Moore Style - Luxury Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive | Jamie Manzuik INSIDER SECRETS on Luxury Resale

Starting point is 00:00:00 Somebody asked me, what does it feel like to get a new handbag? And I said, it feels like fireworks. I bought a lot of handbags from boutiques, but also from the secondhand market, which is what we like to call the pre-left market. It's a much funner, nicer, gentler name, I think. I have had a lot of experience in, and when I saw that there was an opening to start my own business, I jumped at the chance because I knew I had the knowledge.

Starting point is 00:00:24 I like to make things affordable and accessible for all walks of life because I think everybody deserves to feel like a rock star. You're listening to MoreStyle, a podcast to help you transform your image and transform your influence. Hey guys, do you want to learn about affordability, luxury, and sustainability all in one episode? Well, today I have Jamie Manzik with me today.

Starting point is 00:00:49 She is a luxury resale company and I cannot wait to get into this episode. Thanks, Jamie, for being on the show today. Thank you for having me. Jamie, what was the driving factor behind opening this luxury resale business that you have today? Well, if I'm honest, it's my luxury handbag habit that I have. And yeah, I bought a lot of handbags from boutiques, but also from the secondhand market, which is what we like to call the pre-loved market. It's a much funner, nicer, gentler name, I think.

Starting point is 00:01:23 um so yeah it's just something that i have had um a lot of experience in and when i saw that there was an opening to start my own business um i jumped at the chance because i knew i had the knowledge and had a lot of experience and um just seemed like a lot of fun how did it start i mean did you just say okay i'm gonna create a i'm gonna get a studio i'm gonna do this outside in my house? Like what was, what was the beginning of building your business? So I did a lot of pre-loved shopping and there's what I personally call cold websites, like the big websites, like Fashionphile and The Real Real, you know, no disrespect to those companies at all. I have purchased from them, but there's nobody to talk to. I mean, you can send an email and say, I have

Starting point is 00:02:14 a question about this bag, you're lucky. Somebody responds and they know exactly what bag you're talking about because they have warehouses. So I came across on Instagram, I think this was during COVID, these two ladies who were doing Instagram Lives and they were in what looked like a closet in their closet and they were trying bags on and they were talking about them and they were for sale. And you could chat with them right there in real time. And so I could say, could you show me that red Gucci bag on your shoulder or can you wear it cross-body? And they would do it right there for me. So I could see what that would look like on a body. And they would show the inside and if there was any, you know, sort of marks or something, any what we call call-outs, scratches

Starting point is 00:02:57 or anything like that. You saw the whole bag. You saw the inside. You saw the pockets. You saw the buckles up close. You saw what it looked like on a shoulder, cross-body or just holding it in your hand so i knew exactly um what that bag would you know do for me not only was that cool but they were on several times a week so it kind of started to feel like i know these ladies like they're my friends and we're all playing in a closet we're all playing with luxury bags and you know it was just it was fun they were down to earth they were cool and they knew a lot about luxury too and they they were very very adamant about authenticity which is hugely important because if you're going to pull the trigger and buy a luxury bag for x amount of dollars you want to make sure that's

Starting point is 00:03:44 a real bag yeah so um i felt safe there yeah yeah plus you get to actually see the product which is very unlike unless you're actually in a store correct and you're having you know the sales rep at Chanel in the gloves you know bring you down the item yeah that makes a big difference it's really hard for me to make a purchase when I'm spending that much money just from unless I know exactly what I'm looking for yeah but if I'm shopping on a website and I'm like oh well I know they have the dimensions there but like what does it look like on a body and that's really powerful right or does a phone fit in this pocket or can i put my ipad in there or um you know there's there's a lot of questions and so you started this in 2020 um let's see i'm

Starting point is 00:04:35 about to be two years old so yeah it was a little bit after that so i started watching these two ladies and i've been watching them for a while for maybe a year or so and they started talking about possibly opening up opening up franchises so you would buy the franchise from them okay and I was like, I can totally do this. This is so my niche. So I reached out when they started talking about it. And I don't think it was quite offered at the time, but they invited me out to where they are. Their headquarters is in Florida. I flew out there a few months later, met with them and kind of did this discovery week of what the process is, what they go through, what it looks like um from their end how they purchase and source and consign and sell and do lives and i

