By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT- Pretty Reckless Chi, or Chi Marie to her friends, has been building a feminine force to be reckoned with.
The Newport resident has built an entrepreneurial collective with a group of friends and colleagues, based on their passions, talents and dedication. The collective hopes to empower women and foster community with the ultimate goal of promoting women run business.
The newest foray for the Pretty Reckless umbrella is the Pretty Reckless Swap Shop, a clothing swap that aims to help local people during these uncertain economic times. The idea came from Pretty Reckless Manager Kat, while helping Chi declutter some of the many clothes that came from her self confessed “shopping problem.”
“Kat said to me, you know a lot of people are looking for stuff like this online. Whether it’s maternity clothes, summer outfits, men’s wear or baby clothes, there’s always someone in need for stuff like this. With the influx of prices going on right now, we wanted to try and help people and thought, what if we do a swap shop,” said Chi of the inspiration for the collective’s newest venture.
For anyone coming to take a look at their potential new wardrobe, the hope is that when they leave with their new items, they leave some behind as well. This sort of trade offers people the opportunity to look great in their clothes without incurring any costs to themselves. Should anyone not have anything they are tired of or just plain don’t want anymore, the swap shop offers all of their items at significantly discounted prices, many of them going for a dollar, with the intention of people leaving confident without breaking the bank.
“With the housing crisis people are having a hard time finding things for their house. So if we can get things for free, we want to be able to give those things back to the community for free,” stated Chi.
Other major focuses for the inventory of the swap shop are originality and size consciousness. Members of Pretty Reckless spoke to the difficulty of finding things that are comfortable to them. The issue being that many of the more well-known big box stores will have clothing items with various sizes, or claim to be large, but fit more like a small. The swap shop aims to find items that fit for everyone. The inherent nature of the shop tends to be much more inviting as well, as anyone that wants to come peruse the wares first has to make an appointment with Kat, and then they are able to shop alone and at their leisure.
Shoppers are also able to find plenty of 90’s fashion on the racks, with brand name items ranging from Billabong to Gucci. “It’s cool people can find an outfit, and they know when they leave no one else is going to be wearing that,” said Chi.
Pretty Reckless’ entomology comes from the no risk, no reward mentality that it took to kick start the concept despite fears of it becoming a potential setback. Over the last few years, however, it’s proven to be a popular option for local people to boost their confidence. Originally started as an opportunity for folks to have their nails done, in a fun comfortable environment. The group added photo shoots to their repertoire. The collective, who acknowledge the often steep costs of things like photo shoots, acknowledge that these things are a luxury but a luxury that should be available to everyone despite their financial situation. They have in the past taken everything from casseroles to paintings so that their clientele have the opportunity to have these small pleasures and feel like a whole different person for a day.
Featured in the shop are handcrafted offerings from other members of the group. Kat, for example, has created one of a kind jewelry options, as well as a number of artistic oddities for home decor. Other members of the group also have handmade candles as well as custom designed Pretty Reckless merch.
As Pretty Reckless and their offerings continue to grow the group looks forward to the future when they will have a brick and mortar establishment affording an even higher level of accessibility. Anyone hoping to reach out to the group to schedule time at the swap shop can contact the manager Kat on social media at Pretty Reckless Kat.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.