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The #KonMari Organization Method Is Benefitting Local Consignment Stores

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Beacon's Closet/Facebook
Beacon's Closet/Facebook

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One peek at the Instagram hashtag #KonMari will have you running for your closet with trash bags in tow—but apparently, an organized life isn't the only benefit to come out of Marie Kondo's bestseller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Local consignment shops like Goodwill and Beacon's Closet have recently seen an uptick in their reselling business, Fashionista reports.

Never heard of the #KonMari method? The philosophy is simple: If an object in your home doesn't "spark joy" in you, toss it—which is why it's easy to make the connection to secondhand stores. Since the book was released in the United States last October, donations to Goodwill in the New York and New Jersey area have increased over the same period last year.

Even Beacon's Closet, that rite of passage for every broke New York girl, has been affected. "I heard about it through several different people selling their clothes at the store," managing owner Beth Moon-Burgess told Fashionista. "They all had a ton of great stuff and, whenever I mentioned something about them getting rid of a lot, they couldn't wait to tell me about the book."

Could it mean that those who have yet to embark on this souped-up version of spring cleaning might have less luck making a profit on hand-me-downs here and places like Buffalo Exchange or Ina? To be determined. But it also means that those with newly-reclaimed closet space can have a field day stocking up on gently used pieces for way below retail.

Beacon's Closet

23 Bogart St, Brooklyn, NY 11206 Visit Website