Fashion Avenue

Very unhappy! I have shopped here for a couple years. They use to follow me around like I was a common criminal there to steal clothes until I proved to be a honest customer spending my honest hard earned money. I had been watching a mink coat for several months, the week the coat was going 50% off I went in the store on Monday, they even remembered me because I’m always in there trying on the coat. They gave me all the info I needed, told me on the upcoming Saturday of the SAME week that I was there that the coat will be 50% off. Ok so on Saturday the store opens at 10 am, I walk in at approximately 10:10 am, she said, oh you wanted the coat, somebody bought it. I’m looking around like who? ! They purchased it today? She says well. … no they called in yesterday and put it on HOLD! REALLY?! IS THIS BOGUS OR WHAT? ! Needless to say, I think this was very unfair! ! They have nice items but if you want something half off always call the day before it goes half off and put it on hold! !!

I went there twice to check out their selection of higher end products like Chanel or LV. They don’t have a lot but for MN store it’s decent so no complaints there. They do carry a wide variety of brands. The more high end brand is more geared toward an older age group. There’s an average selection of Jimmy or Manolo’s range shoes.
However I was never greeted both the times here. It’s the attitude that I can’t afford anything there. How and when will people like this ever learn to not judge people based on their looks!!! There was a brand new Kate Spade purse that I liked but decided to give the retail store a try instead.

Good selection of high end items. My daughter and I had fun checking out the shoes and purses. Not like the consignment stores I usually frequent back in Iowa. Not a whole lotta Prada going on there. I will definitely be back to check things out when I’m in town next time. Maybe I’ll find a bargain. Didn’t really have time to try anything on, what with my daughter tagging along and all… next time!

Stopped in here briefly a few days ago while doing some other shopping in the area. I only had about 30 minutes to shop, but in that time I managed to try on a handful of things and score a really cute jumpsuit that was new with tags. Got home and checked it out on Google, and learned that it’s still current and full price at Nordstrom. I’d saved over $ 100 on it – not bad! I wish I’d had more time to check out the shoes and bags, because they had a lot of nice designer ones.
The prices looked to be generally a bit higher than I’m used to paying for consignment, but I think if I go back when I have time to dig, I could find some gems.

I discovered this amazing store almost 15 years ago when we moved here from the east coast. Gretchen and Lee have worked extremely hard to provide excellent quality gently used truly beautiful clothing shoes accessories for men and women. I have sold many wonderful vintage and couture pieces to them over the years and made a nice income. My closet is now filled with many many treasures I love from the years of thorough slow patient shopping in this magnificent rare shop.

Small, neglected department store feel. Terrible service… I was in there browsing for about ten minutes (that’s all I could stand) and not one of the three employees said a word to me even though they asked the few other customers if they needed help. It was as if they were ignoring me on purpose. Very odd, will not be coming back.

Fashion Avenue is sort of like the «misunderstood loner with a heart of gold» movie plots.
Located in Edina? Must be expensive and snooty, right? Yeah!
Except…well, no, they are still sort of expensive, and some of the customers can be very snobby…
BUT!
There ARE hidden gems in Fashion Avenue. Awesomely priced hidden gems with designer/​mid-​range designer tags.
The trick is timing. Yes, they put stuff out all the time, BUT, the special seasonal sales are when things get REALLY interesting. How interesting?
I’ve bought two Prada skirts from them for under $ 500. One Prada skirt is usually at least three times that, which is ridiculous, but that’s a whole different issue…
I’ve also bought a Diane Von Furstenberg super cute top there for $ 70.
They are also my go-​to for mid-​range designer jeans. I’m a sucker for nice jeans… J Brand, Paige, Nudie… those jeans generally go from around $ 175 — $ 300 new. I just got a pair of J Brand jeans from Fashion Avenue for $ 50. They look like they’ve been worn *maybe* once.
I also found a pair of Tom wedge sandals, new at Nordstroms cost $ 80…Fashion Ave? $ 24. They look like they’ve never been worn, ever.
Like I said, there ARE hidden gems at Fashion Avenue. You just have to do some digging and also go when the sales are just starting.

