apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Unlike many consignment stores where goods are sometimes jumbled together in small spaces with tiny aisles, Capital Consignment is set up as a series of actual rooms with wide areas of open space to encourage browsing. The environment is warm and welcoming as are the owners; it was clear during our visit that Judith and Ivan know their customers well, and that most folks who consign with them are buying from them as well.

Judith and Ivan are drawn to a wide variety of styles; they have midcentury modern pieces combined with more classical designs to give their vignettes a more organic look. Stock in the store rotates frequently; items are consigned for a 90 day period with 40 percent selling in the first 30 days, and 90 percent selling before the end of the consignment period. Judith and Ivan also keep the store fresh through what they call "The Flip"- every two weeks, they completely rearrange the store, mixing up the furniture, art, and accessories to create a whole new environment for their finds.

Capital Consignment has been open for two years, and is already a staple of the Bethesda design community. Judith and Ivan have worked with a variety of local designers and foreign embassies, and recently began staging houses for sale in the Bethesda area. If you are looking for a particular piece or style, Judith and Ivan will happily steer you in the right direction if they believe another local store might be a better match for your needs; they will also make a note of your request and keep an eye out for the perfect piece in the future.

If you do find a piece you want in the Capital Consignment collection (and trust us, you will), snap it up! We fell in love with the midcentury desk on the left below, but deferred purchasing because we weren't sure where to put it. Originally prices at $395, it was marked down to only $225 because the owner didn't want to have to come back to pick it up. By the time we decided to just bite the bullet and rearrange our furniture later, that perfect piece was gone, sold to a braver buyer. We may always mourn its loss, but we're confident that future trips to Capital Consignment will provide us with some consolation finds.

We enjoyed our afternoon with Judith and Ivan, and appreciate their willingness to spend the time they did sharing their wonderful store, If you do drop by to browse, please let them know you read about the store here on Apartment Therapy.

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