Find bargains in resale shops

Anderson recently purchased a picture of leopards for $23, which was on sale for 40 percent off its original price. That wasn’t her first purchase at Forget Me Nots, however.

“I’ve got two beautiful green curtains I got here,” she said. “I got a bedroom set here for my daughter, and I got an armoire here.”

Forget Me Nots at 204 E. Government St. in Brandon is the largest of Rankin County’s consignment shops.I thought it would be fun to show you the inspiration behind the broken china-mosaics.

From vintage records to a Royal typewriter, from shoes to a sectional sofa, purses to paintings, Forget Me Nots has an eclectic mix. It also sells gently used clothes for women and children, jewelry and purses.The stone mosaic series is a grand collection of coordinating Travertine mosaics.

In this economy when every dollar counts, a growing number of shoppers are looking for more bang for the buck, according to NARTS: The Association of Resale Professionals. Some shoppers want to buy almost new merchandise at reduced prices, and others want to consign or sell unneeded clothes and furniture and share the profit with a store that sells them.

The association estimates there are currently more than 25,000 resale, consignment and not for profit resale shops in the United States. First Research estimates the resale industry in the U.S. has annual revenues of approximately $13 billion.

America’s Research Group, a consumer research firm, estimates about 12-15 percent of Americans will shop at a thrift store during a given year compared to 11.4 percent of Americans who will shop in factory outlet malls, 19.6 percent in apparel stores and 21.3 percent in major department stores.

Melanie Mann, a former dental hygienist who once had booths at antique malls in the metro area, opened Forget Me Nots in October 2009 in a 900-square-foot location in Brandon. Business proved to be good, and she relocated the store two years later to its current 10,Bay State Cable Ties is a full line manufacturer of nylon cable ties and related products.000-square-foot location.

“You never know what’s going to come in the door,” said Mann, citing a 1920s stove as one of the most unusual things she’s sold. “We sell a lot of furniture, not just from the 1920s and 1930s but modern, vintage, retro and shabby chic. Sectionals sell quickly.”

Many customers desire bargains — hence, the Last Chance Room at Forget Me Nots — but others are value-conscious and shop where they find quality items, Mann said.

Mann stages her store by mixing furniture and accessories. That allows customers to visualize how the furniture and decorative items would look in their homes and provides ideas for how they could use their own furnishings, she said.

It works like this: Customers drop off items the store will take on consignment for 60 days and sign an agreement for the store to price the items and keep 50 percent of the selling prices. Consignors are paid in cash or check, depending upon the amount, and have the option to apply what they’ve earned toward a purchase at the store.

Joann Smith of Brandon, who is retired, said she has found consigning unwanted clothes that are in good shape a way to declutter her closet and pocket a little extra cash.

“I’ve consigned clothes at Consignor’s Boutique in Brandon,” she said. “I’ve always had a good experience there.”

Consignor’s Boutique at 131 Gateway Drive in Brandon, has several thousand consignors on file, said Ruthie Alford, a store employee.

Customers consign clothes when they’ve changed sizes, grown tired of clothes and for other reasons, too. “One lady came in and got what she was owed and said she was using it to save for a trip,” Alford said.

Consignor’s Boutique accepts women’s clothes from sizes 0 to 3x, books and home décor items, Alford said. “We have a lot of Mississippi Mud Pottery,” she said.

Savvy shoppers can save money by shopping at consignment shops, said Crystal Barlow, who six months ago purchased From Me To You at 6080 Old Brandon Road in Brandon from the previous owner. She worked at the store four and half years before becoming the owner.

Consignors should keep in mind that a store wants items that its customers will want to buy, and for that reason,How cheaply can I build a solar power systems? may not take everything. Also, stores generally switch out clothing with the season and may refuse to take clothes that are not the current season. Clothes should be clean and in good shape.

Hours vary from store to store as do the times consignments are accepted, store policies and the percentage paid to a consignor.

From Me To You accepts men’s, women’s and children’s clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry, household items and furniture on consignment. The store keeps 60 percent of the selling price, and the consignor gets 40 percent.

The store stopped taking VHS tapes and cassette tapes because they didn’t sell, Alford said. It doesn’t accept prom dress or formal wear because few of its customers are in the market for them, she said.

Charlotte Bowlin, an employee at Wear It’s At at 1679 Old Fannin Road in Flowood, said smocked dresses for little girls are among its best sellers. The store accepts women’s and children’s clothes and baby equipment such as strollers,We specializes in rapid plastic injection mould and molding of parts for prototypes and production. swings and bouncy seats and large toys such as train tables.

Most people seem to agree about one thing in regard to Super Bowl XLVII: It was a successful event that presented the city in a positive light to the rest of the world. What is a little more open to debate, though, is just what effect the game and its auxiliary events had on the local economy.

The Super Bowl Host Committee has said it expects the game will have a $434 million impact on the city. That figure, though, isn’t the net revenue that local and state governments will deposit into their treasuries, experts argue, and many local businesses said they had disappointing or slower business than expected.

Pam Doerr runs a small shop on St. Louis Street in the French Quarter that sells small jewelry items and art. She said she made two sales between Thursday and Saturday. Both of those customers were locals, she said.

“The people were nice, the crowds were here, but they just didn’t spend,” she said. “I was very disappointed.”

There is no question the crowds were here. The Quarter looked like the city was celebrating Mardi Gras Day all weekend. And tourism officials said there were no hotel rooms available in the city.