. Swop now has locations in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

It’s the kind of gumption you have at 24. Back then, second-hand shopping wasn’t as cool or curated as it is today. “It was really eye-opening to lots of people to be, like, ‘Oh wow, you can shop and not have to dig through Vinnies or a garage sale to find those special pieces’.”

After nine years, Wicks decided to leave Swop. “I just needed something a bit smaller … It was scary but for the best. I needed to prove to myself I could do it out on my own.” A year or so later, Reunion was born.

She couldn’t escape Swop’s shadow entirely, though – Reunion’s current storefront was a Swop location for six years. “When we did open up, I was like, ‘Oh, how are people going to perceive us or take us?” she says. “Two years in, I just feel like we’re part of the furniture.” Wicks also shares she’s “definitely keen on the idea of having a second Sydney space”.

The buy-sell-trade store has definite similarities to other consignment stores of its nature, but there’s a considered focus on varying style, product and price points. Wicks wants to make it as welcoming as possible, in response to the sometimes awkward and daunting experience of trying to sell your clothes. “We’re trying to be like, ‘It’s all good, we’ve gone through this too,” she laughs.

Reunion is a revolving door for pieces from coveted designers, from Maison Margiela and Alexander McQueen, to Miu Miu and Issey Miyake. When asked about some of her favourite pieces that have sold in store, Wicks points to Margiela Tabi Bianchetto heels, but also to more ordinary pieces.

“I mainly love hearing when people have a little story behind their item. They’ll let us know that they wore it to a party [or their] year 12 formal,” she says. “People just give you these little snippets of the garment’s history. And I often think who were the previous owners of these things that I’m wearing, which can be either creepy or very romantic. And I go with romantic.”

Reunion
2/112 Enmore Rd, Newtown

Opening Hours
Mon to Sun 10am–6pm

reunionstore.co
@reunionstore.co