Article published Aug 6, 2006
Vermont
Place your bids now on this vintage shop Clothing store being auctioned on eBay
By ERIN HANRAHAN
Valley News
In a last-ditch effort to save her White River Junction, Vt., vintage clothing store, Kim Souza has put Revolution Vintage up for sale on eBay, where it will go to the highest bidder, provided that an unspecified minimum price is met.
Souza's auction began last Tuesday morning and will run through this Tuesday at 10 a.m.
"It's a little bit of a long shot, but I figured I have nothing to lose," said Souza, who decided to give up the store this summer after running it for four years.
In July, Souza said that she would try to keep the store, if it could gain a sudden shot of financial support.
She then tried to sell the store locally, through her own e-mail list and a network of friends.
"It's not the kind of thing to do through a commercial broker because it's kind of a small-scale operation," Souza said of Revolution Vintage, which never exceeded $1 million in annual sales. When Souza found no local buyers for the store, she listed it on eBay.
Revolution Vintage is described on the eBay listing as a "dynamic thrift boutique located in the heart of a burgeoning arts community."
The package for sale includes men's and women's vintage and contemporary used clothing, the store's furniture and fixtures, the store's name and website, and an e-mail list containing the addresses of 1,000 customers. The lease to continue using the downtown space will have to be negotiated with the property owner, according to the online listing.
Regardless of how the auction goes, Souza said she hopes to keep the store open through September,.
She also plans to hold a final Revolution Vintage Fashion Show, a semi-annual event hosted by the store at the Tip Top Cafe.
"Then we just start the aggressive liquidation process," she said.
