CLEVELAND — After battling cancer and feeling confined in a job in corporate America, a northeast Ohio woman is letting her creativity shine, while helping others do the same with clothing and art.

Antoinette Teasley always had an eye for fashion, but her design school dreams never became a reality. Instead, she spent time serving the country in the military and then behind a desk working a corporate job. 

“Those environments, I would say, it restricted my creativity a little bit because I had to come to work dressed a certain type of way,” Teasley said. “You know, military, everything is by the standard. So I kind of feel restricted and bored with that.” 

Now, Teasley is anything but bored. She’s the owner of Wardrobe Replay, a clothing and art gallery.

Teasley said it was challenges such as being diagnosed with Lymphoma in 2019 and being laid off from her job during the coronavirus pandemic that made her comfortable with leaving corporate America. 

“My journey with cancer just really showed me that it’s, like, now or never," she said. 

The racks inside of Wardrobe Replay are filled with hand-picked, lightly-worn items. 

“I’m just looking for quality, like, I want to have great quality clothing you know — no rips, tears, no stains. The zippers are working. I’m very particular about what I put in my store,” she said. 

Teasley said with Wardrobe Replay, she wants to redefine resale. 

“When you shop resale, it doesn't always have to be like a stuffy, dusty, you know, smelly place,” she said. “You don't have to have all these like bright lights and silver rounders, and you know, there's nothing wrong with that, but for me, I just wanted a different experience.” 

From sportswear to a night on the town, Teasley curates pieces to perfection and even helps customers walk out with a complete look without breaking the bank.  

“They’ll come in and they'll say they're looking for something, they're going somewhere or they'll come in, oftentimes with, I have this shoe, I need something to go with it,” she said. 

Now cancer-free, Teasley said she feels like she has a second chance at life, and she’s going to spend it focusing on her first love — fashion. 

Click here for more information on Wardrobe Replay.