Employees. They are the heart and soul of a business, and I truly wish there was a better word that didn’t sound so “business-y”. In fact, I wish there was a word for business that wasn’t so “business-y. Regardless, at Here We Go Again I have been blessed many times over by the most wonderful staff. Over the course of our 30 years of existence, I’ve lost count of how many superlative employees I’ve had the privilege to know. (But it’s been a LOT!)

They’ve come to us from Help Wanted ads, from the ranks of our shoppers, from referrals from friends, or other employees. Sometimes, they’ve even been daughters of consignors and customers. Once I even offered a job on the spot to a shopper. (You know who you are!) The point is, I love my staff, and the very special ones who stay for years become family and I’d do pretty much anything for them. After all, they keep my business running smoothly, handle problems like the pros they are, and allow me to relax (and write blog posts) on my day off.

The list of common traits that all my best employees have is lengthy, and what makes them beloved to both me and our shoppers. They are kind, friendly, empathetic, ethical and diligent. They’re responsible and dedicated. They care. They care about doing a good job, about helping shoppers find what they want and what makes our customers feel great about themselves.

Above all, my staff love clothes! They love resale shopping as much as I do, and sometimes more! (Is that possible?) Portland resale shopping is kind of the cream of the crop. Portland has a plethora of consignment and resale shops. There are resale shops to fit all different kinds of shoppers, those that like to dig a bit, on up to those who want a completely rarified and curated selection of only designer consignment clothing, handbags and shoes. Each is  fun to search in its own way.

At Here We Go Again, we try for a happy middle ground – basic affordable brands like Banana Republic or Ann Taylor Loft on up to those fabulous genuine designer consignment treasures like Christian Louboutin, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès, or Stella McCartney. We appreciate the former, but love to drool a bit over the latter. Some authentic designer goods are just that swoon-worthy and it’s part of what makes our jobs fun. We never know what kind of designer consignment treasure will show up on a given day.

I think that’s part of what our staff love about HWGA – the diversity. We freely admit we don’t carry everything for everybody, that’s a fool’s errand because you simply can’t! But we can strike for a reasonable assortment to serve a pretty diverse clientele of happy Portland resale shoppers.

I love how knowledgeable my wonderful staff are, too! I learn so much from them on a regular basis. They complement my own knowledge of resale fashion and designer merchandise. We confer on style and fashion, discussing how to put together displays and outfits. They are geniuses at being able to look at shoppers and pull together a curated selection for them to try on.

Best of all, my staff keep me young, exposing me to style, music and culture that is outside my wheelhouse. Portland consignment is not the only topic of discussion! We talk about styles in other Portland clothing stores and places they’ve visited in other cities, or around town. We may be from different generations, but we share a lot of cultural values and definitely a love of resale and consignment shopping!

So, if you’re into consignment shopping, resale designer clothing and shoes, handbags and accessories, maybe you should come talk to us, too! We have an incredible team at our Portland consignment store, we love to laugh and we love to style people. If we’ve been reminded of nothing else over the last year and a half, it’s that life is too short to wear boring clothes. A little glamour never hurt anyone and a genuine designer handbag will last a lifetime.