Good vibes make good business

Ochoco ran everything from her house, photographing clothes in a lightbox and selling them on Poshmark.

A year later, the pandemic hit. Ochoco couldn’t easily get clothing to sell during Covid-19 as she had before.

“I noticed that people were doing a lot of cleaning their houses, but they couldn’t really donate their stuff,” she recalled. Ochoco started doing consignment for friends and family, re-selling their items for a fee.

By word of mouth, her business grew, now filling a rainbow-painted storefront downtown: Vibe Consignment.

“Just finding an affordable place to shop, for teenagers and young adults, I think has been a really big need in the community too,” she noted.

So far, 982 people consign through Vibe at different times, Ochoco said proudly. Users come from The Dalles, Hood River, White Salmon, Goldendale — even the Tri-Cities, Hermiston, Portland. A few vendors sell beauty products alongside the consignments.

Consignment’s a different experience from retail, Ochoco learned. In summer, cruise ships and tourists visit Vibe. But, “being a second hand store, we don’t necessarily follow the same trends that regular retailers do,” Ochoco said. So on holidays, the surge of gift-shoppers that boosts stores selling trending holiday stuff often passes Vibe by.

She accepts books and clothing in person, and is working on mail-in options. Odd stuff, sometimes, gets refused: Subliminal weight loss tapes, DVDs, furniture.

So far, The Dalles has been a good place for Vibe. “There are so many positives to this business, one being community,” Ochoco said. “Our community is really, really cool.” She’s watched the shop foster connections between different generations and individuals.

“Really cool connections and relationships can form [from helping people] in the dressing room, which is so not the place that you would think,” she remarked. “... Seeing their kids grow, or seeing that they’re going off to college. Just being able to have that kind of relationship with the community has been really nice.”

To foster that, she hopes to host more workshops and events, like this spring’s hang-out with well-known style activist Judith Rizzio, who helps transgender people figure out clothing upon transition. Ochoco hopes Rizzio can return for a more focused workshop, welcoming everyone who’s going through any kind of transition in weight, pregnancy, or gender expression.

Ochoco intended her space to welcome everyone. The shop hosts Pride events behind rainbow-painted windows.

Backlash against her acceptance is “always a fear in the back of my mind,” she said. “Like, will people lash out?  Especially living in this community where I know that there are loud people on both sides. But I truly believe that you have to stand up for what you believe in, and I am so dedicated to making this a safe space for whoever.

“I’m a person of color, I’m a woman, and I understand that it’s not always easy; and sometimes it really just takes one person to be kind to you and to have a welcoming kind of space. So I really pride my business in being that kind of space ... As much as I can be an ally, I want to be an ally.”

Vibe consignment is located 416 E. Second St., The Dalles, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Details online at shopvibeconsignment.com.