Unique new home decor consignment store set to open its doors in Calgary

There is no shortage of vintage and thrift stores in Calgary, but those with a more modern taste will soon have a new consignment boutique to browse.

Sarah Kirkpatrick, interior decorator, stager, and owner of Unshelf Design, recently decided to take her love of thrift shopping to the next level by opening her own consignment store.

“There are a couple of places in Calgary that do consignment furniture and some of them have decor on the side, but no one that really focuses on decor,” Kirkpatrick says.

“I have always loved consignment for clothes, and wished there had been something similar for home goods and decor.”

Modern and trendy items

Kirkpatrick also wanted to create something that would help her staging and design clients.

“A lot of times when we finish projects or my clients are moving, they have a lot of stuff that they need to get rid of because they’re downsizing or it just doesn’t fit their new scheme,” she says.

“So I’ve had a couple of clients with really nice stuff just end up being overwhelmed and donating it.”

Kirkpatrick thought opening up a consignment store would be a great way to help people sell their modern and trendy items.

Unshelf Boutique opens Friday with shelves full of secondhand and consigned home decor and artwork.

The boutique is located at 3411 8 St. SE, just off Blackfoot Trail in the same strip mall as Inside Avenue Antiques.

Grand opening

To celebrate the grand opening, Kirkpatrick says there will be door prizes, gifts, and an incentive for new consignors.

“Anyone that brings consignment that day and signs up as a consignor will automatically get a 50/50 commission split for life,” Kirkpatrick says.

“After that, it’ll be 40/60. So it’ll be an extra 10 per cent on all our products if they sign up as a consignor on that first day.”

Kirkpatrick has been hard at work over the past few months getting permits in place for the store’s construction and is looking forward to the grand opening.

“The millennial in me is very excited for the instant gratification of opening those doors,” she says with a laugh.

Sustainability

Kirkpatrick is also eager to host design workshops at the boutique starting in November and there are plans for a “decor den,” which will host a rotation of local artisans.

She says Unshelf Boutique is a sustainable way to freshen up your home while keeping items out of the landfill.

“Keeping cool items in circulation longer,” Kirkpatrick says, adding she has also teamed up with Women In Need Society (WINS).

“I really love their organization. I buy a lot of my staging stuff from them to be sustainable. Anything that is dropped off [at Unshelf Boutique] that I don’t take, that doesn’t really fit our aesthetic, or that has sat on the shelf and I can’t sell, I will donate all to them.”