Brand new and barely used designer clothing for about half the retail price? High-end handbags, Lily Pulitzer tropical prints, statement hats, must-have sunglasses, sky-high shoes, even a matching luggage set? It’s all there, just waiting to be uncovered and discovered.
Pop in — to the PopUp Shop at Poco Pelo Chic, 627 Eaton St., next to Hilltop Laundry, and lLet Les dress you.
Key West hair stylist Les Steele hasn’t lasted more than two decades in Key West by telling well-off women what they want to hear about their hair and appearance. Rather, Steele tells them what they need to hear — and now, he tells them what to wear.
When they listen, things tend to go well.
“There’s a lot of things women wouldn’t even think to try on for themselves, or accessories they would never pair with other things,” Steele said on a recent afternoon.
But give a woman a brutally honest gay man with good taste and a boutique bursting with designer resale clothes and accessories, and watch the magic happen.
Les gave me a furtive side-eye on a recent afternoon in the shop. Then he raised one eyebrow and held up a delicate, blue-and-silver bat-wing sleeved top with a gathered waistband.
“Wow, I love that,” I told him. “I’ll be back for it on payday.”
The $120 price tag was a fraction of its original price.
When Steele was seeking a new location for his Poco Pelo Chic hair studio, the space at 627 Eaton St. next to the long-time laundromat included more room than he needed for his hair chair.
Enter Angela Kunkel and Elaney Mitova, two local women who combined their collections of clothing, shoes and accessories with an intent to resell, repurpose and recycle “these mostly designer, all fabulous items,” Kunkel said.
“I’ve been every size from 6 to 14, so there’s definitely a variety of sizes here,” she said.
Mitova and Kunkel each had her own curated collection of specialty and designed items — dresses, pants, shorts, skirts, tops, hats, jewelry, belts, shoes and bags.
“Look, here’s a Diane von Furstenberg dress for $75,” Steele said. “You feel like you’re doing something good for someone by reselling pieces like this for prices more people can afford.”
Both women had occasionally sold from their own collections and in 2024 partnered in a few joint sales at a temporary “pop-up shop” in a commercial space on White Street.
Last year, after discovering the open space on Eaton Street, Steele joined forces with the ladies, who were able to make their pop-up partnership permanent.
Open daily from 10 a.m. until about 5 p.m., Steele is the face of the Pop-Up Shop at Poco Pelo Chic. He’s also the merchandiser, cashier, stylist and honestly appraising opinion.
Kunkel and Mitova currently have plenty of inventory to keep the shop fully stocked for a year or more, so don’t show up with bags of clothes you’re looking to unload.
But do bring plenty of your own empty shopping bags because you won’t leave empty-handed.
