Queues out the door for second Preloved Charlies store

Friday, 29 November 2024

Preloved Charlies opened a second store on Friday on Victoria St.

One of Wellington’s most popular Gen Z vintage stores, Preloved Charlies, opened its second location on Victoria St on Friday.

The shop’s doors opened at 3pm and shortly after a line of young people were spilling out onto the street.

Preloved Charlies buys and sells sustainably sourced second hand items.

Owner Mikaela Venimore, taking a stand against the rise of fast fashion, started the store online after the Covid-19 lockdown.

In July 2023 she opened a physical store on Vivian St, and earlier this year announced the second location.

People waited on the street for their turn to have a look in the new store.

“We’ve been setting up for the past month,” Venimore said on Friday. “I was panicking like an hour before, but I’m really happy.”

With a DJ lineup playing everything from current tunes to throwback hits, temporary tattoos, and matcha lattes from Wellington-based Evil Twil Twins coffee, the opening was a Gen Z paradise.

Kade Leogreen was one of the first customers in the queue, having heard about its opening via Instagram.

“Just being here today, this feels like a really safe, great place, for women specifically,” she said, “I think that’s awesome.”

When asked what Preloved Charlies brings to the city, Venimore said simply “a second-hand shop for the girlies”.