Sue McCarthy’s story is one of hard knocks, a tireless work ethic, a passion for her business and family, and uncompromised integrity. As a young girl, when her family came upon hard times in the early 1950s, McCarthy found herself, her siblings, and her parents sleeping in a New Orleans Park where they fell asleep to the sound of the noises of the city and washed up in public bathrooms and fountains.
Today, McCarthy, is the founder, and CEO of The Vault Luxury Resale, one of the nation’s finest upscale resale boutiques located in the St. Louis suburb of Brentwood, and a luxury resale online store that was born during the pandemic. Known as the “Upscale Resale Queen,” McCarthy, with love and support from her two caring daughters — Laura McCarthy Maurice and Diana McCarthy Ford – has shown her zest for family, business, and life for several decades.
So many women say they would love to own a Louis Vuitton, Prada, or Birkin bag, or designer shoes, but find that they are cost-prohibitive for their budgets. The Vault Luxury Resale makes that new (with the tags on) or gently used handbag well within reach – a classic wardrobe item the new owner will use and enjoy for many years to come. https://www.thevaultluxuryresale.com/
FWM: Sue, “Good, better, best.” How did this become the working ethos for you?
It was my father’s motto. “Good, better, best. Never let it rest until the good is the better and the better is the best. I went from being poor, defenseless, and subject to the whims of others to being my own boss, the owner of my first business venture, a successful female-run painting company.
FWM: What led you to launch one of the nation’s finest upscale resale boutiques?
First of all, I’ve always had my own business. From the time I was a child, I never could afford to pay full price. One day I stepped into a consignment shop after being used to rummage sales, looked around and I thought “I can do this and I can do it well.” It doesn’t have to be dark, dark, and unorganized. I knew I wanted to make it a place where people want to shop, as opposed to having to shop. I spoke to the woman who ran the store and worked for her for one day, and in that time, I learned all of the things I did not want to do in my store.
FWM: “We want to go where everybody knows your name.” Tell us about the experience at The Vault Luxury Resale.
When it comes to our in-person shopper – we treat everyone exactly the same. We don’t care how much you spend. Our mission is to provide each customer with a really good time. You should have a good time when you are spending money. We know that our customers have a lot of choices; they can spend their money anywhere. So, it’s the least we can do is make sure they have a good time with us. Every day around here feels like Christmas – with lots of magic and surprises.
There are abundant high-quality selections for women, men, and children, and include such designer brands from the closets of celebrities and socialites including, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Gucci, Hermes, Stella McCarthy, Ralph Lauren, Eileen Fisher, Michael Kors, Coach, Kate Spade, Fendi, and more.
FWM: What are the top sellers online?
Our top sellers in our store, as well as online, is purses and the close second, is our dresses. During the pandemic, it seems like everyone lived in sweat pants, so it reminds me of the end of the 1918 pandemic when the Roaring ‘20s flourished. During the recent pandemic, a lot of us wouldn’t even put on lipstick, let alone dress up. When I leave work to see my incredible husband I put on my lipstick and he tells me how beautiful I look. All of this feels wonderful. It’s the little things we weren’t able to do that make us feel very special.
Some 30 percent of the items that are sold still have original price tags, which shows that they have never been worn. This thriving family business moves a massive amount of merchandise, so shoppers always find something fabulous and new at The Vault.
FWM: You were a star on Resale Royalty produced by celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe. How much fun did you have on the TV show?
It was wonderful. It opened up doors that we would never have been privy to. The good news is that we met a lot of celebrities. Everything you saw on the show was real; we didn’t fake any drama or visits/buying trips to closets. We were the realist reality show you ever saw. I am proud we could show my industry, my family, and my city in a really good light. The downside is that we were still running a business. So, we worked eight hours in our store and then filmed until 2 AM. or 3 AM The girls and I would look out for one another saying, “you go home, no you go home.” We tried to save each other the drama; our product is the star of the show.
FWM: Tell us about your favorite new arrivals.
We recently had our back-to-school fashion show. It was so much fun. We worked with our customers’ kids and those children were adorable. One of our staff members is a third-grade teacher and she is wonderful with the kids. The idea is that instead of a family spending hundreds of dollars on fall school clothes they can come to us and spend $50. Over the years we have had several generations of families here. We clothe them when they are little kids, and continue with graduations, prom dresses, other celebrations, and now we dress their children. It is one big happy family!
FWM: Philanthropy is big in your family. Tell us about the Buy One/Gift One initiative.
