The story below is from our January/February 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Photos By Georgianne Vecellio
A new Salem shop is helping our impact on the local community and environment thanks to secondhand items.
“Everything old is new again.” This sums up Alyce Carlin’s philosophy when it comes to running her businesses. Carlin has been the owner and proprietor of The Newfangled Bride—a bridal and formal consignment store—on Main St. in Salem for the last 10 years. Just across the parking lot in what used to be Capt’n Paul’s Seafood, Carlin has opened a new shop, New’d, which sells secondhand casual clothing.
Carlin describes her merchandise as “eclectic, fun and trendy,” focusing on “clothing you can’t really find in the area.” New’d sells mid-range brands, featuring labels like Free People, Anthropologie, Madewell and lululemon, with some vintage finds thrown into the mix. Carlin chose this niche in order to stand out from the other consignment store owners, whom she sees as colleagues rather than competition. “All the consignment store owners have shopped at New’d,” she says proudly.
A love of fashion is not the only inspiration for Carlin’s consignment stores, though: “The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters,” she states, adding that “second-hand shopping is one of the best ways to make an impact,” and that “it [secondhand shopping] is going to become more normal” as people respond to climate change.
In addition to her consignment clothing boutiques, Carlin owns The Flower Shoppe, housed in the same building as New’d. How does she manage three distinct businesses? She credits her outstanding staff, which allows her to divide her time equally between her enterprises. Carlin also has a lot of energy: she counts her steps, averaging around 14,000 in a typical business day. She also genuinely enjoys interacting with consignors and customers, who have been given the nickname “Newdists!”
Shop consigned and local at New’d, located at 827 West Main Street, Salem, or learn more (and browse the shop!) at newdsalem.com.
The story above is from our January/February 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
