Outside view of Elite Consignment Exchange
Photo by Ben Lee ’27/The Choate News
By Ben Lee ’27 Reporter
A new thrift shopping destination, Elite Consignment Exchange has recently opened in Wallingford. An eight-minute walk from Choate, one can pass by Za-Onn, La Piazza, and Cositas Ricas to find the store located in front of the railroad. This new addition is already bringing changes to the town’s wardrobes and economy.
Elite Consignment Exchange offers some familiar luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Canada Goose. The store is divided into four sections: clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories.
Ms. Alana Arryo, the store manager, discussed the original vision of the store owners, Mr. Dave Costanzo and Mr. Wayne Patterson. “They always had an interest in design, and they wanted to open up a new business in something they thought would flourish in everything — consignment and second-hand. In that way, you can buy designer items for half of the cost,” she said.
The Elite Consignment Exchange buys and resells vintage clothing items from Wallingford residents. The store makes sure that the products they receive are authentic using a device called “Entrupy,” which zooms in on and scans the product with a camera.
The camera also shows the product’s microscopic details. By combining artificial intelligence with microscopy, Entrupy scans the item against common authentic and counterfeit ones, thus determining if the user’s product is real. Elite Consignment Exchange then validates the items that they are either buying or reselling.
Ms. Arryo shared her excitement about the store’s opening. She said, “Residents are excited to see what kind of new stuff we get and excited for Wallingford to get a store like this.”
Wallingford residents have been quick to embrace the store. Ms. Venessa Avila, who owns the restaurant Rivas Taqueria, said, “I went there once; it is pretty good and clean. They just opened, and people like it.”
Ms. Arryo said, “My goal is just to make people’s days brighter. I want to have something that is unique and products that are not made anymore. I want designers to be accessible to all.”
