New Wanderlust Shop in Albany combines consignment and homemade goods

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ALBANY – Racks lined with new and used name-brand clothing and carefully curated displays of locally made goods fill the new Albany Wanderlust Handmade and Consignment Store.

The local shop is tucked off Dawson Road, next to Harvest Moon. It provides a cozy, chic shopping experience, intertwining second-hand clothes, shoes and accessories with hand-made products made by local small business owners. The owner, Wanda Garey, said she wanted to bring something new to Albany by combining the two.

“I wanted to create an upscale shopping experience where you can come in, feel comfortable, enjoy some conversation, find some one-of-a-kind items,” she said.

The store offers clothes from brands like Anthropologie, Free People, LuluLemon, Talbots and more. Garey recently added a section dedicated to plus-size clothing as well.

As someone who went through weight loss herself, Garey said plus-size clothing is something she’s passionate about.

“I know how hard it is to find plus-size clothing,” she said. “Often it’s not cute, boutique clothing. That’s the reason I turned a whole room and dedicated it to that. At least people can come here and get nice, clean, cute clothing … ready to wear.”

Garey also is an authorized reseller of Jordan’s Skinny Mixes for drinks. She has shelves filled with every flavor one could imagine from pumpkin and caramel to pineapple and coconut.

Through her store, Garey said she also hopes to encourage people to be more sustainable.

People interested in selling their clothing at the shop are free to come in at any time during store hours and don’t need an appointment. Garey said she wanted to make it easy for people to repurpose their clothing.

“Why waste clothes?” she said. “Why not bring them in and repurpose them? Let somebody else have some new clothes.”

In her first month in business, Garey’s shop had more than 70 consignors – a number she said she never expected. People bring their clothes in bags or boxes. She processes them, checking for stains, tears, broken zippers and other details. She verifies their brand names. Once the items are sold from the rack, the consignors receive a pay out. If the item doesn’t sell, Garey said she plans to donate clothes to local charities.

Garey said everything in her shop, aside local goods, is second-hand. She uses old shelves, repurposed doors and fences and other quirky display designs.

The new business owner said she has always been an avid second-hand shopper and reseller. She used to shop from stores like Goodwill or other thrift and consignment shops and resell found gems on eBay. She said she’d bring her daughter along while she shopped and dream about opening up a children’s boutique with upscale consignment clothing. She said opening Albany Wanderlust was fulfilling that dream and more.

When she decided to add hand-made goods to her shop’s merchandise, Garey said she attended local markets and festivals to find small business owners. She handed out her business card and told them about the store and the opportunity to have their products displayed for sale full-time.

Garey said she wants to support local small businesses as well as she can. She doesn’t charge booth rent to have products displayed. She takes on the responsibility of being a good salesperson for hand-made products, helping customers pair hand-made jewelry with their purchased outfits.

At first, she said she struggled to find a space for the store, but she struck a deal with the Harvest Moon owners to rent the space they had been using for storage. Garey said she worked hard to clean and craft the space into what it is now.

“There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears that went into this,” she said. “One night I just sat down on the floor there and squalled … but my daughter told me ‘You’ve got this. You know how to do this. You’ve wanted this for a long time.’ And now I’m here, and I’m doing it.”

Garey said people warned her about the traffic from Harvest Moon and limited parking, but she said she hasn’t had a problem – in fact, she said being next to the popular local restaurant has helped her. She said she has had many customers who visit out of curiosity after enjoying a meal at the restaurant. On Fridays and Saturdays, she said she often stays up late to meet the demand.

“This is a win-win for both of us,” she said. “They can go eat, they can come over here and shop and vice versa.”

She said the proximity to the restaurant brings her customers she would never expect to shop at her store. She said she sees people of all ages, genders, backgrounds shopping and finding items they like.

Garey moved to Albany in 2017 after marrying an Albany native. She said for the first few years she lived in the Good Life City, she questioned whether it was the right place for her.

“But since I‘ve opened the store, I have met the best people,” Garey said. “I wake up and I’m excited about work.”

Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan