Reprint from the Post-Crescent 10-28-07
By Judy Waggoner
Consignment shop stays in fashion
Who: Jill Nelson, 41, and Tammy Eiting, 39, found they had similar interests after meeting at their children’s preschool. Both were stay-at-home moms who filled their time with part-time jobs and volunteering.
Nelson, an Appleton resident, had a bachelor’s degree in education and human services from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Eiting, who lives Kaukauna, worked in the financial and insurance industries.
“We needed to get back into the work force; we wanted to do something fun yet was financially profitable,” Nelson said.
The pair looked at successful women in the Fox Cities and discussed what they loved to do. Nelson, Eiting and two other friends regularly switched closets to expand their wardrobes and enjoyed shopping trips to consignment boutiques.
“This area didn’t have anything like that,” Eiting said.
What: After locating 1,600 square feet of available space in Appleton’s developing southeast side, the partners opened Chic to Chic women’s consignment shop in the Town of Buchanan in August 2006.
“We have 607 women consigning with us; they must have (at least) 15 items to open an account and items have to be in mint condition and fashionable within two years,” Nelson said.
Items in junior, misses and women’s sizes are sold for a maximum of 90 days then donated to charity. Consigned items are priced at about one-third retail and include 60 percent to 70 percent brand names, the pair said.
Why it’s important: Initially, Nelson and Eiting encountered a few shoppers with an elitist attitude, but “on the East and West Coasts, shopping consignment is the chic thing to do,” Eiting said.
Women who are losing weight and need transition clothes, returning to the work force, retiring or want holiday party dresses find shopping at consignment shops appealing.
“We have shoes, purses, jewelry, jeans to evening wear, but no prom dresses,” Nelson, said.