Consignment Craze

Kids consignment sales offer families a chance to save on purchases and even earn money on kids’ items.

written by Jessica Lindsey

Anyone with kids knows the little munchkins can be expensive. Just clothing and giving them a few toys can add up in no time at all and if there are several kids in the family, well, expect to drop a pretty penny on the essentials alone.

Because it can be both frustrating and wallet-breaking to keep up with kids' ever-growing feet and ever-changing interests, one of the most rewarding things can be to find a good deal on kids items. And to make that good deal even better, how about getting a nice chunk of cash back for all the items your kids have grown out of or no longer use.

That's exactly what the concept is behind the numerous kids consignment sales that can be found in the Wichita area.

“It can be expensive to raise a family today and Just Between Friends offers a chance to recoup some of that expense,” said Dawn Pfannenstiel, owner of Wichita consignment sale Just Between Friends. “I love the idea that you can make money on children's items that are laying on your living room floor. In today's economy, we are all trying to find ways to save and make a little extra money to add to the family budget.”

For parents, by parents

Part of what makes these sales so successful and popular is that all of the owners—whether they started their sale in their garage on a whim or purchased a nationally-known franchise—brought their sales to the public after having had positive experiences at other consignment sales.

“We had participated in another local sale and realized that w

 e could run a consignment sale,” said Teresa Richards coowner of the Twice Is Nice consignment sale. “Our first sale was in my in-law’s garage with five or six friends participating. We then moved to a bigger room with around 12 to 15 consignors. We now have a huge facility—that we fill—and have 150 to 200 consignors each sale.”

Similarly, Britches and Lace consignment sale, the oldest and largest sale in the area, came about as a result of two young moms looking for a way to generate extra income for their families.

“We started our business after we participated in a consignment sale in Oklahoma,” said Trina Bostwick who started Britches and Lace with Lana Halling in 2001. “We decided with having six children between us that we might be able to start something like this in

 Wichita. We also wanted to be able to stay home with our children but also add some income to our family without having to be gone from home very much.”

The consignors and owners each realize what works and what doesn’t and the sales evolve with each passing event.

Mulberry Bush Consignment owner, Joanna Parks, has grown her sale from 40 consignors to 200 over the past several years and is now helping other entrepreneurs start sales of their own.

“I started MBC because I had consigned a few times locally and loved the concept,” said Parks. “Each sale I try
and fine-tune all aspects of the sale. Although I can’t please everyone, my goal is to try and benefit both sellers and customers. I’ve recently started consulting for other ladies that want to start their own consignment sales.”

What to expect as a consignor

 2X New Consignment Sale had its first sale in May in Haysville. The owners,
Aubry Neill and Aubrie Johnson, have received guidance from Parks of Mulberry Bush Consignment.
2X New Consignment had 55 consignors and over 250 shoppers at its first sale. Neill said the pair was happy with the first sale and is excitedly planning for the next.

“We describe it as a glorified garage sale,” said Neill. “The consignors receive 70 percent of their sales and we receive 30 percent. We take this very seriously because we would want someone who is selling our items to do the same thing for us. We love what we do and love that we have had this opportunity to be able to hold these sales for families that are wanting some extra income.”

Those looking to sell items register with the sale when consignor registration opens. Most of the sales open consignor registration about two or three months in advance. Registering early is advised as several sales reach maximum capacity and have to limit the number of consignors and, in some cases, the number of items each consignor can bring.

Consignors are required to tag each of their items with a tag that says the price, consignor number, a description of the item and bring them on hangers, if clothing items, or packaged appropriately if it is another type of item. Each of the sales has websites and registering to consign is simple. The sales also offer tagging systems that make it possible to enter all the information for each tag and print them at home with a bar code.

Consignors receive 65 to 75 percent of their sales, depending on the sale, and checks are mailed to consignors typically within two weeks.

