How about some true frugal news instead of my constantly beating you over the head with lessons on how you should be frugal? Let’s take a look at what one New Jersey woman decided to do in the name of frugality.
For those of you who hit up the consignment and resale stores, you already know that you can find truly superior quality goods at half a third the price. Use to be, in what everyone loves to refer to as the ‘good old days’, the economy was jumping. If picture frames, lamps, mirrors or any other type of home furnishing item needed replacement many people thought nothing of jumping in the car and heading over to the nearest mall or major furniture and appliance dealers. Some actually saved the gas, (though it was probably just for convenience sake) and browsed through the shiny pages of catalogs ordering by phone or online. And they paid full manufacturer’s suggested retail price. No big deal.
These days, which we may someday refer to as the bad old days, paying full price is for the rich only; and even some of them are using coupons to save money. So where are you to go if you want to replace a household item with something that’s at least new to you? Here come those consignment and resale stores. Oh I know, I’ve been in enough goodwill and Salvation Army stores to know that some of the items carried have seen years and years worth of better days; but resale shops that work on consignment in particular have endless items of the highest quality. The New Jersey woman I spoke of realizes that and decides to do something about it. She opened her own consignment resale store and gave it a name that leaves nothing to question: Think Twice Resale and Consignment. You can visit them at their website at http://thinktwiceresale.com/
Stepping into this store reminds one that there truly are amazing and frugal deals to be had by shopping at consignment in resale stores. Many areas of the store are set up in little room like settings, or vignettes. You’ve got your couch and chair, coffee table, end table, lamps, wall hangings, chandeliers and other hanging ceiling fixtures, may be a tabletop or corner statue all built around a sunken fireplace! I wanted to just sit down with a book, relax and maybe take a nap. It felt so homey! The items are not just great quality, but clean, fashionable, stylish and could pass for new in many cases.
Only you and your significant other have to know that all your redecorating items came from a consignment resale shop. Unless of course you’re one of those sharing frugal shoppers, and don’t mind giving away your secrets. And this is no exaggeration, folks. Without compromising quality one can redecorate their entire home for a mere fraction of what it would cost at your local department store or furniture outlet. Some of the items found at the store have come from estate sales and consist of amazing old pieces that you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere for any price.
The owner’s name is Sandy Barth and she got the idea for this business, and actually did something about it, back in April 2010. She has not regretted one day. She encourages shoppers with nothing but the truth; you’re going to find higher quality items in her store than you would at a regular resale shop. People know that they can’t just sign something over that’s a beat up piece of junk. Unless it’s some crazy priceless antique, who’s going to buy that?
People are serious about their budgeting in this day and age; they only have a specific amount that they want to spend. Shopping department stores or even furniture outlets with their predetermined budget probably means picking up only one or two pieces. Here, at this consignment resale shop, your budget can be stretched two and three times further. There’s just no need to pay the exorbitant prices that retailers are asking when you can pick up the exact same item for far less. And this is exactly what Ms. Barth had in mind when she created this little shop. The settings she creates relax customers with aesthetically pleasing scenarios that give them the secure feeling that they’re not really even shopping in a resell shop. These aren’t second hand items! Surely they must be new.
She has more than accomplished her goal. Her method of displaying handbags and jewelry is to arrange them in an exquisite manner and offer ridiculously low prices. Another vignette that that appeared to have been ripped right from the pages of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine was made up of tasteful wall hangings and mirrors, lamps, high quality furniture, softly lit and surrounded by cozy mustard and wine colored walls. I wish my house looked like this! It serves to give the frugal shopper a better idea of how all of these items may appear in their home. This woman not only has great taste in furniture but a knack for interior decorating as well.
Whether the former owners of these gorgeous pieces tired of them, decided to redecorate, were moving or are in need of funds, the quality remains uncompromised. One would never throw these items in the dump. Ms. Barth receives a 50% consignment fee after the sale of the item and any one that wants to sign something over to her for resale signs a simple, short agreement. Window treatments and clothes, because they are so high maintenance, are no longer sold at this store; and Sandy admits to not knowing much about antiques and their worth (she advises people looking for a special price derived from the sale of an old family heirloom to take it to a reputable antiques dealer).
She actually cares that her customers get what they deserve from the pieces they sign over. What’s her criterion for setting prices? Aside from taking into consideration what her consignment customers are looking for from the sale of the item, it’s based on a cuteness factor. No really. She also tries to shoot for approximately 50% of what the item would ordinarily sell for. When that fails, she checks E-bay to see if something similar is listed there.
Her hottest shopping times are fall and spring, but don’t wait until then; if you’re in the New Jersey area, stop in and peruse her fabulous and frugal, stylish home decorating ideas and items. You’ll find a woman who is running a successful business as close to the manner in which she had envisioned it as one can get. Her store is located at 488 Valley Road and Gillette, New Jersey. From September until June her store hours of operation are: Saturdays 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Tuesday through Friday. Summer hours are as follows: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays; 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Thursdays.
This is one instance in which the economy actually helped a business. People have less to invest so they want to make the most of their investments. If they can beautify their humble abodes on a fraction of the budget they wish they could spend, then everybody wins. After being open for over a year now she is still receiving new customers that are amazed and enthralled when they walk in.
Sandy gets a great feeling from the smiles on people’s faces as they take away their newly found treasures. She’s glad she can help people out in this time of scary economics.