THE BEACON HILL TIMES By: Dan Murphy "Boston Consignment gives high-end furnishings a second chance"

Real & Sheila Roy with their daughter/employee Stacey Roy Lai (left) are see at Boston Consignments in Needham. Photo by Tabitha Sherrell of Sherrell Photography

For newcomers to Boston Consignment in Needham, entering the 4,000 square-foot showroom filled with upscale furnishings, light fixtures, Oriental rugs and fine arts cane come as a surprise.

"When people walk in expecting a used furniture store, they're blown away by the quality of our inventory," said Sheila Roy, who opened the store with her husband Real in July. "Everything is handpicked from 18th century pieces to furniture from companies like Baker and Henkle-Harris that date back just 10 or 15 years."

The Roys lived on Beacon Street in the '70s and '80s before opening Cachet, a high-end consignment store in Fairfield, Conn., in 2001. They closed the store last year, opting to bring the concept to the Greater Boston area, where their children and grandchildren now live.

"We still have clients in Manhattan and Connecticut and regularly send down a truck to deliver and pick up items," Sheila Roy said. "It gives the store a unique twist because it has that Manhattan flair thrown in."

For local residents thinking of downsizing their homes, Boston Consignment offers on-site appraisals and uses a professional moving company to ship desirable items to the store. The items are then professionally cleaned and sold in the showroom. Per Boston Consignments' terms, consignors keep 60 percent of the sale price while the shop pockets the remaining 40% percent.

"I like to think we're part of the recycling and greening movement," Sheila Roy said. "We are offering a larger community service because people previously didn't know where to bring special pieces that they wanted to sell."

Sheila Roy also likes to think that Boston Consignments has played a role in changing the common perception of consignment stores.

"The concept of consignment has taken a giant leap forward in the last couple of years, and we like to think we're part of that because we sell high-end pieces," she said.

Boston Consignment is located at 238 Highland Ave. in Needham. The store's hours of operation are Mondays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.bostonconsigns.com or call 781 449 0900.