Geneva’s Stitch Switch caters to men’s fashion consignment

Stitch Switch owner Dave Herda derived the name of his men’s consignment store at 310 Campbell St., Geneva, with “a recycling spin” in mind.

“‘Stitch,’ meaning clothing, and ‘Switch,’ meaning you’re switching it out for either money or new clothing,” Herda said.

Visitors who happily search through an impressive inventory of designer clothing, shoes, and accessories might be interested to know the moniker bears additional significance.

To start, Herda pivoted to this career after nearly a quarter century as director of criminal justice research at the University of Chicago, a “Stitch Switch” in its own right. Meantime, even as the store approaches its fifth anniversary, second-hand men’s clothing shops still are somewhat against the grain.

“We do pretty brisk business, especially during the warmer months when there’s a lot of foot traffic down here,” Herda said. “Each year, year after year, we’ve seen increased sales, an increase in consignment. In fact, we’re at a point now where we really need a bigger space because we’re sort of bursting at the seams.”

Forgive Herda for the apparent apparel pun; they’re simply, uh, in his fabric.

Growing up in Arlington Heights in a family with seven children fashioned an appreciation for bargain-hunting and thrifting.

“In order to afford clothes, you had to look for the best deals and value rather than relying on hand-me-downs from your older siblings,” Herda said. “I did that for a long, long time. It’s interesting because back in the day, you would never tell anyone you went thrift shopping or that you got your clothes from a thrift store.”

Of course, Stitch Switch doesn’t quite carry that trendy, thrifty vibe. With respect to his upbringing, Herda and his staff have worked to create a well-curated selection of predominantly mid- to high-end designer men’s wear.

Visitors will find apparel from clothiers including J. Crew, Hugo Boss, TravisMathew, Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton.

“I think the prominent feedback is just the level of quality stuff that we have,” Herda said. “Again, women have been doing this for decades. Men are new to the whole secondhand, resale consignment industry. And when they come in, I think they’re just amazed at the brands that we have, the level of quality, the value. It’s very different than a thrift store.”

Stitch Switch opened in October 2020. Not long after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, yes, but also on the heels of Herda transitioning to what he calls his “second act.”

He sought a career with greater individual autonomy and work-life balance. After finding success renting a space to sell men’s clothing in a women’s consignment shop, he felt the motif could stand alone.

Chicagoland men agreed. Stitch Switch opened a second location in downtown Wheaton in June 2023. To his knowledge, Herda says, the next closest men’s-exclusive consignment store is in Indianapolis.

The original Stitch Switch sits in the well-known Third Street shopping district, which offers multiple options for men’s clothes in the Tri-Cities.

Open exclusively on weekends, Motto, 217 S. Third St., Suite 90, sells men’s clothing and “all-around cool products – just for guys.”

Men seeking something closer to a thrift-store experience, meanwhile, figure to find luck at Neighborsgrid. The relative new kid on the block sells “a curated selection of ‘90s secondhand vintage and modern clothing” at 207 S. Third St., Suite 210.

Herda recalls “there was sort of a stigma” surrounding thrift stores during his youth, but that has disappeared.

In Geneva, opportunities for men to switch their stitches – whether to threads old or new – abound.