As the new year arrived, so did the Village of Arroyo Grande’s newest small business, The Haven, a second-hand clothing store that strives to promote high-quality, affordable clothing.
According to co-owner Veronica Tagre, the business was originally “Grateful Threads,” located in Grover Beach. Tagre’s mom eventually bought Grateful Threads and transformed it into “Envy Me.” She owned Envy Me for over a year until Tagre and co-owner Morgan Edwards purchased the business from her. Changing its name to “The Haven,” the pair moved the store from Grover Beach to the Village of Arroyo Grande.
As a second-hand clothing store, The Haven accepts pre-owned clothing pieces from customers. According to Edwards, the duo also seeks out unique clothing and accessories from outside sites.
“It’s a little mix of everything, but the majority of our stuff does come from our own customers, which is really cool,” Tagre said. “So we are all just kind of helping each other out.”
Since the business is new to the area, many customers are curious about the consignment policy. Thankfully, Tagre and Edwards have a system.
“Basically, we buy everything outright rather than consigning because it’s a little easier for us and the customers,” Edwards said. “So we buy at 20% of what we can sell [the items] for currently, and [customers] can get 30% for what we can sell [the items] for.”
Affordability is subjective, but Tagre and Edwards’s goal is to sell clothing at prices that are reasonable for gently used and even new clothing.
“We just want to bring good quality clothes to people without the huge prices,” Edwards said.
Given the store’s proximity to the high school, teenagers are frequent customers.
“I don’t like spending too much money on clothing because, as a teenager, I don’t have much money,” Norah Mosqueda (’25) said. “Also, I like giving clothing [a] new purpose instead of just throwing it out.”
The store’s clear organization and curated style already made an impression on locals.
“I was in love immediately because of how cool [the store] looked compared to everything else in the village,” Mosqueda said.
The Haven is organized into sections based on types of clothing— jeans, t-shirts, and so on. Additionally, Tagre and Edwards organize “Staff Picks,” or pre-styled outfits, displayed on mannequins.
“My favorite section was probably the t-shirt section,” Mosqueda said. “[The Haven] had a lot of really good quality t-shirts.”
Buying and selling pre-owned clothing reduces the amount of clothes that are thrown away and sent to landfills.
“[Shopping-second hand] is just usually cheaper,” Zivah Hartman (’25) said. “And also it’s just better for the environment.”
In a consumer-driven society powered by fast fashion, The Haven is a refuge. The store’s emphasis on sustainability in fashion mirrors the mentality of its customers.
“It’s a cycle,” Tagre said.
