Still Stylin', Even One Town Away

Caitlyn Cronkrite has always loved fashion. But the fact that she owns a consignment store happened on a whim. It was the fault of her sister - Cassie Von Tassel, who owns Vintage, which is also located in downtown Morris. VonTassel had bought from its original owner and moved it to its . But as a business owner of Vintage, trying to keep up with two stores got to be too much.

"The person taking in the clothes, tagging them and all that really has to be there full time," Cronkrite said.

That person is her. Still Stylin' is now located in downtown Morris, at 313 Liberty Street, but Cronkrite, who grew up in the Channahon-Minooka area, said the loyal customers still come out to the store.

"In , you had your loyal customers, which is great, but you had no foot traffic," she said.

Cronkrite loves her job, which has a lot more tasks attached to it than one might think. She is a business owner - handling everything from the economics of the business to the inventory. She is a stylist, a fashion expert, she knows about trends and is a personal shopper.

"I love when people come in and are looking for (a) specific thing and I can help them find it," she said.

Cronkrite said at least one loyal customer comes into the store in one outfit and will leave in a completely different one. This happens every time that customer comes in. In fact, that customer is one that has followed the store from its original Channahon location.

Another customer thought Still Stylin' had completely gone out of business when it left Channahon.

"She emailed my sister; she was literally in tears to find (us) again," Cronkrite said.

Cronkrite has always loved fashion and owning a consignment shop that specializes in labels means she sees lots of great merchandise come through the door.

One challenge she faces is educating people that a consignment store and a thrift store are not the same thing.

"That is my biggest sterotype I have to fight," she said. "If you've never shopped consignment before, you have to realize that it's not thrift."

Her second challenge is that she sees a lot of great clothes that she would like to own. But, while she has seen a lot of items she would like to hang in her own closet, she nearly always resists the urge.

"If I took home all the great stuff in my size, there would be nothing for women in my size and I am an average-sized woman," she said.

You can keep up with Still Stylin' by following its Facebook page.