A consignment boutique for the discerning shopper, The Lady’s Room in Damariscotta, isn’t your typical second hand store.

Owner Pam Olson said she was looking for something a little more upscale than what people think of as a thrift shop when she started her business on Route 27 in Boothbay in 2008.

“I wanted to see if there was a call for a higher-end consignment store. I tried it and it worked.”

After around six months, she moved into the bigger space she has been in for almost 10 years now, in the Elm Street Plaza in downtown Damariscotta.

On Aug. 17, the store was buzzing with activity, with both new and returning customers. Most left with at least one new (at least to them) item.

Many of the items for sale are new. Olson sells accessories – belts, jewelry, sunglasses, handbags and other items. There are also new, unworn articles of clothing with the tags still attached. Olson said around 20 percent of the clothing in her shop is brand new.

Olson was arranging one such item, a skirt, on a wire rack, to complete a cute, hip outfit, with a Talbot’s shirt, jacket and cowboy boots. The skirt, from designer Lafayette 148 New York, was sporting the original price tag of $598. It was being sold for $38 in the shop.

“When I take something in for consignment, I really think about it and plan an outfit, using other items I have in the store,”she said. “Every display is a combination of different people’s things.”

A young teacher who comes to the shop every year around this time was trying on a dress for the new school year. She found one – a perfect fit – and a great deal. It was a barely worn Carlisle designer dress that sells for around $500 new.

“My customers know that I carry high-end clothing and they know that when they buy something it will be in perfect condition, ready to wear out the door.”

The boutique carries the full spectrum of sizes – from zero to extra large. Olson said there are over 10,000 one of a kind items, from casual to designer evening wear. There are two large rooms full of clothes, a sale room, and one dedicated to shoes.

Along with the upscale, some new, some barely used, women’s attire, Olson offers “closet interventions.” She will come to your home and help you create what she calls a “workable wardrobe.”

“My goal is to help women with the art of dressing, making them look and feel beautiful. I could go into your closet and put together 30 outfits of things you’d never think to put together.”

The Lady’s Room, at 38 Elm St. Plaza, is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call563-8555.