[Steppes] Off topic--area children's clothes consignment sales coming up

[Liz Wilson]

Sorry for the bandwidth and length, but

I know that some of you have children and may be looking for
mundane as well as period clothing, or baby items like
strollers, furniture, exersaucers, toys, etc.  Have I got a deal for you!!! 

 There are two big consignment sales in our area run by Divine Consign, and
they are starting registration on Saturday for people who want
to sell in the Plano sale or volunteer to work at it (volunteers and
consignors shop early).

They have a lot of strict requirements
regarding merchandise, so check them out on their divine consign website
if you have nice items to sell.   Grapevine's already closed to 
new registrants and will have approximately 36,000 items.  Plano has
about twice that.

Thousands of people come to these sales.  Anything baby or kid related is available, 
especially at the Plano Convention Center sale. They screen
for stains, and rips, and toy recalls.  Even car seats must be less than 5 years old and
never in an accident (certified by the consignor).  They pull anything
that doesn't comply with their requirements.  If we don't comply
with their requirements we get "strikes" against us and can't participate.


These sales are run by two ladies out of Flower Mound and
they get bigger and better every year.  This is their Stay at Home Mom
Business, although they do donate leftovers that aren't picked up on time
to Denton Friends of the Family and I believe they also donate 10% of their
profits to their churches.  We pay them 30% PLUS $10 to consign.  But
we still make more than we would at a garage sale or from another
consignment store.

Consigners and volunteers
get to shop the night before, as do first time moms (see website information).
I will be getting two shopping wristbands on Feb 18 when I
drop off and I will only use one of them (depending on whether
I see anything I want when I drop off.)  So, if anyone
is interested in picking up a wristband at my house to do early shopping
on the 19th starting at 5 pm, please let me know. 

 Volunteers get in
as early as 2:30 pm to shop and there's a volunteer lottery (sign up 
Saturday for Plano if you are interested, or get on the waiting list
for Grapevine).  Dads can volunteer too if Mom is 
busy or pregnant (there's a rack breakdown shift, for example, and
security).   There's no payment--your payment is that you get
to shop earlier than the consignors. 

Clothes sizes for boys and girls
go up to size 16 although the emphasis is on babies and younger
children size 4 and under.  But as the consigners' kids get older,
the merchandise gets
older.  Maternity is also available.

 I will be participating in the Grapevine sale,
 which is open to the public on Sunday
February 20th, half price sale that evening and Monday
the 21st,  at the Grapevine Convention Center.  I don't have
as much stuff to sell as in years past but this has been a great thing
for our family over the years.

Prices vary but are sometimes about what you would find in
consignment stores, but you have 100 strollers to choose from
instead of 10.  Many items go to half price later in the day
and for the second day.  I sell about half my stuff at full
price and about half of it at half price.  You can pick up what's
left over but it can also be donated to charity, and then a check
is mailed within a week.  Reports of what has sold are 
available on line during the breaks in selling.