By Greg Morago
“There are all sorts of reasons these pieces wind up in my shop,” Hurley said, “You’re dealing with people’s personal possessions. When it’s personal, it’s personal.”
That respect for confidentiality is only one of the many aspects the casual shopper may not realize is part of running a successful luxury consignment business where clothing and accessories with labels such as Chanel, Hermes, Balenciaga, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany find new life. In addition to finding clients willing to part with their couture and sartorial status symbols, Hurley researches each piece, knows their provenance, assesses market value and grooms them to be posh players within her highly curated retail wonderland. Coats, dresses, belts, shoes, handbags and jewelry all take an intimate journey of passion at Modern Marla: Each was treasured by an original owner; lovingly adopted by Hurley; and set out to spark the fashion passions of a new buyer.
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Those new buyers have many faces. Young, savvy glamazons just out of college. Seasoned collectors. The vintage obsessed. High-end commodities traders. Women who appreciate luxury but aren’t willing to pay full retail. And, perhaps Hurley’s favorite: the informed, dedicated recycler. In a world where everything old is new again, those style-conscious recyclers are doing their own intentional “adaptive re-use" of designer pieces. Good for the world, good for the brand, good for themselves.
Modern Marla had its beginnings as an online business in 2017 as a new endeavor for Hurley, a busy Houston native and mother of three who was looking for a new avenue to channel her interests in fashion, retail and the art of finding value and repurpose in someone else’s valuables (she learned the latter from her parents who for years operated 10 pawn shops in Houston). Her online business begat pop-ups and fashion events, and eventually a brick-and-mortar store in Round Top. After opening in 2021 in Rolland Square, Modern Marla found a permanent new home in Henkel Square, opening in October 2022 within the town’s busy shopping/dining/drinking nexus. While her boutique is as wee as they come (a whopping 350 square feet), it’s hard to miss. If you want to know what a mini thunderbolt from the Veuve Clicquot heavens looks like when it strikes ground, it would be Hurley’s orange-hued jewel box. It’s as darling and daring as Hurley herself.
While she traffics in luxury brands at work, Hurley isn’t label obsessed in her own personal style, which is eclectic, unstudied, and effortlessly assembled.
“I don’t like to look like everyone else. I have an edgy fashion flair,” she said. “But fashion doesn’t define me. It just happens to be what I like.”
The new year brings a renewed emphasis on building her business, Hurley said. She will relaunch a retooled website soon and expand her calendar of special events, pop-ups and fashion shows.
“The sky’s the limit,” she said.
And why not? In a town preoccupied by revitalization, Hurley has found her own distinctly Round Topian story of reinvention.
“Who would have thought in one square mile, this town would support a luxury goods business?” she said. And then, as if another of those orange thunderbolts was hurled at her, Hurley realized the unintentional irony of her own question.
Of course, Modern Marla. Of course, Round Top.
By Greg Morago
“There are all sorts of reasons these pieces wind up in my shop,” Hurley said, “You’re dealing with people’s personal possessions. When it’s personal, it’s personal.”
That respect for confidentiality is only one of the many aspects the casual shopper may not realize is part of running a successful luxury consignment business where clothing and accessories with labels such as Chanel, Hermes, Balenciaga, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany find new life. In addition to finding clients willing to part with their couture and sartorial status symbols, Hurley researches each piece, knows their provenance, assesses market value and grooms them to be posh players within her highly curated retail wonderland. Coats, dresses, belts, shoes, handbags and jewelry all take an intimate journey of passion at Modern Marla: Each was treasured by an original owner; lovingly adopted by Hurley; and set out to spark the fashion passions of a new buyer.
Those new buyers have many faces. Young, savvy glamazons just out of college. Seasoned collectors. The vintage obsessed. High-end commodities traders. Women who appreciate luxury but aren’t willing to pay full retail. And, perhaps Hurley’s favorite: the informed, dedicated recycler. In a world where everything old is new again, those style-conscious recyclers are doing their own intentional “adaptive re-use" of designer pieces. Good for the world, good for the brand, good for themselves.
Modern Marla had its beginnings as an online business in 2017 as a new endeavor for Hurley, a busy Houston native and mother of three who was looking for a new avenue to channel her interests in fashion, retail and the art of finding value and repurpose in someone else’s valuables (she learned the latter from her parents who for years operated 10 pawn shops in Houston). Her online business begat pop-ups and fashion events, and eventually a brick-and-mortar store in Round Top. After opening in 2021 in Rolland Square, Modern Marla found a permanent new home in Henkel Square, opening in October 2022 within the town’s busy shopping/dining/drinking nexus. While her boutique is as wee as they come (a whopping 350 square feet), it’s hard to miss. If you want to know what a mini thunderbolt from the Veuve Clicquot heavens looks like when it strikes ground, it would be Hurley’s orange-hued jewel box. It’s as darling and daring as Hurley herself.
While she traffics in luxury brands at work, Hurley isn’t label obsessed in her own personal style, which is eclectic, unstudied, and effortlessly assembled.
“I don’t like to look like everyone else. I have an edgy fashion flair,” she said. “But fashion doesn’t define me. It just happens to be what I like.”
The new year brings a renewed emphasis on building her business, Hurley said. She will relaunch a retooled website soon and expand her calendar of special events, pop-ups and fashion shows.
“The sky’s the limit,” she said.
And why not? In a town preoccupied by revitalization, Hurley has found her own distinctly Round Topian story of reinvention.
“Who would have thought in one square mile, this town would support a luxury goods business?” she said. And then, as if another of those orange thunderbolts was hurled at her, Hurley realized the unintentional irony of her own question.
Of course, Modern Marla. Of course, Round Top.
