Largest consignment store in Laconia offers good deals, community outreach

LACONIA — Downtown is now home to Used 2B New Boutique & Vintage shop, the largest boutique and consignment shop in the city. The store, which held a soft launch in the spring, fills 17,000 square feet with items from clothes, furniture and housewares to antiques, electronics and books. The store even offers what owners call sundries, like personal hygiene items available at a lower price and in a more convenient location than other retail stores.

Heather Duque, who owns the shop with her husband Jay, said this is the store's third location. The first was located on Union Avenue, just south of Messer Street. The second was at the Village at Paugus Bay shopping mall in Gilford. Each location was larger than the last, but as the couple continued to bring in more items, they quickly outgrew each space. Despite the new, larger space downtown, they store is already filled to the brim.

“When I first moved here, I wasn't sure if I could fill the space. And I have, well, overfilled it,” Heather said. “I mean, we still have rooms of inventory that's not on the floor.”

The store hosts 232 consignors, and 17 booth rentals. With so many items on display, staff need to get creative to attract patrons. For example, customers can sort through a clearance rack where all clothes are 50% off. While most previously used items are already discounted, some will have prices reduced further if they remain unsold for a period of time. 

The store also has a bartering system in place. There are many items in the store without price tags, particularly housewares and other goods on the bottom floor. If a customer sees an item they want without a price, they can make a reasonable offer for it. If a shopper is unsure of an item's value, Heather can offer a starting price, and shoppers can negotiate the price a little bit to fit their budget. Heather said this practice is in place to make her store more accessible, but also so items don’t stay on the shelves forever.

“I rather it leave, than to say, 'no,'” she said. “Then we never get the chance to even see that person again if they did want it.”

But the building is not just the space for the couple’s boutique and consignment shop. It also hosts their two other businesses, Vinyl Vision Designs, which creates designs on things like tumblers, T-shirts and gifts, and Paugus Bay Landscape. The space, which is in the old Granite State Music Hall, also has a wooden lunch counter, and seating area, which Jay dreams of eventually converting into a casual hot food bar, as he likes to cook. He would offer casual, homestyle meals like loaded baked potatoes.

With three businesses and an opportunity for more all in one place, it may sound a little chaotic for the couple, and their customers. But Jay says this is meant to be.

“It is a little bit, but it's not. It's supposed to be here,” he said. “If it wasn't, then we wouldn't be in this location.”

Customers may also encounter Pomeranian service dog Arrabella, who helps Heather, who has lupus and hypoglycemia.

“She’s the in-house security, she’s the cuddle bug,” Heather said. “She’s what anyone wants her to be.”

On top of all of that, the couple aims to help people experiencing homelessness. After a conversation with Heather and Jay, anyone in need can receive things like a coat, clothing or other necessities, as well as toiletries and other hygiene products. A container of free clothes sits at their back entrance. They also host a food drive for non-perishable goods, often donated to local nonprofits and soup kitchens, like Real Life Church around the block. Customers who bring in food can receive a 5%-10% discount in the store depending on the quantity of goods.

“We want to be able to contribute back,” Jay said. “Even if it's minuscule, it's at least me trying to do my part to make the world a better place.”

Elizabeth Ellsworth is a regular at Used 2B New. Ellsworth is experiencing homelessness and stopped in to ask for assistance. She said she’s received food, clothes and blankets, and she is not the only one that gets help from the store. She considers Heather to be like family.

“I’d be lost. I wouldn’t have anything really,” she said. “She’s helped with me everything.”

Coralee Garnett, a relative of Heather, is also experiencing homelessness and works at Used 2B New part-time. Garnett said it is hard to find a job when unhoused and being constantly on the move, and is grateful for this opportunity. She is saving up for an apartment.

“I feel pretty lucky,” Garnett said. “Not every homeless person is able to carry a job.”

Heather and Jay said they both grew up without a lot of money. They see the current financial hardships and homelessness in the city, and want want to help people up.

“We both came from welfare, both basically from the bottom,” Jay said. “I've got children and trying to instill in them that the greater good of humanity is the way to go, versus, you know, just thinking about yourself.”

Heather and Jay spend most of their time at the store, open daily, at 546 Main St. They hope that with as much time as they put into it, the business will continue to grow.

“We live here, we visit home. We spend more time here than we do actually in our own home,” Jay said. “We are open seven days a week. We put in the hours because we want this to succeed.”