Having grown up with family in the Melbourne rag trade and a fashion-conscious mum, Ms Eldridge knows designers and labels, inside-out.

"Mum always had beautiful clothes," she said.

"I was the only girl in the family with three brothers and Mum liked to dress me up.

"I got my first communion frock from The Banbury Cross (children's wear shop) on Collins Street."

When her career led her to become a personal assistant to the chief at Junee Correctional Centre, Ms Eldridge didn't have much calling for cutting-edge workwear.

Instead she found other ways to indulge her hobby.

"I had a uniform I'd wear to work at the prison but I was always collecting clothes," Ms Eldridge said.

"I have family in the rag trade in Melbourne; I collected samples and seconds and pieces left over from photo shoots."

Five years ago Ms Eldridge, now a part-time legal secretary in Albury, started Chic To Chic boutique fashion from a single rack of pre-loved designer clothes.

"I put on some nibbles and drinks and invited some people around," she said.

"By the end of the night the whole rack went and I knew there was a niche for me.

"I started doing markets and went into my South Albury shop about three years ago."

Ms Eldridge said many of the clothes in the store were designer pieces on consignment from 380 clients.

"Everybody wants to buy secondhand now," Ms Eldridge said.

"People go to shops and they can't find what they want; they can't find anything made from natural fibres like cotton, everything is polyester.

"I love beautifully-made, quality clothes, something that might be a bit different and colour."

MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

With more than 5000 vintage and retro pieces between the Townsend Street shop and in storage, Ms Eldridge was a natural choice to help source the wardrobe for the upcoming TV mini-series being made on the Border, Red Hot.

Based on the true story of a firebug who tormented Albury suburb Hamilton Valley in the 1960s, the eight-part, television mini-series was expected to start production in spring 2020.

It would be an adaptation of Red Hot, written by Riverina author Leonie Alldis.

Ms Eldridge said she had relished piecing together the outfits for characters.

"The series is based in the orchards around town in the 1960s, so that's the clothing they're looking for," she said.

"I've got racks of clothes put aside and boxes of ball gowns from the era."

Published five years ago, Red Hot is a classic who-dunnit story based on the arsonist who operated in Hamilton Valley for almost four years.

Chic To Chic, 399C Townsend Street, opens Wednesday-Friday, 11am to 6pm, and Saturday, 10am to 2pm.