*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).
A surge in holiday spending could help combat inflation worries.
Peacock shared the trailer for the second season of the celebrity competition show, 'The Traitors.'
Darden, the parent company of chain restaurants like Olive Garden and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, beat Wall Street estimates in its latest earnings report.
A former Facebook executive pled guilty to stealing more than $4 million from the company while she was employed there.
Rising safety concerns over water bead products marketed to kids have prompted major retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart to pull some toys off their shelves.
The Congressional Budget Office said Friday it expects inflation to nearly hit the Federal Reserve's 2% target rate in 2024, as overall growth is expected to slow and unemployment is expected to rise into 2025, according to updated economic projections for the next two years.
Intel is out with a new product to challenge other big players in the space like Nvidia and AMD.
Stocks fell after the opening bell Friday but will end on another positive week.
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Americans picked up their spending from October to November as the unofficial holiday season kicked off, underscoring that shoppers still have power to keep buying.
