Consignors of The Posh Duck, a luxury resale boutique on Main Street, say they were left confused and angry this month after the shop closed abruptly, sent contradictory emails about a possible bankruptcy, and left customers scrambling to reclaim designer handbags, clothing and jewelry before an August deadline.
The Posh Duck, at 2711 Main St. sold authenticated pre-owned luxury items from brands including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada, operating both in-store and online through a consignor portal. The store had operated at the address since 2011, previously as a location of The Closet Trading Company, before rebranding as The Posh Duck in 2025.
In an Aug. 13 email to consignors, Lawrie announced the store was closing "after twelve years on Main Street," saying he had owned the business for five of those years. He asked customers to retrieve their items in person between Thursday, Aug. 13, and Sunday, Aug. 16, warning that the store would not have time to pull individual orders and that customers would need to search the racks themselves using their account item lists. Lawrie wrote that any items not picked up by 6 p.m. that Sunday would be donated to Love the City Thrift, a Los Angeles nonprofit that he also manages, under a section of the consignor agreement governing unclaimed goods. He said further information about outstanding account balances would follow.
The announcement set off a wave of complaints on Yelp and Nextdoor. Several consignors said they never received the pickup notice at all. A reviewer said she found the store already empty when she stopped by after her online account stopped working, and that Lawrie was on-site clearing out racks but declined to speak with her. Another said the store's Instagram account, phone number and consignor portal had all been deactivated, leaving her unable to verify roughly $200 she said she was owed. On Nextdoor, a poster said a friend was able to retrieve items on her behalf but that Lawrie "refused to speak with me and only shouted that he was tired of being screamed at" when she asked to be paid for sold items.
Confusion deepened Aug. 24, when multiple consignors said they received an email stating The Posh Duck had filed for bankruptcy and directing them to contact an attorney. However, hours later, a follow-up email arrived retracting the claim and instructing recipients not to contact the attorney in question. It said consignors would be contacted within 90 to 120 days with information about outstanding balances and any remaining items, and that no action was required of them in the meantime.
Several reviewers raised concerns about the plan to donate unclaimed merchandise to Love the City Thrift, noting that Lawrie manages that organization as well.
Other reviews described longer-running disputes predating the closure including problems verifying sales and receiving payment for sold items.
Multiple reviewers said they had filed complaints with the Santa Monica Office of the City Attorney's Consumer Protection Unit and encouraged other consignors to do the same, circulating a link to the unit's online complaint form.