20th October, 2010
Two months to Christmas, secondhand clothes business, popularly known as ‘bend-down boutique,’ is booming in Lagos Metropolis.
Operators of the boutiques who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, expressed satisfaction at the high demand for the wears, and hoped that it would be sustained.
They said that although fairly used clothes remained contraband, they were not ready to change business because of its profitability.
Mrs. Abosede Olumide, who operates a bend-down boutique at Yaba, attributed the high demand to poverty which, she said, made it difficult for many Nigerians to afford new clothes.
“Most people don’t usually go for new clothes because of the huge amount involved,’’ she said.
Another fairly used clothes seller, Mr. James Ifeanyi, told NAN that the amount used to buy a new clothe could buy four fairly used ones.
“A pair of new Jeans trousers costs between N3,000 and N4,000 while a pair of secondhand Jeans trousers can go for N1,000 or less, depending on the grade,’’ Ifeanyi who operates at Oshodi, said.
He said that, in spite of the large number of bend-down boutique operators, the business has remained lucrative as there were more than enough buyers to patronize all.
A fairly used clothe seller at Ketu, Mr. Jude Uzoma said: “I am not surprised at the patronage because we are moving towards the Christmas period, and people want to buy these clothes in readiness for the Christmas.
“Beside, these clothes are durable.’’
An undergraduate, Miss Constance Tunde, told NAN that secondhand wears were cheap and reduced her expenses.
“New clothes are far away from my reach and my pocket.
“As I am preparing to go back to school, I can begin to gather next semester’s clothes from the secondhand market,’’ she said.
Another undergraduate, Mr. Kayode Gbowoloye, said that secondhand wears were known to last longer.
“There is no need wasting my money on new jeans materials when I can get them cheaper here,’’ he said.
A mother of four, Mrs. Olufunke Ayodeji, told NAN that she opted for secondhand clothes because she could not afford to buy new clothes for her children.
