Denver's best consignment stores

Denver has a lot to offer to consignment and vintage-shopping lovers. Besides big thrift store chains, the city has a variety of quality secondhand shops. Who knew that locals can find so many great brands at such affordable prices in such a variety of styles?

Probably the most famous and talked-about consignment in Denver is Buffalo Exchange. This super-popular store has just moved from their old location to a new one on South Broadway. The space is larger and brighter, but the amount of product has not changed drastically. Yet, shopping at Buffalo Exchange became more convenient with more space in between the shelves. Men's and women's products are now visually separated. Other than that, the store concept and staff has not changed.

Buffalo Exchange still offers a variety of brands from Forever21 to Anne Klein and Vera Wang, and even some of their own brand new clothing pieces. They also have a consignment department where they buy your old, gently worn clothing.

However, selling at Buffalo Exchange can be problematic at times. The staff loves brand clothing in great condition, but once in a while their fashion sense rejects certain pieces. The pricing of your used stuff might not be as great as you would hope at only a fraction of what you originally bought it for, but Buffalo Exchange still offers a pretty fair price.

For vintage lovers and people who can afford high-end brands like Chanel and Valentino, Crème de la Couture has you covered. In two tiny rooms of this store, you will find tons of couture. There are shelves overloaded with dresses; some of them are new and stylish, and some are very vintage and admirable.

From tank tops to real fur coats, to clutches and shoes, this stuff is the real deal, but you also have to spend lots of money. However, you still pay only a fraction of the real price.

"The owner of the store travels a lot to find worthy pieces. We get our clothing from all over the world—a lot of stuff comes from fashion-forward Europe," store associate Natalie Sularz said.

She also said that, "We want to bring Denver back to being fashionable. We all love jeans, but you could wear your jeans with Chanel."

Crème de la Couture accepts consignments from locals, but the pieces should be high-end, in great condition, and unique.

One more upscale consignment store is Celine's Designer Resale Boutique. The management of this store is very strict on brands they accept. These, strangely enough, include Abercrombie & Fitch, GAP, and Baby Phat among Burberry, Gucci, Christian Dior, and Marc Jacobs. A policy of theirs is that the clothes should be no more than two years old. Another interesting fact is that you can collect 60 percent in store credit. Not a lot of stores would let you have 60 percent of the sale price. To consign, you have to make an appointment.

There are consignment stores that specialize in plus sizes as well. Athena's Closet on Colfax Avenue runs sizes 14 and up, so bigger girls can enjoy designer styles and consignment prices as well. The store has shoes and jewelry, along with hats and scarves to complete the looks. The selection might not be as huge as Buffalo Exchange or some other consignment stores, but it does solve some problems for plus-sized women in their search of quality secondhand clothing. Starting mid-January, the store runs a 50 percent off sale for all winter clothes, so full-figured women have even more chances for a great consignment shopping spree.

Denver's consignment businesses prove that you can look great without spending hundreds of dollars. And if you do decide to spend that much money, you can find unique pieces that would be worth it. For even more consignment stores around town, check out shopresaledenver.com.