Starting point is 00:05:23 was like yeah this is for me so i did it the perfect business for jamie exactly yeah and i i think what really is important or i know that it's important in your in your mission and your values is sustainability right right so talk to me about how that plays into your you know your missions with your business like how was that part of the reason why you said yes to this franchise yes so when i was in college my sister bought me a christian dior saddlebag it was my first luxury handbag and i wore that thing until the wheels fell off and then because i'd had such a nice handbag i didn't want to go back to getting something that was non-luxury so of course i'm looking and i realized oh my gosh i don't have the funds for this you know going to a boutique

Starting point is 00:06:18 um but there was like uh ebay you know you can you know but you never know if it's real but again more affordable um so there was that lack of um affordability uh places that had pre-loved items that were maybe once your dream bag now it's somebody else's dream bag yeah um so i forgot where i was going with this okay um so there was you know there was a gap there there's either you have a boutique or you know somebody's handing a bag down to you like you know my mom's handing me down one of her bags which maybe not be my style so having these places with these pre-loved items that were from somebody was like, oh, I need to have this double flap Chanel bag. This is my dream bag. They don't use it so much anymore. Now it can be somebody else's dream bag.

Starting point is 00:07:12 Somebody else has been searching for that bag and now it's their dream bag. And so the cycle continues. Well, even in the last, let's see, my last Chanel bag that I purchased had to be in dubai a couple years ago and that was ridiculous because they charge more over there but they had the products you know and that was a thing going you know you saw through 2020 2021 you go in the stores and they get a bag and it's gone right and now chanel since then just i'm using chanel's example because this is from experience that my 8500 bag which is insane is now like $13,000 and it's like okay first of all that $8,500 is a chunk of change right but you know you're purchasing what you're buying and all the things it's an investment it's an

Starting point is 00:08:04 investment that's what I say I've used that a few times it's true though I mean if you are a collector fine you know you're going to collect and you're going to keep them I've seen people that have these amazing closets and you know they're temperature controlled and you know everything's wiped down and beautiful. But if you're someone like me who is okay to let go of a bag every once in a while so you can get something new, that's investment. It's an investment piece. You're going to get more money back than you paid. So for instance, I as well have purchased a medium-sized double flap. It's lambskin. I think I paid about $8,000. But now, at the boutique, they are $11,500, I believe.

Starting point is 00:08:51 Yeah, so if I was in the market for a new one and whatever, wanted to let that go, like that $11,000 is like, yeah, not happening or whatever. But if I came in and said, you know, if it's something, I mean, the one good thing that I love about, because I've seen your handbags. I've been very fortunate, guys. She has beautiful handbags. Thank you. They're barely touched. if not they're really really loved and so you could make an investment in something like that and pay a lot less and feel like really good about yourself i think this is such a genius idea yeah

Starting point is 00:09:26 yeah not only to have the ability to wear something that makes you feel yummy and whatever all the goodies right yeah but it also elevates you it does i always so somebody asked me what does it feel like to get a new handbag and i said it feels like fireworks it just it that that feeling of you know those bright colors and excitement and that's what it feels like to put it on that's what it feels like to me it feels something you know to somebody else could feel could feel completely different but that's my explanation it's like a celebration yeah so i would love to hear from you as a boutique owner selling all different brands luxury brands what do you think that when you see others on the street wearing a luxury item

Starting point is 00:10:18 what does it say about them to you um to me it says they like to dress well um clearly they feel good about themselves um they have that accessory that somebody's gonna look at and go all right she's got it you know um it's kind of neat um i love being able to you know spy different handbags wherever i go uh i just went to disney world with my kids for a week there were so many luxury handbags in disney world i was shocked i was totally shocked yeah so that was kind of neat You're like, this is like seeping into other markets. Right, right. So there was, I think the top bag I saw that week was the Louis Vuitton Neverfull.

