Consignment shops bring old style to the newest trend in home furnishings

Amy Harvey, a co-owner of The Stock Market, sits amid the pre-loved treasures at her consignment store.

The latest trend in home furnishings isn’t new at all. In fact, it’s old.

From Belle Meade to Brentwood and every neighborhood in between, homeowners across Nashville are decorating with furniture from local consignment shops.

Whether they think of their purchases as pre-owned, pre-loved or simply as used, these homeowners are finding great deals on beautiful furnishings with years of life left in them.

“Quality pieces don’t wear out and they don’t lose their style,” said longtime Belle Meade consignment store owner Barbara Speight. “There’s a bonus. They save at least half off of the retail price.”

Her store, Clearing House Consignment Interiors, has operated for 20 years. After not being able to renew its lease in the Belle Meade Galleria, the shop is moving to the Belle Meade Plaza shopping center. The space previously was occupied by the Gallery of Belle Meade furniture and art store.

The weak economy may increase the popularity of consignment furniture, but Speight said she sends postcards twice a year to nearly 14,000 customers in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee who have known for years that they don’t have to pay retail prices for furniture that still looks new.

“It’s like buying a new car. It depreciates the minute you drive it off the lot. Why would you want to do that?” she said. “It’s my way of life. You can get equally nice things without paying retail.”

There is no stigma to buying high-quality furniture that has already graced someone else’s home. Buying consignment furniture is like buying a used Rolex watch from a jeweler.

And it’s your little secret.

Don’t confuse consignment shops with thrift stores. The city’s high-end consignment stores carefully select their inventory of chairs, tables, beds, chandeliers and other items from the pieces offered to them, said Shirley Harvey, whose family operates The Stock Market, previously on White Bridge Road. This week the store moved to the Belle Meade Galleria at 5133 Harding Road.

“We get consignments from people who want to change their décor or are downsizing and moving into a condo or moving out of town,” Harvey said.

Consigners turn their unwanted furnishings into cash and customers find good deals on unique pieces, like the woman who found a rare purple glass rolling pin at The Stock Market recently.

“There are a lot of people who don’t want something right out of the furniture store. A lot of our customers are looking for that unique something,” Harvey said.

Consignment stores have another attraction, Speight said. They are the ultimate green businesses.

“Instead of just tossing your furniture you are reusing it. It really does make sense,” Speight said.