By: Sara Collins and Isabella Atchick

What is Greene Street?

Created by Lynne Mastrilli in 1997, Greene Street is a company committed to eco-friendly consignment and trade. Mastrilli has owned this business for 25 years now. At the time of Sharon A. Shaw’s article“Word on The Street,” Mastrilli stated that she wanted to create a modern look for consignment shops. They have donated and partnered with organizations that help animals and the community as a whole. They are also a part of the Greene Earth initiative, in which they offer for you to bring your own bag or buy a paper one. To learn more about their Green Earth initiative click here: (Green Earth initiative). The company started as a family-owned business with only a few locations and branched out in later years, with a total of seven locations. The locations spread from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. The PA locations are Chestnut Hill, Wayne, and Philadelphia, while the NJ stores are in Lambertville, Princeton, and Red Bank. Some of these locations only sell women’s clothing while the others have men’s clothing, so make sure to do some research ahead of time! If you would need any help along the way, their corporate office is located right in Chester County, PA, more specifically, Spring City, PA. 

You can also find ways to get in touch with customer service on their website or call your local store. When it is time to visit your favorite location, you will see a wide range of clothing brands that are considered mid to high-end fashion. Some easily recognizable brands in the store are Anthropologie, Chanel, Lululemon, Birkenstock, and Gucci. Check this out to see the full list of brands they accept and carry: (Accepted Brands). When visiting the Chestnut Hill branch, we have always had a pleasant experience. The store has a very tidy environment and clear labels showing where everything is. Other consignment shops we have been to are often not that organized, regarding what is located where, making it harder for the customer to see what they exactly want. At times, that type of environment could be frustrating for some, so if you like an orderly environment and discounted clothing, you should make a trip to Greene Street!

How To Make Greene

You have the choice to consign or trade clothing at Greene Street with a minimum of 10 pieces and up to 50 pieces. For most of the pieces, you need to schedule a drop-off appointment. But if you have designer handbags to consign or trade, you’re in luck! Many popular brands don’t require an appointment. Take a look at the full list here: (Designer Handbag Brands)

Before trading or consigning, there are three things you need to consider: the cleanliness, the style, and the condition of the items. Greene Street is looking for trendy clothing that is free of stains, odors, tears, and other defects. Check out the full page of their terms and conditions: (Guidelines for Items)

Along with the different ways one can get rid of their unwanted clothes at Greene Street, there are other ways to make a profit. The real question is who doesn’t love a rewards system? It is a great incentive for shopping at your favorite stores. Greene Street’s reward system allows for the customer to leave with more than new clothes, have an incentive to come back, and get money off a purchase. Rewards systems are a win for both the customer and the business! 

 To make it even simpler for a customer to find and purchase what they would like, Greene Street has a wishlist feature on their website. If you sign up to be notified when an item is in stock, you can also use your rewards to get awesome discounts! With the wishlist system, you can easily fill out a form, located here: (Wishlist). Once the form is complete, you wait for the call, and if your item is brought to the store, you can get it at a better price than you imagined! (especially if you get the chance to use those rewards).

What is Done Outside of Store?

When they are not selling items, Greene Street is active on their Instagram page (@shopgreenestreet). On their Instagram highlights, they show the customers that they build their own shelving for the stores, how cool is that?! They try their hardest to keep everything sustainable. Their highlights also include ways to dress up items from the last season into the new season of your wardrobe. They have some eco-friendly crafts that people can do as well, separate from clothing, such as how to gift wrap without creating waste.

Sources: 

Greene Street. (2022). Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://greenestreetstores.com/ 

Shaw, S. A. (2015, May). Word on the street - suburbanlifemagazine.com. Retrieved from https://www.suburbanlifemagazine.com/article/1250/Word-on-the-Street