Starting point is 00:11:06 A lot of moms carry those. Clearly, you probably have, you know, snacks in there, you know, toys or whatever. But I did see a Chanel backpack, a Chanel boy bag. We saw a Birkin. Wow. Yeah. So people are, I mean, Disney World is expensive. I was just going to say, it's not Chuck E. Cheese.

Starting point is 00:11:24 Correct. Correct. So, yeah, it was just kind of fun. We were like, I had my daughter who's my only employee, so she's quite familiar with the luxury handbag world as well. And we were like, wow, look at that. That woman's got a Birkin on her arm. And we're in line for the Jungle Cruise. Damn.

Starting point is 00:11:41 Yeah. Well, as an image consultant, I see there is an elevated presence with them. Whatever their message is, whatever their style is, because there are so many different styles in the luxury market. but your handbag your accessories are like the finishing product right you know makeups and accessories your finishing product eyewear all the you know jewelry the nails right and the handbag right and that to me says so many things about the person it does the color right are they fun are they like do they like simple are they just classic neutral are you colorful yeah what i like about my business though is I make those products accessible to people who probably can't afford to

Starting point is 00:12:27 go to the boutique or maybe that they don't feel comfortable walking into a boutique because maybe they look a certain way. I love hearing from somebody, oh my goodness, I just bought my first luxury handbag from you. I never thought I would own one. That makes me feel so good that I've been able to provide that to someone who never thought they'd own one. I had an experience at a Chanel boutique a handful of years ago. You know, we live in Vegas. It was July. We've got shorts on and a tank top. Didn't really look like a Chanel customer. Also, I'm covered in tattoos. I have a lot of tattoos on my body. So the first two ladies in there completely ignored me. And another little lady came around from the back. Her name is May. She's a lovely, lovely person. And she said,

Starting point is 00:13:14 can I help you? And I said, yes, I'm actually looking for a classic double flap, please, and the size medium and um she brought a few around to me and i bought one from her and the other two had ignored me saw that that's terrible i know how that feels when you don't have a certain aesthetic and you walk into a boutique it does feel a little awkward i will admit i felt uncomfortable from the way i was viewed i guess so i want everybody um that shops with me to feel comfortable you know i'm not your average chanel you know customer i guess that walks in there um so if you're tattooed like me you know come on in there's a place for you there's a place i want everybody to feel comfortable when they shop with me um and and i like to make things

Starting point is 00:14:07 affordable and accessible for all walks of life because i think everybody deserves to feel like a rock star. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. I think that's really important. And you fill that space for somebody that may not, I've never really thought about that. Someone didn't want to go into Chanel or Louis Vuitton or, or whatever, cause they felt uncomfortable for me. That's always been my, my like comfortable space, but I can see how that can be maybe a little daunting to somebody. Yeah. I think that's one of my superpowers though, is I like to kind of push the envelope. No. And, you know, just kind of see what happens. Yeah. So, yeah, I like to make waves. Yes, I think you can do that, especially here. So what is some of the key elements someone

Starting point is 00:15:00 should know before purchasing a handbag? Oh, good call. Good. Great question. So I think you should know what it is you're comfortable wearing. If you're going to spend X amount of dollars, this is something that you probably want to utilize on a daily basis. What color is going to work with most of your wardrobe? Also, when you're looking on our website and you pick out that specific bag that's just calling to you, make sure you look at each and every picture. Because we do have pre-loved items, although I do only take things in that are in excellent to pristine condition, there are going to be a few things, a little hairline mark on a piece of hardware, maybe a little rub on a corner where it doesn't look like it's super brand new anymore.

Starting point is 00:15:45 But all in all, the piece is going to be perfect. I want you to look at every angle of that bag to make sure that you know what it is that you're purchasing. In our descriptions online, we make sure that we add everything that we see so that you're not surprised when it comes to your door. But also take into consideration the dimensions and whether or not that bag is going to be big enough for your phone or, you know, if you're purchasing something bigger, possibly your laptop. So just to make sure that that bag is going to work for you. You make your bag work for you. Stuff the phone in there. It's going to fit, I promise.