At the beginning of this business, some 35 years ago I always thought it was important to give back to the community that supports you. And as a result, we have raised $500,000 during that time as part of philanthropic efforts.
We love to work with women in transition and who are having a hard time. We feel it is a privilege to help these women who are coming out of prison because they really don’t have a chance from the very beginning, and they keep going back. So, for Buy One/Gift One, this summer we took 40-50 purses, and in them, we put tampons, deodorant, a resume builder, and an uplifting thought-for-the-day. These are nice purses; I don’t believe in giving junk. It feels really good to give back. We will be expanding this initiative in the fall.
FWM: Was it important to teach these values to your two daughters?
Heavens yes. When my girls were ages 12 and 15, they would find a woman or an elderly man in our neighborhood, and my girls would go and clean their house and do errands for them a few times a week. They were raised to understand that part of living in this world is giving back in this world. That’s the way I was raised, as well. I have been incredibly blessed with two wonderful daughters and four teenage grandsons.
FWM: Diana, what is your role at The Vault Luxury Resale?
I am the director of luxury goods and gatherings. I have a great deal of experience in event planning and I use this to plan the events and curate the closets in New York. My sister, Laura, is the “handbag hustler.” She knows more about handbags than Bergdorf’s. We are still doing closets in St. Louis, Nashville, Chicago, and New York. Going to the closet of a celebrity or socialite is so enjoyable because it’s like going on a treasure hunt.
FWM: How did you, your mom, and your sister get the moniker, Upscale Resale Queens?
It means that we are leaders in the industry. We are at the forefront of buying luxury goods outright.
FWM: What do you look for when buying products for the boutique?
We are currently looking for Fall and Winter items that are three years old or less. This means labels from the better department stores (such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom’s and Neiman’s), and boutiques our the very sure sells, and because we buy the items outright, as opposed to when they sell, we have skin in the game. We buy things we know we can flip. For example, we don’t buy purple Prada pants, but we do buy black Prada pants. Handbags and jewelry are big sellers. We have great scarves. Currently, we have two rare Birkin bags and a $14,000 Hermes bag. We want to have items for all women size zero to size 22. One reason we are so packed all the time is that there is literally something for everyone.
FWM: Do you have any Summer specials?
We are offering 50 percent off all end-of-season items and as we switch over to the new Fall items, we do a lot of sales. We truly mean it when we have a sale.
FWM: What life lessons did you learn from your mom and why are they so valuable to you today?
From my mom, I learned that attitude is everything. She came up in life homeless, but everything had a great spin on it from her mother. Perception is reality, she has said that for many years. We also never covet anything. I appreciate beautiful things, but I don’t hold on to stuff; none of us is materialistic.
FWM: What is your best advice for female entrepreneurs who want to follow in your footsteps?
Be prepared to do the work. It involves spending long, long hours in your store. The stores that make are successful throughout the country are the ones with the owner in the store. If you are going to commit to it then do it fully. Also, never stop learning. My mom is looked up to at the National Association of Retail Professional (NARP) conferences. She loves to sit with store owners and share her wisdom.
FWM: Do you have any other special events coming up you can share some information about?
On September 9, we are taking 12 doctors lab coats, giving them to artists or designers, and once they are painted/designed, we will auction them off at a live event at The Vault and donate 10 percent of the proceeds to the local Siteman Cancer Center.
FWM: What is it like working with your mom and sister?
It’s really like Christmas every day here because you never know what’s going to walk in the door. We recently bought a Christian Dior belt bag that is so new it is not even in the used market so that was exciting. We are each other’s best friends so we enjoy working and playing together. My sister and I each have two sons, ages 14 and 18; we were pregnant at the same time. Like all families sometimes we snap at each other. Laura and I were snapping at one another the other day and then as we were leaving the store, she asked me if I wanted to go to happy hour. I said, of course, I do. So, it’s never personal.
FWM: Please share your website and social media handles so we know how to reach you.
Vault Luxury Resale Website: Website
FB: The Vault Luxury Resale https://www.facebook.com/thevaultluxuryresale
IG: The Vault Luxury Resale @TheVaultLuxuryResale https://www.instagram.com/thevaultluxuryresale/
IG: Diana Ford @DianaFordShopGirl https://www.instagram.com/dianafordshopgirl/
IG: Laura Maurice @laurammaurice https://www.instagram.com/laurammaurice/
IG: Sue McCarthy @mccarthy648 https://www.instagram.com/mccarthy648/
