Rediscover Re-Love It in
its new W. Main St. location

By Laura Longley

Early on July 15 Michael Oaks swung open the double doors at Re Love It’s new Purcellville home on W. Main St. across from Loudoun Golf and Country Club. Within an hour, the shop behind Paint & Paper Place was packed with more than 200 curious neighbors, well-wishers, eager consignors, antique and jewelry collectors, vintage furniture and lighting fans, and lovers of designer fashions worn but once, if at all. What these treasure seekers didn’t have to hunt for was parking. And that, Oaks expects, should make his challenging move worth it for him and his customers alike.

Re-Love It, Chapter I: At the heart of Re-Love It is a real love story that began in 2008. Floridian Michael Oaks was doing an art show in Fairfax. In the booth next to him was Kim Patterson, who was working in Leesburg at the time. 

“We talked the whole day,” recalls Michael. “The next month I came back up here for another show, and she was there. We went out to dinner, and that was it.” He elected to be the one to make the move and came to Purcellville. Together they bought a home, merged their households, and suddenly found themselves with two of everything.

“We looked around for a consignment shop, and there really weren’t any in the area.”

The solution was obvious: Michael, who was looking for a business in Loudoun, suggested they start one. “Well, we didn’t know a thing about the consignment business,” he admits. “But I’d been in business long enough to know that I could fake it ‘til I make it.” 

Happily for Purcellville, Re-Love It did make it. Michael credits the gamble they took on the 21^st Street location, which had housed Nichols Appliance Store for decades.

“I didn’t want to rent it because 21st Street was totally dead then,” he says. “But Kim made a case for the huge, beautiful windows. She sold me.” 

Once Kim and Michael set up shop on 21^st St., not only did their business begin to flourish but so did neighboring Old Town shops. They also gave a boost to the whole town’s business climate when they partnered with Hillary Cooley, owner of Dominion Tea, to create Discover Purcellville, a 501(c)4 nonprofit association. 

Through Discover Purcellville, the trio launched the hugely successful Halloween Block Party, hosted summer street parties, spearheaded the painted fence, bench, and chairs projects, and paid for the large mural on the side of Purcellville Family Restaurant at 21^st and Main.

Given the pressures of COVID and finding a new home for Re-Love It, Discover Purcellville’s events have been on hold. “Once we get Re-Love It fully running again, we’ll relaunch them in some form,” Michael says.

Finding a new home for any business in Purcellville has beenno easy undertaking in the past few years given the pandemic and the area’s tight rental market for retail. Kim Patterson learned that lesson when she looked for a bigger location for her thriving business, Top Coat Nails & Spa, now at 170 W. Main St. next to Shamrock Music Shoppe.

When Michael and Kim learned their 21st St. lease would not renew given the owner’s development plans, Michael began scouting. “I couldn’t find a space for us anywhere. There aren’t many big places that are affordable, and we needed a big place.” Finally, after visiting and then revisiting the space behind Paint & Paper Place—it was Schonder Dodge from 1955 to 1980—he and owner Bob Schonder came to terms. As Michael says, “Everything turned out perfectly.”

Patrons who loved the boutique feel of the old place may be surprised by the grand emporium vibe of Re-Love It redux. But it takes just one tour of the aisles of vintage lamps and collectibles, new and antique furniture, fashion jewelry and fun artwork, not to mention rack after rack of high quality clothing to know this Re-Love It is the perfect spot for Michael and Kim and their customers to begin their next chapter together.

To learn how to consign with Re-Love It, visit the website home page at www.reloveit.com. Hint: Michael is looking for vinyl. “Jazz, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, blues, all eras—vinyl is worth money, so bring it in.”

Re-Love It Consignment Shoppe is located at 701 D West Main Street, in the Paint & Paper Place building, across from the Loudoun Golf and Country Club. Open Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Closed Monday. 540-751-0707 www reloveit.com.