Some decorators scouting unique pieces for themselves or for clients regularly haunt consignment shops, although staffers won't name names. No surprise there, says Hopper. If you're a decorator and you are finding things for 50 cents at a flea market or for a few dollars at Christ Child, and the client knows this, then the client will only want to pay you 50 cents or a few dollars. The decorator would rather say, 'It's from a little shop in Georgetown,' or they won't say anything about it at all because they don't want other people shopping there. Chipped or cracked items probably won't be accepted unless they are part of a set.
Some establishments insist that sterling, silver plate, brass and copper arrive polished.
And while a bit of wear on rugs and furniture is tolerated, large stains and tears generally are not unless an item has a fine pedigree or is priced very low. Some stores also have things they won't take, ranging from weapons to water beds, appliances to exercise equipment. Items usually are sold as is, without warranties, returns or take-home trials. Things do not always go according to contract, however. Ann Shaffer, who owns Consignment Galleries in Cleveland Park, recalls a woman who spotted a pair of Italian sconces just like ones she had given her brother as a gift.