Recycled Rags

"Affordable consignment shop for brand name items."

"On one hand, the aggressively upper class aura of this shop hit me stronger and more aggressively than the sickly sweet scent of hundreds of pounds of garbage when I worked in a dining hall bakery, and would routinely bring kitchen trash down to the loading dock. On the other hand, I did feel like I had learned a great deal about the world by the time I walked back out the front doors. Being a white USAmerican, I never before knew how cultural appropriation felt. Walking into a shop named "Recycled Rags" only to find that the cheapest piece of clothing I could find was $60, and the average price was around $200 did, however, endeavor to alleviate me of that ignorance. I know Corona Del Mar is a bougie area, but I must convey to you, that if you put the word "rags" in your title, your entire inventory *cannot* consist of items costing as much, if not far more, than a healthy family of six spends on their weekly grocery trip. The immediateness with which I realized I had made a grave error upon entering what I thought would be a higher end but still affordable consignment shop, which then instead revealed itself to be a rich woman's misinformed, light roleplay of being low(er) class, made my head spin - not unlike the beloved character Daffy Duck in the hit kid's show Looney Toons. If I'd wanted to mingle with people who routinely earn more money than I've ever owned at one point in my life, I would've snuck into a yacht club pretending to be the sixteenth in line to the throne of England - NOT visited a shop which, I cannot stress enough, is named "Recycled Rags". Is this place some kind of honeypot trap to lure in humble, working class rubes like me, only to spin them like a top for their own amusement? Are the owners somehow unaware of how utterly misleading the name of their shop is? Or perhaps, are they aware of their misnomer and are simply playing their silly game of pretend that their lives are the same as the peasantry, who have to pass their old garbs between each other to remain clothed? All these are questions I would desperately like to be answered. But alas, they shall remain a mystery to me, as I am beyond certain the only way I would ever receive a true answer is to somehow join their ranks and conduct an undercover social investigation. For now, I can only hope my review will stand as a warning, protecting others like myself from making my mistake and exposing themselves to a world of sidelong glances and condescending grins. To those of you who belong to this social world so alien to me: I wish you a happy life, blissfully unaware of the real world around you. To those like myself, I pray that we both shall find better places to scrounge for our pleasures and modest indulgences, away from the gentry and in our safe, comfortable warrens."

"This is the most UNPROFESSIONALLY ran businesses I have come into contact with in my years (40) living in Newport. It's the location and rarity of what the store offers that keep any customers coming in. I will not"

"Possibly the least friendly consignment in a friendly town. I keep forgetting that only to remember when I return yearly. Suspect it’s because I don’t look typically OC. On Que Style and Bellísima were much friendlier."

"Yesterday we returned to Recycled Rags for the second time from the Central Valley. It is a terrific store with fabulous items. The sales person, Kathy is wonderful, helpful and knowledgeable. We made a specific trip back there because I needed an outfit for our upcoming James Bond themed party. Kathy helped me find a beautiful gown and some other great pieces. It is the worth the drive to Recycled Rags. I highly recommend this store. Thank You."