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Monday's Mompreneur
Kristin Nelson, LA Kids Consignment Sale In theory, searching for baby gear at ebay, craigslist, garage sales, and thrift stores sounds like the perfect way to save a dime. Perfect...if you have hours each day to devote to the task.  For the rest of us, help arrives twice each year in the form of the LA Kids Consignment Sale. Created by Kristin Nelson, a Sherman Oaks mother of two, the sale started as a small exchange of clothing and toys in Kristin's driveway. It's now evolved into an event that is one part mega-sale, and one part charity clothing drive; it features over 450 moms (and dads!) selling over 50,000 lightly used baby and childrens items in almost 12,000 square feet of shopping space. Warning: extreme bias ahead. We love this sale! I spoke with Kristin last week about how the business has evolved, what to expect if it's your first time attending the event, and her plans for the future. As a consignment sale, LA Kids Consignment helps families (primarily moms) sell their gently used baby and children's items. The consignors are local moms who prepare, tag, and price their own items. Kristin and her team manage all of the sale logistics and marketing in exchange for a percentage of the profit from the sale of each item. The week long spectacle is a mad dash of drop offs, organization and display, private and public sales, a 50% Sunday super sale, and a closing that includes the return of unsold items to consignors and massive donations to nine area charities. "People always mention how organized our sales are", Kristin said. Organized, indeed! Each item is personally inspected as it is dropped off, then placed in a clearly marked section. Clothing is organized by gender AND age, and ranges from newborn to tween size. Toys are one of the most popular sales items, and volunteers work throughout the sale to display items to their greatest advantage.  The sale has become a fixture in the local parenting community, an event that has a social as well as commercial component. The consigner slots fill up quickly. I asked Kristin why moms are so eager to participate in the sale. "The average consigner makes about $300 per sale. Where else can you make that much money in one weekend, for very little effort, selling stuff you don't want?" She also acknowledged that for many moms, this is a chance to "get out of the house", socialize, and have some fun with parents who are in the trenches along side you. Kristin acts as the sole owner of the business, but runs each event with the help of volunteers. Her loyal "Committee" (a group of volunteer managers) and dozens of mom volunteers work the sale in exchange for priority shopping times one day earlier than the general public and an increased percentage of revenue on their sales items. "I just love seeing these mommies every six months. I could not ask for any better group", gushed Kristin. Each year, she told me, she focuses on accomplishing one or two improvements. The goal for this sale? Improve the shopping experience. They're working to decrease wait times with the purchase of new registers, almost doubling the total available at the sale from 5 registers to 9. Every new addition or adjustment brings it's own host of problems. "There's a technical component to that, a service component, and some capital investment," she told me. Kristin loves that her work as an entrepreneur requires her to grow constantly. "I think you have to always be willing to learn something new and adapt. It requires every bit of your creativity and attention. You have to do things that you may hate, or may not know how to do. You have to pull everything our of your bag of tricks to make it work." What advice would she have for a mom considering starting a consignment business, or other venture while juggling mommy-hood? "I think you have to be really passionate about what you're doing to be able to put in the hours that it requires", Kristin said. We hope you'll have a wonderful time at the sale! LA Kids Consignment Sale Website Link Primer for the First Timer Based on our past experiences, here's what we would say to someone attending for the first time. 1. Volunteer or Consign. You'll get to shop a the private pre-sale on Thursday with a couple hundred of the coolest moms in town. While it's great to sell items and make some money, volunteering is also a great way to get involved in the sale, shop early, and figure out how it all works. 2. Be strategic. If you MUST find a certain crib, stroller, diaper bag, or costume, plan to get in line early and move quickly. Friday can be extremely busy, with much longer wait times than other days. If you only have a limited amount of time to shop and wait in line, arrive on a slower day (Saturday) or consign or volunteer so you can shop Thursday. It's easy to get carried away, so set a budget and bring a list of what you need to find. If you need quanity, not quality (play clothes, an extra blanket, etc) the Sunday sale, with most items priced at 50%, is outstanding. 3. Ideally, don't bring the kids. The sheer amount of items is mind boggling, and you and I both know that junior isn't going to hang out while you sort through the racks. If you must (and we've been there, sister...sigh), prepare as if entering a large department store. No family lounge, but the toys...the toys. Bribery works wonders. 4. Bring a cart...or a stroller, a wagon, something with wheels. It's a marathon shopping session, and you don't want to waste energy carrying heavy items. But, don't worry too much: the sale provides IKEA shopping bags to borrow at no cost. 5. Have fun. Sure bargain hunting is serious business, but also try to appreciate the sale for what it really is: a chance to make friends, participate in the community, "be green" by recycling stuff, and leave something behind for local charities that are thrilled with the donations. Happy Shopping!  Site and Contents (c) Mommy Adventure Club 2007-2009. All rights reserved. blog comments powered by Disqus |
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