What's Up With All of Those Resale Shops on Woodward?

I drive up and down Woodward a lot. More specifically, I make the trek from Ferndale to Birmingham a few times a week for work and over the last few years, I noticed that there are a ton of resale shops every few miles during the drive. I began wondering what kind of treasures I could find inside these shops, I dreamed of discovering the perfect vintage belt in my price point or splurging on a pair of shoes that I wouldn't normally be able to afford. I figured all the people selling stuff to these shops have money, so the shops must have some really cool things inside them. Plus, I'm trying to stop buying fast fashion so buying resale fits better with my new vibe. So, after a few months of dancing around inside my fantasies, I decided to spend an afternoon making some stops.

Initially, I realized that many of the storefronts that advertised resale were closed down rental properties with old signage so there aren't actually as many shops as the drive leads you to believe. Ultimately, I was able to find a few places to stop in and search around, but I didn't buy anything on my travels. There were a few cool clothing items that I saw, but none of them were in my size and the last thing I need is more furniture or jewelry. The most shocking discovery of the day was how much-unwanted fur is rotting away on racks inside these places. If you saw it all in person, I think you would agree that fur is so 2000 and late, it's time to go faux and be done with it. Despite not finding anything, I enjoyed my adventure and plan to stop back by some of the shops from time to time to see what they have because I could see finding something special in the future. Here's a rundown of the places I stopped and what they offer.

Refined Resale: 32823 Woodward Ave, Royal Oak, MI 48073

Refined Resale is a small green shop on the side of Woodward Avenue. It is packed wall to wall and ceiling to floor with dresses, purses, shoes, assessors and more.  Items are mildly organized, but it's more of a dig yourself through space kinda place. They have lots of items in the $20 price range and some that go upwards of 200. It would be a great place to get a nice dress for an event and I guarantee that you could find something that you wanted if you took the time to dig, but it's not easy to move things on the racks and there is a lot to look at. The best item that I found was a purple Marc Jacobs bag that was reasonably priced, but no cheaper than you could get it on one of the resale stores online.  

Everything Home Upscale Resale: 29862 Woodward Ave, Royal Oak, MI 48073

Everything Home is exactly what it promises. They have everything you could ever need for your home. Lots of upscale furniture, mirrors, paintings, vases, lamps, and china. Everything is laid out nicely and if you were looking for something for your home, it would be easy to walk through and spot something special. They do not carry much clothing, jewelry, or shoes at this shop, but they have a few things of this nature. I could see myself stopping in if I was looking for a special housewarming gift or if I needed a cool mirror for my home. 

Emporium Resale Boutique: 33744 Woodward Ave, Birmingham, MI 48009

The Emporium was actually a pretty cool space. Everything is organized by size and category and it was super fun to walk around and see what they had. The shop carried a variety of name brand stuff ranging from mid-level to high end. The owner was friendly and immediately told me which tags were on sale when I walked into the store. I will definitely stop in once in a while to see what she has because she clearly cares about what she is doing and try to find nice things to resale into a new home at a fair price. 

Regeneration: 23700 Woodward Ave, Pleasant Ridge, MI 48069

I know that a lot of you probably have been to Regeneration before, but I wanted to remind you how cool of a store it really is. All of their stock tends to be seasonal and their prices are more than reasonable. They carry mid-level and vintage fashion and their stock is constantly changing. I usually buy something every time I visit so it was a surprise when I didn't find anything this time around.  This is the spot I am most likely to return to if I am looking for a deal, but not the spot I would stop at if I was looking for some high-end vintage finds.

PS- They also have a second location in Clawson.

Passion Fashion: Next to the Affordable Flowers located at 33289 Woodward Ave, Birmingham, MI 48009

This was my favorite store by far. I spent some time chatting with an older gentleman named Len who told me that they had just moved into the space and they would be getting a lot more merchandise soon. They didn't have much on the shelves, but what they did have was nice. Most of their merchandise was older high-end stuff. If you were looking for a vintage St. Johns suit, this would be the place to go. Plus, Len was awesome to talk to, so I suggest stopping in if you want to have an adventure and meet a new friend.