Teresa Bozzano and Jacqui Holden have been in the consignment sale business in the Triangle for 15 years. The two moms started Just 4 Kids in 2004 when their own children were small.
Today, they have kids in college—and a much bigger business. A year ago, they purchased three other popular local sales and now have a busy spring ahead of them.
I checked in with them to learn more about their growing business. Here's a Q&A:
Go Ask Mom: In the last couple of years, you guys have really expanded your business. Which sales do you own now?
Jacqui and Teresa: Last year, we purchased Twice as Nice, Designer Consignors, and Upscale Resale. We founded Just 4 Kids in 2004 and began holding sales in southwest Wake County and Cary. In 2018, we organized and hosted 7 events.
GAM: Why did you feel like the time was right for expansion?
J&T: It was the right time for us for two reasons. Personally, we each have two kids in college. That freed up some time for us to focus on growing our business. Professionally, the industry is changing. Smaller sales were floundering, many calling it quits. We didn't want the big guys to take over completely. We wanted to help the smaller sales survive by coordinating our efforts and experience.
GAM: What do you love about the consignment sale business?
J&T: Being mothers ourselves, we understand that there is value to reusing something. It teaches our children and the community to value what you have and pass it along for someone else in a responsible way. We always look for worthy charities to work with. So, many of our consignors, first try to sell their gently used kid items, and then donate to the charity that we have chosen. Win Win. More recently, we have been rejuvenated by working with Designer Consignors, which offers women's clothing and accessories. There is nothing else like it. Women are so excited at sale time! It fills us up.
GAM: You've been at this for a long time. How is this job easier than it was when you started? How is it more challenging?
J&T: Inventory software, PayPal, and online banking have made the job so much easier. We used to sit down with all the tags, sort them, add them up, and hand write checks. Now, with the inventory system in place, consignors are paid right away, the sales are tracked by the consignors during the sale week, and our bookkeeping is streamlined.
Just as technology has made it easier, it also presents us with many challenges. We find it hard to reach new consignors and shoppers sometimes. Figuring out all the social media and advertising is a constant battle. Just when we have something figured out, it changes again. We have to constantly participate in classes and seminars to keep our skills up to date.
GAM: What's your hope for the future of your business?
J&T: Eventually, we would love to bring consigning to underserved communities. We have consignors now who travel from other states to participate in our events. We would be honored to travel into those communities and bring high quality, low priced items to them.
Go Ask Mom features local moms every Monday.
