Auburn resale shop moves to Lisbon

Heidi Hilton stands in her newly opened Juliet’s Resale Boutique on Monday on Village Street in Lisbon. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

MOVING FROM AUBURN TO LISBON

Heidi Hilton closed Juliet’s Clothing and Accessories on Center Street last month and this month opened Juliet’s Resale Boutique in Lisbon, smaller and slightly retooled.

She’s been in the clothing resale business for 15 years and found her inspiration at home.

“My father was an antique dealer, so I grew up buying and selling,” Hilton said. “When the opportunity came for the store in Gardiner, I was like, this is really neat. I have eight brothers and sisters and we always shopped yard sales and flea markets and I thought it would be a cool thing to have. It’s just evolved since then.”

A display is seen Monday at Juliet’s Resale Boutique on Village Street in Lisbon. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

She sold the Gardiner shop nine years ago and had been in Auburn for 14 years, most recently on Center Street.

“We had a really big store, and I always wanted a big store, but I think once COVID came in, that people did not want to shop big anymore and we found that we weren’t getting as many shoppers,” Hilton said.

A display is seen Monday at Juliet’s Resale Boutique on Village Street in Lisbon. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

At 12 Village St. in Lisbon, the former home of Dr. Mike’s Madness Cafe, and once, she’s been told, the town office and town library, Hilton said she found a building she could own and renovate to fit her needs.

She’s gone from 7,000 square feet in Auburn to 1,200 square feet in Lisbon and narrowed her specialty to clothes for women and teenage girls, along with accessories like belts and handbags.

“I’m very picky at what I take,” she said. “I’m always looking everywhere; I’ll go all over the state to purchase items that fit my criteria to put in the store. My goal is to have a resale shop with a retail feel.”

She opened Nov. 6 and said the community response has been amazing.

“I know I want to do this the rest of my life,” Hilton said. “I love buying and selling, I love giving people deals and discounts, I really enjoy that whole aspect of it. … I’m here every day even though I have a manager, because I’m just really excited about being in the space.”

Quick hits about business comings, goings and happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.