Starting point is 00:16:24 You have to make sure that it is because we are a – you can't return the bag. So I'm trying to think, I'm losing my train of thought here, what we say on our website. All sales are final. So you have to make sure that that bag is really going to be your bag. Yeah. Well, I think if you do enough research and you can really tell them, like show them all the things, right, all the pictures and the way to wear it and the dimension on a body, I think that's sufficient enough. And that's why I like the way we do things because, you know, I'm live in front of you. And sometimes I do what we call total request live, TRL.

Starting point is 00:17:06 Do you remember that from MTV? So I have everything on the back wall and I say, you know, you pick what would you like me to try on? Do you have questions about a specific bag? And if it's quiet, then I'll just go and, you know, grab one myself, start trying it on. But that's what I love about what I do. I'm able to try things on for you. You know, can this be worn this style? Can that, you know, chain come off?

Starting point is 00:17:26 Can you put a different strap on there? And I can tell you and I can show you exactly how that would work. I think, too, it's great for someone that maybe wants a few bags instead of one. Let's get three. Right. And that has happened. Somebody comes in for a specific bag and they see another one and, you know, I've been known to make a deal on a bundle. Okay.

Starting point is 00:17:51 Yeah. Options are a girl's best friend, in my opinion. It's interesting how you're like, make sure that the handbag matches a lot of stuff in your closet. I think while that's important, if you have like a neutral bag, then get a fun color. Right, right. I always say, you know, don't be afraid of color. Let that handbag be an accessory. So my personal collection is super colorful.

Starting point is 00:18:19 I think I have one neutral bag. um i like that to be like a pop yeah with my outfit and the one thing you don't have to match the bag to your outfit i think it looks better like i have a red like true red uh what is it the alma that i wear it's um the epi leather that i wear all the time and it doesn't matter what color I'm wearing because red is actually it's not cool and it's not warm right so it's neutral just about everything yeah yeah I also have a kelly green double flap large bag that I wear with everything that's a rare color did you know that yes that's why people have stopped me in the street asking me to sell give them their bag but like I'll buy it for me

Starting point is 00:19:07 I'm like, no, this one's staying. But, yeah, you know, it's good that you can, you know, have fun and play with the accessories. This is what makes accessories so fun. Right. You know, it's not just scarves or a hair thing or glasses or lipstick, you know, belts or shoes. Those are all great accessories, but handbags. It's a functional accessory. Oh, I like that.

Starting point is 00:19:33 I'm not holding up my pants with it. I'm holding up other things with it. Right. Yeah. Jamie, tell me how your store works with the customer. Sure. First of all, we are not your typical brick and mortar store. So it's no storefront. I do have a beautiful showroom. And if you are here in Las Vegas and you have your eye on a specific piece, or you want to come to me and consign something, let me help you sell. We are by appointment only. You can go to our website or my Instagram.

Starting point is 00:20:05 I'm happy to talk to you. You can direct message me. We can figure out the best time and day for you to come in and either take a look at your, hopefully, your new bag. Or, you know, we can talk about consignment so I can help you sell something. Okay. And how can people get a hold of you? Well, I'm Vegas at Season2Consign.com. That is my email.

Starting point is 00:20:24 Or you can go to my Instagram, which is Season2Consign underscore Vegas. Amazing. Yeah. Thank you so much. for being on the show and talking about luxury handbags. Who doesn't want one of those? So it's a habit.

Starting point is 00:20:38 It's a fun habit. It really is. If you want to hear more about fashion, luxury pieces and any style tips, please hit that like and subscribe button and find me at CelesteMoore.com

Starting point is 00:20:51 for any other information that you need. Thanks again, guys. Thank you.

Moore Style - Luxury Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive | Jamie Manzuik INSIDER SECRETS on Luxury Resale

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