When Lara Marotta decided to open Twist last summer, “with no money and Facebook,” it was all about the clothes. In the Pacific Avenue storefront where she used to run Galla Cabana before selling it several years ago, her concept for a high-end consignment store stocked with designer labels began to take shape. Sophisticated Ralph Lauren dresses and Gucci jackets would hang next to playful Free People sweaters and shimmering Bebe halter tops, carefully chosen fashion pieces at a fraction of the original price.
Then Marotta met Carolyn Bowers. And now, in addition to impeccably stylish consignment clothing in excellent condition, Twist is winning a following for its huge collection of pre-owned designer handbags. At its Aug. 1 opening, the store had one display of bags by designers like Kate Spade, Coach and Gucci as well as mid-market brands like Sportsac and Land’s End. Now it has five. “It’s 90 percent of my business,” says Marotta, sounding a little awestruck. Story continues below slide show. Photos by Curtis Cartier.
Bowers waves away praise. “It works out well for everyone,” she says. “I feel like I’m doing a good thing. All women love bags. Even if they just like to carry a shopping tote.”
Her humility notwithstanding, Bowers is Twist’s secret weapon, a one-woman treasure-hunting operation with satchels, hobos and clutches as the booty. She’s understandably coy about her techniques, which include both online sleuthing and real-world digging, but the fact is her expertise can’t be replicated. What started as a hobby six years ago with the purchase of a silver compact that turned out to be a valuable antique has become almost a sixth sense for quality.
“Like when I felt this, I just knew,” Bowers says, touching the impossibly supple leather of a pale green Bottega Veneta hobo. New, it fetched in the neighborhood of $1200; here it’s priced at $400. Similarly, an understated but unusual satchel turned out to be a hand-painted Goyard, a French luggage maker like Louis Vuitton but harder to find. It goes on like that, shelf after shelf of gems rescued and restored.
A huge part of Bowers’ job is detecting inauthenticity—and that gets harder and harder. “It’s incredible,” she says, shaking her head, when asked about the quality of knock-offs. “There are AAA-quality replicas. They use good leather, good hardware, everything.”
It takes all of Bowers’ encyclopedic knowledge about zippers, liners and certification tag patterns to filter out the frauds. Then she must clean the bags, very carefully, liners and all, using tools and products she’s discovered over time. The result is a candy case of good-quality accessories at all price points, from $10-$700—something everyone can appreciate.
Twist is located at 1364 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz.
