After volunteering in Charleston for an 18-year-old organization called Dining With Friends ( that raises money for AIDS awareness, she decided to bring it to Charlotte. Side note: Not just a fashion junkie, Pickard is also a philanthropist. Some of her inventory was recently spotted in a swanky, upscale boutique in Charleston for almost double the price, and since she doesn't have the overhead that comes along with a storefront for Olive, she can be economy-conscious, which works out well for all the "stylistas" in the Q.C. There's everything from this season's version of the LBD (little black dress) to a beautiful tribal printed dress - comfy yet flirty - that any woman would fall head over heels for. Olive carries a mixture of brands, everything from fun dresses to more dressy, cocktail looks for all those weddings and events women like us are always invited to. "I wanted to do something that I could run out of, and I wanted to keep my items at affordable price points," Pickard says. After only two years in the retail business, the online boutique Olive was born. Many entrepreneurs might think so, considering the success of Revolve, but not Pickard. As long as the clothing, shoes, hats and accessories fit within the guidelines of what Pickard describes as "higher end," she will take them.Īfter opening a place like Revolve, perhaps the next logical move would have been women's consignment. Revolve's policy stays true to the definition of consignment. Many of her clients are salespeople looking to sell their sample pieces, and some are even buyers from stores that may have recently gone out of business. In fact, Revolve only consigns certain brands, like Brooks Brothers, Prada and Ted Baker.
Pickard says she can "only take in as much merchandise as there's room for in the store" and at 900 square feet, she's pretty selective. Meanwhile, Charlotte's men were just dying to jump on the bandwagon of consignment, proven by the waiting list of potential consignors she's developed since Revolve's second week of opening. After discussing how well the women's consignment stores in Atlanta (her hometown) were doing, Pickard packed up everything in her home (she was living in Charleston then) and did the craziest thing she'd ever done: She moved to the Queen City. So, where did the idea come from? A conversation with her mom. Revolve is the only strictly men's consignment store in Charlotte and currently one of only eight stores of its kind on the entire East Coast. The initial storefront location opened in Myers Park in 2009, but she moved to the Dilworth area and has been there for a little more than a year. Revolve was the first fashion and retail venture Pickard embarked on after selling real estate for more than seven years. First with my grandmother and mother and then with my daughters, I’ve cultivated a love of fine fabrics and a commitment to maintaining a beautiful wardrobe for a fraction of retail.Doesn't it feel great when you take a life-changing risk and it pays off? That was one of the questions I asked Amy Pickard, owner of men's consignment store Revolve (1222 East Blvd.) and women's online boutique Olive ( I wasn't at all surprised when her answer was a resounding "Yes!" “Relationships among women in my family revolve around a love of fashion and an appreciation of value. With dedication to clients and an appreciation for fashion at the forefront of the operation, Revolve is tightening its grip on the consignment market. Lisa runs the stores with her two daughters Lauren and Alisa who share her commitment to accessible luxury and authentic relationships. Since then, Revolve has grown from its single storefront to a network of five boutiques with a burgeoning online presence. Lisa’s twofold mission was to make designer fashion accessible to all women, while offering a welcoming boutique environment to her clients. Shortly thereafter, the empty clothing racks were filled with contemporary fashions and the Revolve consignment cycle was born. In 2009, Revolve Boutiques founder Lisa Castagno rented a 200 sq ft space, lined the walls with clothing racks and asked the community to clean out their closets.
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