Recycling and Refurbishing in the Rochester Community with Alisha Arguello
Collider is passionate about sharing the stories of Rochester entrepreneurs and small business owners! We recently chatted with Alisha Arguello who purchased Refashion, a longtime Rochester consignment business, with her husband in 2020.
Photo contributed by Alisha Arguello.
For Alisha Arguello, co-owner of Refashion, recycling and refurbishing has been part of her life since she was little.
“I watched my mom refinish furniture while I was growing up and I would always be in awe of the ‘after.’ I thought it was so cool that she was able to revive something ugly or broken. I’ve been hooked ever since!”
Alisha went to college at Winona State University and received a degree in communications.
“In college, I did a lot of refinishing of furniture, repurposing old doors and pallets. I remember there being a pallet furniture craze at that time and I paid for a lot of schooling and traveling that way.”
Alisha’s first job after college was as a constituent advocate for the House of Representatives. She then went on to work at Mayo Clinic as an administrative assistant. She had started blogging and utilizing social media on the side which brought her to Lafayette, Indiana, where she did marketing and social media for a property management company for a time.
She moved back to Rochester for health reasons after her son was born and went back to work at the clinic. She also continued blogging, free-lancing in social media, and re-purposing.
“I couldn’t stay away from estate sales, garage sales, or thrift stores. The joke with my colleagues was I had ‘therapy’ so I needed to take an hour lunch break just so I could go downtown from Saint Marys to the Refashion on Broadway (the consignment business has now been open in Rochester for twenty-six years, previously under the ownership of sister duo, Cindy Hughs and Kristie Moore. ). I often came back with a new handbag from ‘therapy.’ I just love treasure hunting and retail therapy!”
Driven by the life lessons learned from her hardworking parents, who ran a small dairy farm and always focused on having multiple income streams due to uncertain weather conditions, crops, and markets, Alisha was dedicated to always having more than one source of income.
“Even while I was working at the clinic, I was waiting tables and re-selling on the side.”
When Alisha moved back to the Rochester area she met her husband, Rob Arguello, and they shared a passion for re-selling items together.
“At the time when we met, his focus was on sports memorabilia. I had to get over his love for the Giants!” Alisha said, laughing.
“But I loved that he also had a passion for treasure hunting and ‘flipping’ items. We talked and dreamed about what our business plan would be for a couple of years. It was fun dream to share together. We just weren’t sure when it would come about or what it would look like exactly. When the pandemic hit and Refashion was up for sale, Rob said that we should follow our dream and buy it! I remember feeling happy and excited, but also very apprehensive, wondering whether or not it would work and if it would be too much for our relatively young relationship.”
Alisha and Rob took the plunge and went all in to purchase Refashion in June of 2020, and three months later were married at their Northgate store location!
Photo contributed by Alisha Arguello
Clothing sales slowed down drastically during the pandemic, so after taking over the store they focused on selling pre-owned furniture and decor to as well as live sales by Alisha.
“My live sales in the beginning were absolutely terrible. I was awkward and nervous but I pushed through and it eventually became fun and something I looked forward to. Items sold and we found our customer base!”
She continued, “We had to make a lot of changes to survive as a non-essential business during the pandemic. We increased our social media presence, added online sales to our website, moved to a new location which gets more traffic and has a larger showroom, focused on bringing in high quality goods and luxury items, and started offering local pick up, delivery, and nationwide shipping.”
Photo contributed by Alisha Arguello.
Alisha is passionate about recycling as well as witnessing the full circle of Refashion’s business plan.
“People bring us their items and get paid after it sells. They can cash out at any time or use their consignor money as store credit and get a discount. A consignor recently let her account build up and used her money in-store to purchase a beautiful Dolce & Gabbana dress and a Gucci belt! She couldn’t remember what she had brought in and sold, but she will definitely remember the feeling of walking out with two beautiful items and not having to pay a cent!”
She loves seeing furniture and clothing getting a second life with new owners. She also takes on clientele looking to downsize and enjoys helping people who may be overwhelmed by their belongings. She offers in-home consultations, value estimates, as well as furniture pick-up and delivery.
“I am honored when I’m asked to help families go through their belongings when a loved one passes. We laugh, cry, and share memories. I make sure that they feel good about where their loved ones belongings are going. Sometimes I feel like I clean out more than closets, since there are always emotions connected to our things. I am sensitive toward those emotions and try my best to help with in a compassionate way.”
Photo contributed by Alisha Arguello.
As a word of advice to others considering starting a business, Alisha said, “Don’t be afraid to try something new and don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice from people who are already doing what you want to do. People will usually be willing to sit down for a coffee and let you pick their brain!”
She concluded, “I love being in this business because you see so many people come in with their stuff, totally unsure whether it’s worth anything or if anyone will buy it, and then seeing people come in and loving that couch or handbag that’s new and special to them. It’s really rewarding to see recycling in action and having this partnership with my husband. I feel so blessed!”
