She shops here? You betcha
ANCHORAGE — There is no Neiman Marcus in Anchorage, no Saks Fifth Avenue. The high end at the 5th Avenue Mall downtown is Nordstrom and Eddie Bauer. After that, it’s a long, slow slide toward JCPenney.
Tucked a block behind the mall, on D Street, is where the smart money shops: the Out of the Closet consignment shop, which has taken on all the cachet of a world-class boutique after Gov. Sarah Palin called it her thrift shop of choice.
But thrift shop it is not. The little outlet -- a five-minute walk from the governor’s office -- trends way more toward designer jeans, elegant evening gowns and tailored skirt suits than old sweaters. Anybody who walks in looking for a $5 bargain better just walk out again: a Stella McCartney jacket, wool and silk in a size 6, goes for $295 (matching velvet pumps for $75 and Furla black tote at $195).
“It’s not just the governor. I have women of all different political beliefs that shop here. I have one woman who’s been coming in here who was one of the leading anti-Sarah Palin people. I’ve got the chief justice of the Supreme Court who shops here,” owner Ellen Arvold said.
The claims that Palin went on a $150,000-plus shopping spree seem dubious to Arvold, who says Palin has relatively modest tastes that trend toward feminine-tailored jackets.
“Now, people keep asking me, ‘What does she wear? Has her style changed? How much money does she spend?’ I’m not going to tell them that! But I have said that with the $150,000, you could probably buy out my entire inventory three times over,” she said.
Arvold is notorious for being a blouse Nazi. On the few days a week when she accepts consignments -- clean, pressed and on hangers, please -- women walk into the shop nervously, proffering plastic-covered ensembles or garments folded defiantly in plastic bags. Successful sellers get 50% of the sales price.
Arvold examines the clothing quickly and expertly, more often than not handing it back with a smile. “We can’t use these. I’m sorry,” she’ll say.
One down side of all the recent publicity: The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which operates the Out of the Closet thrift store chains in California and Florida, notified Arvold that she was violating its federally registered trademark.
“I can’t afford to fight them,” Arvold said. “I’ll have to change the name. So we’ll probably call ourselves In and Out of the Closet or something. Back in the Closet?”
Which is, in a way, what Palin is, back home in Alaska -- at least for the moment.
Should she get a frosty reception, the governor might consider these items in the store: a full-length Chloe coat in faux fur for $200, and sleek, black high-heeled boots. At $125, they’re probably cheaper than anything Saks has on the rack, and they’ll go much better with the camo hunting jacket.
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