3.5: Small, slightly disorganized store that focuses on contemporary «mid-​range» designers (i.e. the peeps whose stuff normally sell in the $ 500 range).
I heard one of the workers tell a person over the phone that they accept everything starting from Banana Republic to Chanel. Did I see any Chanel? Not in the clothes when I went… or Yves Saint Laurent… or Balmain. That’s not to say I didn’t see any of these labels, as they were represented in the shoes, but that’s usually the claim to fame of many «upscale» consignment stores in MN anyway. There is a plethora of contemporary designer brands like DVF and Tibi. The forner of which there is a whole rack devoted to.
I agree with another reviewer that the arrangement of the store is not very intuitive for shoppers even though it’s a small space with limited offerings. It’s poorly signed to start with as I found myself circling the room in search of the skirts to only find them stuck with the maternity clothes, which I had seen the sign for and skipped over multiple times. Also, you’ll think you’re looking at all the dresses, yet half of them are on the wall and the other on free-​standing racks on the opposite side of the room.
Prices are high. $ 20-​$ 30 for Banana Republic is not what I’d consider a bargain. Also, there was a DVF scalloped lace shirt from Winter 2012 I missed out on purchasing from a dept. store because I was trying to justify a $ 100 purchase for wonderfully designed nylon. I saw the same shirt in-​store in the size I wanted, but it was priced at $ 88. That’s only $ 12 shy of what it was on clearance brand-​new. You tell me if that’s a bargain for used clothing. On the flip-​side, there was a leather, beaded holiday dress from Diane von Furstenberg for $ 98 that had originally retailed for $ 1300 at Nordstrom (yep, got home and looked it up). The catch was that the dress was «As-​Is» with a little tear in the silk at the base of the zipper and one or two beads that needed tightening.
That’s another FYI. Customers must read the price tag for the «AS-​IS» designation in teeny tiny print that looks like it’s part of store inventory coding. There’s no sign or color coding of the price tags to let customers know before going to the register that their item could have flaws.
An okay store that I might return to when I need to replenish my stock of cocktail dresses.
Side note, the consigning process is pretty efficient. You make an appointment; absolutely no walk-​ins with clothes. According to a phone inquiry I heard, as of 4÷26÷12 the store was booked out until end of May for consigning appointments. A lady came in for her appointment and had a handful of items with her. Most of it was rejected for being season inappropriate even though it looked new and well-​cared for. One reason given to her as to why the store wouldn’t accept her dress pants was «people are buying light colored pants now and these are black». Suffice to say the lady was not a happy camper and fairly seething as she waited for paperwork to be completed for the few items the store had taken in.

Good place to score a deal on a purse or piece of clothing, but I have a hard time navigating the store and digging through everything to find a good piece or two. I like how they have decent name brands, though I wish I wouldn’t run into cheaper items while I’m looking. There are many other consignment stores in the Twin Cities if I want used mall clothing.

Boy this place is expensive. Considering that this is a consignment store the clothes should not be priced so high. There are a couple of areas that are 50% off and there could be deals here but don’t go there expecting to get out cheap.
I will say though that the store is clean and the staff were very kind and helpful.
If only they would lower the prices.

If this store was a game we would call it «Hit or Miss»
You have to be willing to dig and not know what for. There are pieces here that are great, and others to be left behind. I did find a great pair of unwore Seventh of Bishop jeans (adore) and my friend got a cute Tori Burch wallet… but depending on what’s there, you might just feel like you are shopping mom’s closet and leave.
I think the lay out is nice, easy to shop, great fitting rooms to try things on, and always a couple people on staff to help if you need it. Sometimes parking and driving can get a little congested, but to park and walk on a nice day — worth it. I wouldn’t try to park in Caribou — that is a lost cause…
Overall — the store is cute — some very high end designers and some normal labels and brands. There is not a lack of designers in this store, it’s sometimes hard to find out that fits you every time.

Fashion Avenue is OK, but not very thrifty. Granted, it’s designer clothing… it originally cost an arm and a leg, and now it just costs an arm.
An arm is still a lot for a cheapskate like me!
The dresses and bags are worth checking out if you’re in the neighborhood, but be prepared to pay 50^th & France prices (i.e. limbs).