ONEIDA — Every woman is worthy of looking and feeling their best, and a resale store in Oneida has everything they need to do that.

Jennifer Bailey is the owner and operator of Worthy, an upscale and designer resale store — located at 767 Lenox Ave., Suite 2 in Oneida — that sells name-brand goods. It opened a year ago, in February.

“I moved from Sydney, New York, and I saw there wasn’t really a place for women to go to shop. And that’s how Worthy came about,” Bailey said. “It’s a store whose platform is women supporting women. You cleaning out your closet helps her closet.”

Every item in the store has been previously owned, but many are still brand new with tags. Name brands of all kinds, from Louis Vuitton and Gucci to Talbots, Michael Kors, and many more.

“There are brands from high-end fashion designers,” she said. “From top to bottom, we hit the whole spectrum of fashion and accessories.”

Clothing, shoes, jewelry, handbags, scarves, and so much more are ready to be purchased and loved at Worthy.

When she first opened her doors, Bailey didn’t know what to expect. But the reaction from the community has been nothing but positive.

“We’ve been able to evolve the store tremendously over the past year. The store has grown tenfold,” she said. “We’re able now to reach out to different markets, not just Oneida. We’re reaching customers in Syracuse, Utica, Hamilton, and so much more. I’ve seen people from the Adirondacks to Buffalo come in.”

These people are coming from so far due to the unique pieces that Worthy can offer.

Bailey said because the store’s inventory is coming from women’s closets, there are pieces that haven’t been seen on the market for years. One of these items, she said, was a vintage Gucci bag brought in by an 83-year-old local woman who was given cash for it.

“We’re a specific niche in the market,” Bailey said. “For example, Lilly Pulitzer is a brand primarily found down south, but we offer that brand here. The next closest available place for that is Albany.”

By providing items that are hard to find locally, Bailey has created not just a store but a destination.

“It’s great for Oneida,” she said. “There’s a tremendous amount of unique and wonderful small businesses here. And when they come to my store, they’ll head to Callee 1945 for the cheese, The Blend for coffee, Bella Vita for pastries, Napoleon’s for lunch, and so much more.”

When asked about the future, Bailey said that during the past year, they’ve been able to expand what they have to offer. Moving forward, Worthy is looking forward to its community engagement.

Just recently, Worthy sponsored the Oneida Little League Softball team, raising $3,000 to sponsor 30 girls to play softball.

“And any clothing that doesn’t sell gets donated to one of our local missions, Church on the Rock,” Bailey said. “They have a free community closet, and they can give away the clothes to homeless women, women in need, and women getting out of bad situations.”

“What we want to do now is connect with the community and give back to the people who have given so much to us,” she continued. “Worthy is a store, but it’s more. It’s women supporting women, top to bottom.”

Bailey says the store becomes more than a store when women come in to try on clothes and make it a fun experience.

“It’s like a spontaneous sisterhood,” she said. “We start using the store as a runway and start doing fashion shows. It’s not just shopping at Worthy, it’s an experience. It’s a sense of confidence. It’s a chance for women who might be having a bad day to walk out looking and feeling their best.”