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 By JENNIFER TANGEMAN
Staff Writer
Few people exhibit an enthusiasm about historical artifacts as Jim Bowsher does.
When crews working for G.A. Wintzer and Son Co. started working to build new office space on West Auglaize Street, they came across some interesting finds where a rental home had previously sat.
Jim Kent and others of Kent Surveying began finding pieces of artifacts. They called in local history buff, Bowsher, to try to figure out what the bits and pieces meant.
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Consignment for tots booms |
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Tuesday, 20 October 2009 |
By MATT NICHOLS
Staff Writer
When friends Jenni Egbert and Shelley Henschen decided to start a children’s consignment, they had little idea how much their business would boom.
Less than a year into the endeavor, and the New Knoxville residents are already tossing the word “franchise” around when describing their future.
Their business, titled Turnaround Tots, is a seasonal consignment sale which was incorporated in early 2009. The sale provides an outlet for sellers, or consignors, to sell their children’s clothes and gives prospective buyers the opportunity to find deals on clothing for their children.
“With the economy the way it is, people can’t afford to go and buy retail,” Henschen said. “So this gives them a great opportunity to buy their kids things they may not have been able to afford.”
Henschen and Egbert have held two sales so far, one in the spring and the other this autumn. They rented Easy Campgrounds for the sales, and after the two events, realized business was outgrowing the venue. Thirty-five consignors signed up for the first sale with more than 5,200 items. In the autumn sale, the figures grew to 60 consignors and 9,500 items.
Egbert said the huge numbers in the autumn sale prompted the two to look elsewhere for their upcoming spring event.
“We’re going to be at the junior fair building this time,” Egbert said. “We hated to leave the campgrounds, but we were wall to wall during this last sale.”
The two entrepreneurs said their venture is relatively simple. Consignors set their own prices and drop them off to be sold. During the consignment sale, consignors receive 70 percent of the selling price. If potential sellers are too busy to tag and prepare their items, they can have Egbert and Henschen prepare the items as part of their Busy Moms Tagging Program. Under that program, consignors would keep 50 percent from the sale.
When their venture began, it was only Egbert and Henschen working to build the business. Now on sale days, they enlist the help of volunteers, who also become eligible for benefits during the events.
The two admit their biggest helpers are their husbands, who at one point were a bit critical of the operation. But that’s all changed now.
“I can tell you their support increased tenfold after the sale,” Egbert said. “They thought we were crazy, but now they’re our biggest fans.”
Egbert said she first read about the idea in an online blog. The software developer and mother of four said she thought the idea would be perfect for Henschen, who is a stay-at-home mother of 5-year-old triplets. With her computer skills, and Henschen’s knack for thriftiness and fashion, Egbert said the combination was too good.
“Our strengths compliment each other very well, and we have a passion for the turnaround and recycling aspect,” Egbert said. “This stuff isn’t sitting in a landfill, it’s going to other people who can use it.”
Along with the children’s clothes, toys and equipment, Egbert and Henschen are also thinking about adding vendors like Tupperware and Pampered Chef. They’re also considering adding formal wear so teens can have a venue to buy and sell homecoming and prom dresses.
The spring sale is slated to begin at 8 a.m. April 30 and run through 6 p.m. Saturday. The two expect even bigger numbers than their previous two events, and are optimistic they’ve only scratched the surface with their young venture.
“Looking longterm, we would like to run three sales in the spring and three in the fall,” Henschen said. “A north and south, maybe something like in Lima or Findlay and around Troy.
“There’s a good chance we could franchise,” she said. “There’s not a lot of these sales in Ohio.”
For more information on the business, and how to consign, visit turnaroundtots.com.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 October 2009 )
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