Step Up to the Bar

© Diane Mooney / MFb

CC Levin and Ilissa Whitehead are best friends. Their kids are best friends. Even their dogs are best friends. So when CC suggested Ilissa go into the consignment business with her, Ilissa jumped on board right away. Together, they created the Consignment Bar.

The Bar is nothing like the typical overcrowded consignment store. A chandelier hands from a ceiling decorated with dusky rose wall paper. A pink and white fainting couch guards a framed mirror big enough to reflect the entire Miami Heat team. The namesake bar, complete with stools, faces a wall of handbags featuring labels like Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermes. Uncluttered clothes racks are topped with beaded chandelier shades. A wall of shoes displays Jimmy Choo and Chanel heels like museum pieces.

© Diane Mooney / MFbThe store’s high-end boutique vibe sets off the gently worn designer clothing and accessories perfectly. “We didn’t want our customers to have to do any rummaging or scrambling,” says CC. She and Ilissa designed and painted the airy, spacious shop with the help of CC’s contractor husband. The store’s tree-shaded backyard provides an outdoor space for events and fashion shows.

As a former model, CC knows fashion. “I’m the consignment queen,” she says. “I’ve shopped at vintage and consignment shops all over the Europe and the U.S.”  Ilissa labels herself as a professional shopper and knows all the original prices of their stock from her own experience. She brings the business know-how from her job in charge of management staffing for Florida for PepsiCo. CC brings creativity along with the art of the shopping deal and steal.  “We want our customers to feel like they got the deal of the century,” CC says.

Everything in the store is a one of a kind collectable. Fabulous Pucci prints pop up on a pink and green shirtdress with a lotus design. A vintage Pucci bustier zings in orange and olive. A gorgeous Marni print cotton dress evokes the colors of summer: green leaves, blue water and orange sunsets. A Dolce & Gabbana leopard sheath with matching coat exudes sophisticated style. A black leather jumpsuit begs to be worn on the back of a motorcycle. An Adrienne Landau red fur jacket with a fur shawl collar is a reason to move to a cold climate just to wear it.

© Diane Mooney / MFbThe perfect shoes for any of their outfits are only steps away. Chanel high heels with ankle straps cozy up to Jimmy Choo high, high heels. Tony Burch silver huaraches snuggle with Chloe black patent leather ankle boots. Other accessories include sunglasses by Chanel, Fendi and Prada among others. Silk scarves nestle in boxes on the bar.

Handbags take pride of place in the store. “99.9% of them are in mint condition,” CC says. Prize bags from Hermes and Chanel never go on sale. “These bags are the only things that hold their value,” CC says. While the shop offers a 50/50 split with the seller on most items, Chanel and Hermes bags net the seller 60% of the sales price. While it’s hard to believe anyone could part with an Hermes Kelly bag in terra cotta, the Bar has a beauty in mint condition.

CC and Ilissa are unlikely to part anytime soon. “We were on the same page from day one,” says CC. “It’s great to work with your best friend.” The Consignment Bar is proof that friendship and fashion make a splendid mix.