Everything's On Sale

© Diane Mooney / MFb

Allison Sagehorn serves a big helping of Midwestern nice along with vintage and gently-used clothes at The Sale Rack. “My staff and I love helping people find the perfect outfit,” she says. Her legions of loyal customers welcome Sagehorn’s personal attention. When clients need an outfit for anything from a first date to a red carpet Grammy party, they Sagehorn and she fills a dressing room with outfits based on their style preferences.

Sagehorn has always enjoyed the hunt for vintage fashions. Living in Chicago, where she could indulge her passion shopping at the plentiful vintage stores, her eighty-hour a week advertising job didn’t give her much time to forage for special pieces. She decided if she was going to work that hard it should be doing something she loved. A year and a half ago she did just that. Sagehorn moved to the Coconut Grove and opened The Sale Rack.

© Diane Mooney / MFbVintage handbags decorate every nook and cranny of the shop. The bags range from gold filigree evening bags from the forties, to seventies hand-tooled leather shoulder bags. And now that cross-body bags are back in style, customers are snapping up designer Susan Gail’s eighties versions at The Sale Rack. But Sagehorn’s best sellers are her "recycled" jeans from craveable brands like 7 For all Mankind and James Jeans.

Sagehorn not only sells clothes, she also buys and trades. Most customers trade their castoffs for treasures like a Trina Turk jacket or a Betsey Johnson tie-dye tiered dress. The store’s stock is constantly changing. “I spend most of my time restocking,” Sagehorn says.

Regulars drop by frequently to shop for new finds. While much of the clothing harks back only a few seasons, Sagehorn’s mother ships her vintage finery discovered in out of the way Midwest corners. A Lillie Rubin white sequin dress would be perfect for an opening at the Arsht Center. A floor-length yellow brocade evening gown with a touch of fur on the matching coat would be stunning at an Art Basel soiree.

Another Sagehorn specialty is vintage jewelry. Racks of necklaces and earrings fill up the store’s front counter. Necklace highlights include a blue chunky bead number, a double strand of mother of pearl, and a faux pearl collar. Pendants are plentiful as are earring guaranteed to compliment any outfit.

The best compliment to the clothes is Sagehorn herself. She loves dressing people up in outfits, although her favorite fashion statement is a dress. “A dress always looks completely put together,” she says.  But if shoppers want a DIY experience, the store is a style maven’s playground. And what could be nicer than that?