Double Take Consignment store sets up shop in downtown St. Charles

The name of the newly opened Double Take Consignment store in downtown St. Charles plays on the notion that clothing and other items can have more than one owner.

"And, hopefully, you look so good when you walk out of the store someone does a double take," owner Tammi Rojek said. "My daughter actually came up with the name."

Double Take Consignment opened Dec. 1 at 122 W. Main St., which formerly housed Stanbridge Master Saddlers. A grand opening celebration will happen in January.

The store is already seeing brisk business.

"I feel like our foot traffic has been really good," Rojek said. "People have been dropping off things and kind of finding out what we're about."

This is Double Take's second location. Her first location opened in February in Crystal Lake.

"I kind of took over an existing store," Rojek said. "It had been in Crystal Lake for eight years. The owner announced she was closing the day after Christmas, and I asked her if I could buy out her assets. I changed the name of the store."

She had previously owned consignment stores in Carpentersville and Algonquin.

Rojek is happy to be located in downtown St. Charles. She also loves the history of the building.

The space was the longtime home of Colson's Department Store, which closed in 1992 after 112 years in business.

"It's a great location for being seen," Rojek said.

Women's and kids' clothing comprise the majority of what the store sells along with toys, books and other items. After signing a contract with the store, a consignor can bring in a maximum of 25 items every two weeks. The store will keep an item for up to 60 days.

"And then they get paid for the items as they sell," she said. "They drop them off, and we look through them and take what we think will sell. And we're pretty particular about what we take. And people know that. Customers love that we are picky because we usually catch any stains, holes and broken buttons or zippers, anything like that."

The consignor receives 40% of the final selling price, not including the handling fee.

The store has four fitting rooms so customers can try on the outfits before they buy them, including a wheelchair-accessible fitting room. The 5,400-square-foot store offers plenty of room to display items.

Those who shop at the store are likely to find many good deals. The deals get better if an item is still at the store after 30 days.

"Like this one starts at $59.99," Rojek said, in picking out an outfit. "After 30 days, it will go down to $41.99."

Rojek says she loves helping people find what they need. She also wants to lend a helping hand.

"I would hope that this could become a place where people that need help would feel comfortable coming in here and know that we will try to help them if we can," Rojek said.

Double Take Consignment is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. More information is available by calling Double Take Consignment at (630) 549-6284.