"They asked $70 for it - I was annoyed," the Lower East Side resident recalls. So what's a girl to do? Open a shop of her own, of course.

Once she had (somewhat impulsively) decided to become a storeowner, Breen, 37, spoke to her landlord. Within a month he offered her an ideal space on Avenue B.

"It really just happened like that," Breen says.

Four and a half months of shopping for stock, and endless hours of intense physical labor to paint and decorate the pink-and-red playroom-themed store followed.

Breen was given the keys to her shop - Patsy, named after her mother who gave her a loan to open the store - on September 9th, 2001. Needless to say, the part-time bartender and playwright was off to a difficult start.

But though there were times when Breen felt "overwhelmed," on April 1, she started what she had always wanted to: a clothes exchange program. Instead of paying for old clothes someone brings in, Breen gives sellers a store credit of 50 percent of what she will sell the items for. Trading clothes allows her to keep prices low and the traffic high, Breen explains.

"Buffalo Exchange does it out West and there's Beacon's Closet in Williamsburg that does it, too," she says, adding, "Buffalo Exchange offers lower cash and higher trade, which I would like to do eventually."

Breen, sporting a black dress with pink polka dots, says response has been "really good" and that "people were coming right away."

Even on this unusually hot April day, women walk into the store to show Breen what they have and do some shopping on their way out. Given the season, the owner rejects heavy materials like velvet, and always anything dirty or ripped.

"I don't want a girl to come in, go through the racks, see something is ripped and never come here again," Breen explains.

Unlike some consignment shops around town, however, Breen doesn't require appointments, nor will she roll her eyes at anything that isn't a John Galliano.

"I'm not a big label girl and I tell people who bring in a lot of designer things to go to other places because she'll make more money off it," she says.

But that doesn't mean that her store doesn't have anything for brand-lovers. And lucky is the shopper who walks in at the right time, as Breen's stuff is cheaper than most other places.

Currently, a Jean-Paul Gaultier short-sleeved knit goes for $40, a men's Bill Blass pinstriped jacket is a mere $20, as is a beige men's Christian Dior shirt.

A red leather YSL belt is $25 and a turquoise '80s Dior suit for women can be had for $40.

"I know there are places that would sell the Dior suit for a lot more - and if they can do it, more power to them. But," she says with a laugh, "it's ugly. I give the things the price I would pay for it."

Given her pricing - an ivory linen coat at $100 is her most expensive piece – naturally, the question of making a living arises.

"The last couple of weeks, with the warm weather and everything, things have been going really well," Breen says. "My overhead is not that high and I don't have to sell that much. I really believe this is going to work."

The moments that really make it worthwhile, though, are as much about giving an experience as making a sale. She loves when people tell her that the store is cozy - sometimes girls will just walk in and hang out for an hour to chat and read magazines, Breen says - and when customers pay her compliments about her stock, because she "takes it personally."

There's only one thing missing: stuff for the big guys. But Breen's got a plan to solve that problem, too.

"The other week at least ten big guys walked in and I felt so bad because I didn't have anything," she says. "I told them to bring in stuff to start things. I just love the idea of everyone getting what they want."

Patsy
23 Avenue B
New York, NY
Tel: 212-505-8644

Clothes on display at Patsy

Interior of Patsy

Interior of Patsy

Interior of Patsy

Exterior of Patsy