The vintage advantage

THE lady at the counter begins a lengthy explanation.

It seems her mother has passed away, leaving a wealth of expensive outfits, and because they're worth a fair amount, the daughter feels they shouldn't go to charity shops. She's heard of Corner 93; that it offers cash for decent clothing, and wonders if her mother's might just qualify. She mentions Jaques Vert wedding suits and Lyndsey Jackson, the shop's owner, interrupts. "I'm afraid they really don't sell for us," she says apologetically, before suggesting alternative outlets. The lady leaves happy, having promised to drop off others of her mother's labels, and Lyndsey smiles, having found another potential supplier.

This episode is typical of how Corner 93, in Fulwell, Sunderland, conducts business. Having opened at the beginning of the year, it has already established itself as one of the North- East's premier second-hand clothes stores, and stepping inside, you can understand why. This is the sort of shop that makes you feel excited. Authentically fitted out with period wardrobes and accessories, it creates a lovely old-world atmosphere. There are old suitcases brimming with belts, tailors dummies from the Fifties and decadent-looking pictures from a bygone era.

The shop sells vintage and modern clothes, a range of accessories, vintage bric-a-brac and vintage handbags.

Among the clothes, there is the ordinary day-wear – winter jackets and plain black skirts – and then the stuff with a wow factor: a gorgeous peacock-coloured dress, apparently specially made for its original owner; a long black evening gown, beautifully hand-stitched with sequins; a stylish hunting jacket, still with its price tag of £200. Every item has been painstakingly selected by Lyndsey and, as she says, she only sells what she personally likes. "I want to be in a shop where I like to look at things. I could never really buy in stuff that I thought would sell, but I didn't really like. In a way it's a bit like an antiques dealer, but for clothes. We are a personal stylist, in a sense, because we pre-select all the stock."

Lyndsey, 27, who lives in Sunderland, talks like a fashion veteran, and from her choice of goods, it's clear she has an excellent eye. She says she's always loved things with a history. "I definitely have a fondness for vintage handbags – very unusual handbags. I get very excited if I see one. And dresses that have a little bit of history.

I will find myself asking 'how old is it?', 'when did you wear it?', 'why do you want to part with it?'. I love vintage stuff. I love the idea of a history to things."

Lyndsey's training, although creative, was not in fashion but photography – she studied fine art photography at Nottingham Trent University. It was during her time as a student that she first started sourcing vintage goods. "I think I've always had a passion for rummaging and finding stuff in thrift stores, then I started selling stuff on eBay and making a bit of money," she says. "From about 19 I started collecting vintage handbags. It was never an interest to sell them until eBay picked up and a vintage market opened up."

SHE cut her teeth managing an Age Concern shop, which she did for a year, then, convinced there was a gap in the market for really fashionable second-hand goods, she launched the business. Before doing so, however, she did her homework.

"I started researching into nearly new shops and there weren't really any in the North-East, apart from a few which had opened and then closed," says Lyndsey. "It just made me think that I could do it if I really thought it through – if I was really selective with stock and if I created the right atmosphere. With the talk of the credit crunch I did a bit of research into which businesses were thriving on the high street and it was charity shops and pawn brokers. I thought people were probably more sentimental about jewellery than clothes – they would rather de-clutter their wardrobe than get rid of their jewellery."

To help them do this, Lyndsey offers a personal de-cluttering service, whereby she goes to people's homes and relieves them of unwanted goods – an ideal way of sourcing hidden gems. If Lyndsey accepts an item to sell, she gives the client a third of the asking price – upfront and in cash, so they are instantly recompensed. This puts the onus squarely on Lyndsey to know her market extremely well, but if her success is any measure, she seems largely to get it right.

Lyndsey's golden rule when making a judgement is: would somebody wear it now? This doesn't mean she's averse to making changes, like adding a brooch to a plain jacket to jazz it up, or taking up a dress to make it more modern, but the item must first strike her as current. When choosing vintage, wedding suits are a no-no – they don't appeal to her trendy clients and, anyway, charity shops are full of them – but anything classic is definitely in. Handbags must be leather or, ideally, snakeskin, and labels like Jane Shilton are perfect fodder, and only the top end of the high street – names like Reiss and Karen Millen – will fit the modern bill. Lyndsey doesn't charge a fortune – the most expensive item is £50 – so it's no wonder the shop is busy.

The one thing that could threaten Lyndsey's success is temptation – surely all those lovely things must be hard to resist – but she is firm in her resolve. "People sometimes say 'do you not keep things yourself?', but to be honest, I don't, because it's a business," she says. "I just switch off."

■ Corner 93, 93 Sea Road, Fulwell, 0191-5482331