Encore Resale Shop: Variety & Value

By DONNA NICKEL

Thirty-five years ago sisters Ruthmary Tscholl and Joyce Theken opened Encore Resale Shop offering customers upscale shopping at a fraction of the original purchase cost. To this day, the shop, located at 4125 Cleveland Ave, NW is a family of women affair. At 86-years-old, Ruthmary still works at the business two and a half days each week. Her daughter, Paula Tscholl-Bennett is now president. Joyce is no longer involved, but her daughter-in-law Beki Theken is the store manager.
Encore accepts consignments of current and fashionable items purchased within the past year or two. Eleven rooms are filled with an ever-changing inventory of women’s/junior’s apparel, formal and business wear, shoes, purses and many accessories. Encore also sells menswear, which Paula said is “unusual” in resale stores.
With school homecomings coming up this month, girls can shop Encore knowing they will be looking at the most current styles. “We have a lot of new dresses, not just consignment,” Paula said. “In our short formal section, about 80 percent of the dresses are new. We're responding to what the kids are buying. For weddings, it’s the same thing. We carry a good percentage of new dresses from several different sources.”
Paula said shoes are one of the hottest items at Encore. “In many cases, people buy a pair of shoes at a store, wear them once and find they don't fit right. They can't return them so they bring them here. They're practically new.”
For years, the slogan at Encore has been ‘Look like a million and spend with sense.’ “We're never sure if it sounds better to say “sense” or “cents,” laughed Paula. Either way, it works.
Encore is open Monday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.,. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m to 5 p.m. For more information call 330-492-7004 or visit www.encoreresalefashions.com