t’s not even daylight and the shower is running. Soon, Andrew will be pounding on the door to the bathroom, trying to hurry his teenage sister. Shouting ensues.
When Ashley finally opens the door, the smell of cheap body spray wafts into the hall. Andrew grumbles, but his older sister doesn’t care, pushing past him. She has enough time to polish her nails and dig through the closet — again and again — for the perfect outfit on the first day of high school.
While our characters are fictional, the scenario will soon be played out in homes from Kent to Wooster. Girls will primp and brothers will grouse. Boys will throw on jeans and a hoodie, while their sisters fret about what to wear.
To help ease some of the morning drama, we asked three Copley High School freshmen to select and model some clothes for us. An added bonus: We had them do it at a local consignment shop, where styles are fashionable and prices are generally far below retail.
At Gerri’s Closet in Green, Gabi Detorakis, Alyssa Hertz and Natalie Hiney were instructed to select clothes that they would wear to school (of course, they couldn’t resist too-high heels and designer bags as accessories for the photo shoot).
Consignment stores like Gerri’s are places where people can sell their gently worn clothing and get a percentage of the sale. At Gerri’s, which sells girls,’ juniors’ and women’s clothing, the split is 50/50 when an item is sold.
“We’re an alternative to the mall,” said store owner Gerri Talevich, who prefers clothes no older than a year. “On any given day, we could put hundreds of items to the floor. It’s like Christmas.”
Kim Hone-McMahan can be reached at 330-996-3742 or kmcmahan@thebeaconjournal.com.
