The Small Business Project: Auckland online thrift store & Again is modernising second-hand retailing

Monday, 13 November 2023

The Small Business Project is a weekly series that shines the spotlight on Kiwi small businesses doing interesting and unusual things.

Wendy Quach's journey into the world of fashion and sustainability started when she decided to return home to New Zealand during the Covid pandemic after three years in London.

She started Auckland-based second-hand business, & Again, with $1000 and, for the first year, worked a day job to keep herself afloat. Three years later, and in the midst of a cost of living crisis, Quach, 28, says business is booming and the second-hand market is growing faster than ever. Despite this, she explains why she will never get into physical bricks and mortar retail.

What has your venture set out to achieve?

& Again is an online thrift store that helps women clear out their wardrobes, re-sell their clothing and creates an easy way to shop second-hand. I started the business because I wanted to modernise the second-hand industry, I thought it was due for an upgrade. It was also a personal journey as I wanted to help remove the stigma of shopping second-hand, and make a positive impact on the environment by encouraging people to have a second-hand first mindset. I’m all about promoting a circular fashion model. We have customers who sell with us, buy with us and who send garments back to us to start the process all over again.

I worked in the tech and software industry, but my passion has always laid with fashion. So I combined everything I know and launched in October 2020.

What are sales looking like for & Again?

It has been a journey over the past three years, but I’m pleased with how the business is tracking. We’re a bootstrapped business, so we didn’t have a lot to start with, and it actually started out of my parents’ bedroom. We have grown a lot and we are now a team of six, based in a Penrose warehouse in Penrose.

How much time and money have you invested in the business?

I was working part-time for the first year as I didn’t have the money to be able to go all in on this from the get-go. I started the business with $1000 and have bootstrapped all the way. It has been a venture of blood, sweat and tears. I have contributed a lot of my own personal clothes. We kicked things off using Instagram. When we launched, I got a couple of shipments of clothes from strangers who believed in the business, and it has continued to grow since. A tight-knit community has helped to bring this business to life.

What impact is the cost-of-living having on your business?

We are an alternative to buying new, and because of the cost of living crisis people are reprioritising their money. We are seeing more people choose second-hand as an option and a lot more customers who have never shopped second-hand before.

Being online allows people to access second-hand garments from all corners of New Zealand. It also allows people to more easily shop second-hand rather than sifting through racks and racks of product. People can have a modern experience and easily filter and refine what they are looking for. Online has been a good tool to introduce people to the concept of second-hand shopping.

Is second-hand shopping now accepted?

The popularity of second-hand shopping is rising, and people are becoming more cost conscious because of high inflation, and greater understanding of the impact of buying fast fashion and new garments. A lot of people are adopting a second-hand first mindset and more options out there today are fuelling that. We’ve had 7000 people shop with us so far, and each month we sell between 2000 and 2500 pieces of clothing. We’re a small team, so I can only imagine the amount of garments we can divert from going to landfill as we grow.

What’s one thing you wish you had known before starting the business?

I’ve never been afraid of hard work, a challenge has always motivated me, but I don’t think I realised how much mental and physical toll a business takes on someone. I think that comes down to the unrealistic portrayal of running a business on social media. It seems fun and grand, but sometimes it is harder than I ever thought. It is not just hard work, it is passion and so much more than that.

In three years' time you will be…

We want to grow our brand to become a household name, so that when people say they need to clear out their wardrobe they automatically think to order a tidy kit from us.

In three years, we want to be much bigger, and get into more categories. The next market is baby clothing, because there is a lot of wastage there. I’ve got four nieces and nephews and I see how quickly they grow out of their clothes, so that is definitely an opportunity for us to recycle clothing that may not have been worn much.

What does expansion look like for & Again?

Our big audacious goal is to look at markets like Australia and see what opportunities are there for expansion. Brick and mortar stores are not on the cards.

Is this your first stint owning and running your own business?

Yes and no. This is my first time doing anything serious. My parents are humble business owners, they run hospitality businesses, and from a very young age I’ve always seen having my own business as a big goal. I’ve had small gigs here and there, doing side hustles while I was studying and working, but this is what I would consider my first proper business. We’re so close to being profitable.

Most helpful piece of advice you have ever received?

If you’re not learning or growing, you are going to be left behind. Learning and leaning into new technologies and trends, along with personal growth, is really important and keeps me motivated.

If you would like to take part in The Small Business Project, email us at aimee.shaw@stuff.co.nz