By CONNIE NOLEN / Community Columnist

“Everybody loves a bargain. It’s a triumph to find an excellent label for a reasonable price,” The owner of Pelham’s Second Hand Rose, Gina Saab, said.

“Right after college, I went to work for an upscale women’s boutique in Mountain Brook Village,” Saab said. “I did so much there-purchasing, sales and inventory reduction. The former owners of Second Hand Rose were customers of ours during inventory reductions.”

“When I discovered that the first owners of Second Hand Rose were selling the business after seven years, I was excited to buy it,” Saab added. “Now Second Hand Rose has been in business for 27 years, and I’ve owned it for the last 20 years.”

Saab is proud that Second Hand Rose is the oldest consignment store in all of the greater Birmingham Area. What keeps Saab in business is her belief in value. All of the clothing and shoes at the shop are attractively displayed and grouped by designer labels.

Four months ago, Saab opened another Second Hand Rose location in Cahaba Heights. “This business just keeps growing,” she said.

As a designer consignment boutique, Second Hand Rose accepts only the best merchandise. When consigners have merchandise that sells, they stop by and pick up a check-and sometimes spend a little money before they leave the shop on their latest fashion finds.

Second Hand Rose hosts an entire wall of mostly one-wear formals looking for a home. “Parents spend a small fortune on a dress that a girl wears one time,” Saab said. “Many of those moms bring those formals to us for resale.”

The final ingredient in Saab’s success is a huge heart. When the April 2011 tornadoes ravaged neighborhoods surrounding Holt High School just before their prom, Saab and her staff took 60 dresses and 60 pairs of shoes to prom girls in need.

Today’s economy has everyone seeking value. With homecoming shopping season in full swing, a trip to Second Hand Rose might result in a gorgeous dress at a price a mom can manage.