Parents eager to save money – and make money – on children’s clothes, toys, furniture and other items are in luck. The popular semi-annual kids’ consignment sale is back this weekend at the Habersham County Fairgrounds. Doors open to the public Friday at 9 a.m.
The sale, owned and operated by Sonya Hurt of Mount Airy, is like a playground for discount shoppers and a potential gold mine for consignors. Hurt says 350 consignors dropped off items for this weekend’s event. She says during each sale, on average, at least 20,000 items are sold. “Our motto is recycle, reuse and resell,” says Hurt, “and that’s what we do.”
The Children’s Sale began in the late 1990s back when the economy was good. Since the recession it’s offered families a way to buy things their kids need and want without breaking the bank. Hurt bought the business seven years ago but has been involved with it much longer. “It started 15 years ago in a small 12×12 room with five moms and it’s just grown from there.”
Today, sale merchandise fills the Dewey H. Tench Pavilion at the Habersham County Fairgrounds in Clarkesville. All items are screened to insure they meet certain standards.
Stained, broken or otherwise damaged merchandise is not allowed. Hurt says quality control is a key factor in the Children’s Sale’s success. So are volunteers. Consignors who volunteer to help during the two-day event receive tickets to a special preview sale. But it isn’t just consignors who volunteer their time. For the Hurts of Habersham it’s a family affair. “My husband and I start working on it (setting up the sale) on Sunday and we’re out the next Sunday. Seven days, I’m in and out,” Hurt says. After that, she and her mother-in-law, Susan, spend at least a week scanning tags from sold merchandise and mailing checks to consignors. Then at least two months prior to each Fall and Spring sale they spend time securing the site, registering consignors and publicizing the event.
Susan Hurt says preparing for the Children’s Sale is like “setting up a department store and selling it out in two days.” It’s a lot of work but she says it’s worth it. “It is awesome. It’s awesome for the consignors, it’s awesome for the people who just come in to buy. It’s just good for the community.” Besides, it’s not all work and no play. “It’s actually a social thing,” Susan Hurt says. “All these ladies come together every six months and it’s fun.”
You can join in the fun this weekend. The Children’s Sale is open Friday, October 3, from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and on Saturday, October 4, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Prices on many of the items will be reduced to half off on Saturday between 12:30-2 p.m.
For directions to the Children’s Sale and for more information about it click here.
