*By Kate Gill*
Handbag heaven is real ー and affordable.
At the very least, consignment brand the RealReal has built a prototype for retail paradise in West Hollywood, Calif., for its new brick-and-mortar location.
Cheddar's own Alyssa Julya Smith took a tour of the sprawling store, lined wall-to-wall with luxury handbags, clothing, and accessories.
The RealReal, which began online, functions as a resale vendor for worn, high-end designer duds. According to the brand's chief authenticator, Graham Wetzbarger, the new location is "all about discovery."
"It has a tactile sensation ー people can come and touch, talk to our experts, and really explore," Wetzbarger said.
But make no mistake, presentational as the store may be, "it's not a museum," Wetzbarger said. "It's not an art gallery. I want you to come in and touch and play, feel the quality of the leather, the quality of the cashmere."
In a sense, Wetzbarger's team has fashioned a classroom that customers can actually afford to experience.
In addition to the RealReal's West Coast store, the brand has a second brick-and-mortar location in New York City's SoHo neighborhood.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-realreals-chief-authenticator-teaches-us-how-to-evaluate-designer-products).
Disney and Fortnite-maker Epic Games will collab on making new video games with Disney characters. Hopefully it will be more than Mickey Mouse hitting the Griddy.
Hershey is cautioning on its 2024 profit growth as the company contends with rising cocoa costs, leading to increased prices for chocolate. The company anticipates its full-year earnings per share being relatively flat, partly due to higher cocoa and sugar costs.
Prince Harry has reached an out-of-court settlement with a tabloid newspaper publisher that invaded his privacy with phone hacking and other illegal snooping. Attorney David Sherborne said that Mirror Group Newspapers had agreed to pay Harry’ “substantial” costs and damages.
An attorney representing passengers of an Alaska Airlines flight that lost a door plug in midair says a “whistling sound” was heard on a previous flight of the same Boeing 737 Max 9.
What do Arnold Schwarzenegger, Aubrey Plaza, and Tom Brady all have in common? You'll see them on Super Bowl Sunday, but not on the field. If you only watch the Super Bowl for the ads, here's a sneak peek.
The Federal Communications Commission knows (to loosely quote Drake) "when that [AI robocall] hotline bling, that can only mean one thing" — deception. The agency says bad actors have been using these voices to misinform voters.
