by Ha Nguyen
Prices of things becoming too high? Don’t worry, because a large and wonderful four-storey new store dealing in pre-loved (second-hand) goods has opened at 9 Tran Thanh Tong in Ha Noi’s Hai Ba Trung District.
There, you can buy affordable household equipment, books, clothing and other goods and, at the same time, put up for sale goods you no longer need.
Housewife Nguyen Thanh Huyen from Ha Noi’s Hai Ba Trung District often visits the store, which opened two months ago. “My home is next door, so I use it to buy good clothes for my children, books for my husband and home utensils for the house. All come at affordable prices, much cheaper than those at regular shops,” Huyen said.
She said that she had bought a pair of Nike shoes for her son for VND320,000, which compares with the outside price of at least US$100 or VND2 million. This was an immense relief as she has to handle the whole household budget on her husband’s monthly income of VND4 million.
Huyen said the store was growing bigger every day, attracting hundreds of customers.
Tran Thi Tuyet, who lives in Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, said the store was a place for people to sell things on consignment, which explains the name of the shop in Spanish, Consignista. “We have many things that we bought in the former Soviet Union back in the 1990s and other goods we bought during Viet Nam’s subsidisation of essential goods before doi moi (economic renewal),” Tuyet said.
“I thought I should sell some of these goods, such as pressure cookers, because my children and grandchildren are only interested in modern made-in-Japan electric cookers.
“In the past, when I wanted to try and sell any surplus goods, such as presents for Christmas or duplicate wedding gifts, I would approach many shops to see if they were interested. Only a very few would agree to buy.
“But now, I can sell any unnecessary gear on consignment at the store – and it does sell well,” Tuyet said.
Nguyen Quynh Anh, 25, a manager of a fashion shop on the store’s first floor, said all her goods were on consignment. “They fix a price for their goods and if it is sold within the first five days they receive 70 per cent of the total price,” Anh said. “The remainder belongs to the shop owner. If the goods fail to sell in the first five days, the percentage for the shopkeeper begins to rise.
“Our business has been running well since we opened two months ago,” said Anh. However, the most important thing to her is that her shop provides work for jobless people, and even students. Many who work part-time receive a monthly income of about VND3 million, an excellent amount for a young person.
Anh said the business model was well-known in Western countries, but Consignista may be the first one in Viet Nam. Internationally these types of store are often known as second-hand shops or “flea markets”, where all sorts of so-called trash and treasure are sold, usually at weekends
The Ha Noi venture was established by Anh’s friends, who are very young, but very active. “I’m happy with my work at the Consignista because it is a bridge between people. Now we plan to lease another store to develop our business,” said Anh.
She said apart from stalls selling goods, including art works, there were also coffee shops, massage parlours, and hairdressers in the building. There is also an exhibition area, a billiards room and a centre for musical performances. In keeping with the low-cost outlook of the whole operation, all these services are also offered at reasonable prices.
Hoang Thuy Hang from Ha Noi’s Hoan Kiem District said as an art lover, she often went to the store to enjoy paintings, even body painting by Phuong Vu Manh, who is considered a pioneer of the art form in the country.
Hang said she often went to the fourth floor to join a course on storytelling for young people through digital images. “I hope the Ha Noi store will become as popular as a famous second-hand shop in Beijing. China, known as 798 Art Zone, or Shoreditch in London where things are sold at affordable prices,” she said.
Nguyen Van Tho, who manages the store, said it once housed a pharmaceutical enterprise, but it moved to an industrial zone in Vinh Phuc Province decades ago. The factory remained empty until last year, when several car repair and car wash shops opened on the ground floor. They are still there, but the top floors are run by Consignista.
The business has boomed as more and more customers flock in from the inner city and surrounding districts, said Tho. “The most important thing is that leasing prices for small shopkeepers is reasonable, Prices range from only VND50,000 to 75,000 per square metre per month.” At present, all the space has been taken.
The most delightful thing about Consignista is that, without any fuss or fanfare, is is actually helping carry out one of the most essential tasks in the world of climate change – recycling! — VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News