With a decades-long career in corporate management, Rebecca Hazelton had it made — until her employer, Temple-Inland, closed the doors to its Evansville offices in 2010. Although she was nearing retirement age, Hazelton wasn’t ready to stop working.
“I didn’t want to go back into the corporate world,” she says. “I wanted to do something fun. I had to reinvent myself.”
That summer, she and her sister Kathy drove to Leesburg, Fla., to visit their now-86-year-old mother, who runs a consignment shop as a fundraiser for her church. Hazelton spent a week helping her mother set up a new location for the shop.
“We had a blast putting outfits together and decorating the space,” she recalls. On the drive back to Evansville, an idea popped into her mind: What if she started a consignment shop of her own?
In January 2011, Hazelton opened Re-Style Consignment Boutique across from the University of Evansville. Last December, she moved the shop down the street to a larger, 1,200-square-foot location at 2800 Lincoln Ave., a building also home to Yoga 101.
Re-Style’s pink, scalloped awning hints at the cheerful, colorful atmosphere inside the shop, which sells women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories from around 150 local consignors. All items are new or gently used, and Hazelton steams each item before it hits the shop floor. Some of the most frequently sold labels include Ralph Lauren, Bebe, Ann Taylor, and Chico’s, but Hazelton has sold items from brands as upscale as Chanel and Escada.
What sets Re-Style apart from other local consignment shops is its stunning selection of vintage jewelry — and Hazelton’s passion for it. Her mother Anna Lee Miller is a former antiques dealer, and as a child, Hazelton spent hours playing with her jewelry. Today, “I love to research and learn about the history,” she says.
On a recent trip to Re-Style, the glass display case under the cash register included a midcentury Vendome gold bib necklace ($85) and strands of glittering Aurora Borealis crystal from the 1940s ($20), along with pieces designed by Hobé, Boucher, and Weiss. Local women from teens to octogenarians admire the jewelry, Hazelton says. “Vintage has become very popular. People appreciate the past.”
Behind the register is a framed black-and-white photograph of a young Miller, Hazelton’s mother, applying lipstick. Opening a consignment shop and spending her days surrounded by vintage jewelry, Hazelton says, “is like part of my mom is here. It reminds me of her.”
Those interested in consigning items may call for an appointment or stop by during business hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
For more information on Re-Style Consignment Boutique, call 812-568-0484 or visit its Facebook page.