Recalled items are not accepted and sale owners follow strict guidelines to ensure that recalled items are not sold. “Safety is one of our major concerns therefore we check and double check the items again, the recall lists and also have lead testing kits available,” said Pfannenstiel, JBF’s owner.

An added benefit to consigning is shopping early. Consignors are given pre-sale passes and have the chance to
snag items on their lists before the sale opens to the public. Volunteering with a sale is another way to earn pre-sale passes. Volunteers opportunities are typically listed on the sale websites.

What to expect as a shopper

The latest Britches and Lace sale recorded approximately 23,000 items for sale. There’s a good chance that a new mom can find nearly everything on her list at a consignment sale.

Area consignment sales range in size based on the location, but all of them are overflowing with baby equipment,
children’s furniture, toys and children’s and maternity clothing. The sales are arranged with rack after rack of clothing organized by gender, size and sometimes by season.

“We have very strict quality standards and the prices are set, no haggling,” said Parks who typically has around 200 consignors and over 1,000 customers at her sales. “However, you can get brand name items, sometimes still with
tags, at a fraction of the price.”

Giving back to the community

“I think that people enjoy shopping consignment sales,” said Richards with Twice Is Nice. “A lot of people are
having difficulties in today’s economy and this is one way that we can help. I love when I hear someone say, ‘I got a lot of good items for very little,’ and ‘Wow, I can’t believe everything that I found.’ I love when we are helping people.”

In addition to helping families sell items that are no longer needed and purchase used items at discounted costs,
consignment sales make it possible for families to donate to other organizations as well.

At the conclusion of the sale, consignors are given the chance to come back and pick up any unsold items or donate
them. Local sales have partnered with a variety of charities. Just Between Friends donates to The Klothes Kloset, Britches and Lace donates unsold items to the YWCA Women’s Crisis Center/Safehouse.

Parks, who is also a social worker, is using her success with Mulberry Bush Consignment to facilitate a charity sale that will benefit LAMP (Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Pantry) which partners with Youth Development Services to help struggling mothers. The sale will be held August 14.

“Each sale I try and help out families who really need our support,” said Parks.

“The rest of the donations are stores for a charity sale in August. All of the clothing items will be sold for .50 and 100 percent of the profits will go to charity. I’ve always sold play clothes—items that don’t meet our quality standards— for .50 and given the money to LAMP. However, the response from consignors with donations became overwhelming and I decided to host a separate sale.”

UPCOMING SALES INFO
Twice is Nice
Two sales per year
Next sale:
August 12-14, 2010
Sedgwick County Education Extension
Center (21st and Ridge Road)
www.twiceisnicewichita.com

Mulberry Bush Consignment Sale
Three sales per year (Back to school,
spring break and a holiday sale)
Next sale:
Back-to-school sale
July 29-31
Maize Recreation Center (Maize Road &
37th Street North)
All-season sale, not limited to the time
of year
www.mbcsale.com

Mulberry Bush Consignment Charity
Sale
All proceeds benefit the clients and work
of Youth Development Services.
August 14, 2010
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church: 655
S. Lorraine St., Wichita, 67211.
Most items are .50.

2x New
Three sales per year (back to school,
spring break and a holiday sale)
Next sale:
August 5-7, 2010
The Studio, 1939 E. Diedrich, Haysville
(Grand Avenue and Broadway)
www.2xnsale.com

Britches and Lace
Two sales per year (in March and
September of each year)
Next sale:
September 16-18, 2010
Wholesale Fireworks Building, 159th St.
and East Kellogg in Andover.
www.britchesandlace.com

Just Between Friends
Three sales per year (Spring, fall and
Holiday sales)
Next sale:
August 26-28, 2010
Woodland United Methodist Church
at 15th and Payne (13th and McLean
area)
www.wichita.jbfsale.com

Rhea Lana’s
Next sale:
August 5-7, 2010
Former Comp USA building on North
Rock Road (Near Rock Road and K-96)
www.wichita.rhealana.com