I mentioned in my last post that I drove out to Pauma Valley, California about a month ago for a golf tournament.  It was there that I met Eileen Benjamin, founder of Skorzie.

What is Skorzie?  Skorzie was Eileen’s dream when she was in the non-profit world for many years, she told me.  Skorzie specializes in upscale consignment and exclusive closeouts for golf and tennis from numerous well-known manufacturers (see my list below).

Eileen finally resigned from her career running a Chamber of Commerce (City of Costa Mesa) in early 2020.   She signed the lease on a warehouse in Feb 2020 and moved in just weeks before COVID hit her with “the big curve ball!”  Because of a lack of staffing due to the pandemic, she wasn’t able to launch SKORZIE until May 15^th 2020, making Skorzie now just 7 months old.

She was a single mom for many years, watched her budget and harbored a love with fashion and golf, she said.  She and a few friends delighted in hosting “fashion swaps” for years.  Friends were invited to bring top quality apparel they didn’t wear and everyone left with something that made them happy.  The result — everyone SKORED great stuff and went home a winner!  That’s how the concept started.  Later she became best friends with Lyla Renai, a golf fashion designer.  She introduced her to top manufacturers that she respected and through these contacts, Eileen began purchasing samples and closeouts.  That’s how SKORZIE came to life.

The pandemic has eliminated (for now) a big part of her business model which is to conduct “pop-up” events at women’s golf tournaments and private homes.  “That’s a big bummer, not only for sales numbers, but for helping to get the word out about my company,” she told me last week.  Fortunately, her online presence is growing.  Even more surprising is that women LOVE to come to her warehouse to shop in person.  They are extremely careful to follow COVID protocols, seeing people by appointment only, and only allowing 3 guests in the warehouse at one time.

Those who visit the warehouse are having a great time, including some friends of mine.  It’s not a retail experience at all, and certainly it’s not fancy.  It’s a big space full of racks that overall constitutes a rather amazing collection of upscale brands at wholesale pricing.  As well, they consign golf and tennis apparel.  I’m told these are the truly hidden gems all selling at bargain prices.  So it’s a bit of hunting game and you can have a field day in the warehouse!  Skorzie is located in Escondido, CA (south in San Diego County) with plans to move into a larger space in February 2021 which will double their size.

Post COVID, Eileen hopes to again start scheduling pop-ups across Southern CA, AZ and NV, as well as continue building her website experience for shoppers.

Here are just a few of the great lines and exclusive close-outs you will find: