Notes from Bonnie's Desk

January brought many opportunities for giving to some truly worthwhile causes and I am humbled by the awesome response to our Soles4Souls shoe drive which ended this week. I am thrilled to say that Finders Keepers collected 3670 pairs of shoes and 69 singles for this shoe drive and I would like to thank to each and every customer, consignor, neighbor, friend and church member who took the time to clean out their closets and bring those no longer needed shoes to one of the shops, Avondale City Hall, Avondale First Baptist, or my front porch!

Together with NAPO-GA, we sent 10,157 pairs of shoes and 359 singles to the Soles4Souls distribution center in Alabama over the last 3 months. We proved that the greater Atlanta Area is a very giving community.

Many of those shoes will go to developing countries including Haiti and some will be distributed in the United States. These shoes are often the first pair of shoes that a person will own. That should make us all happy and humbled at the same time, I know it does me. But there is another avenue for some of these shoes which to me is more exciting as an entrepreneur and I want to share a little of what I have learned about this.  Some of the shoes get packaged and sold to individuals in developing countries for a “micro enterprise” business venture. This micro-entrepreneur cleans and sells the shoes at village markets and then with those profits, he or she buys more shoes and thus grows the business. This business is a way to escape poverty and take care of his or her family by making a living instead of living on handouts. Now THIS appeals to me!

I saw some awesome shoes as I rubber banded and tied shoes together, wondering who would be wearing the brand new Timberland boots that someone donated or what woman just have to have the cute red sandals with the button closure or what child’s feet would be protected in the stride rite sneakers. Your generosity has warmed my heart and warmed many feet far from here. To find out more go to www.soles4souls.org

Always Be Giving,

Bonnie Kallenberg

Owner, Finders Keepers, Inc

Change someone's world with 50 cents

Shop with any Finders Keepers Store this Earth Day weekend (April 22nd + 23rd only) and help your world and refugees from all over the globe that now call Atlanta home. Residents of our refugee community often can't afford tampons or sanitary pads, and simply go without. Just bring in a package of tampons or sanitary pads for residents of Atlanta's refugee community and we'll take 10% off of your total purchase at any of our stores on April 22nd and 23rd.

What if 50 cents could change the future? For girls in developing countries who miss a week of school each month during menstruation, 50 cents buys a month of sanitary supplies and an uninterrupted education. 50 Cents Period, a joint project of Just Cause, Inc., and the LaVya Initiative, represents a worldwide network of women dedicated to creating more options for girls by providing supplies, facilities and education related to menstruation. The solution is simple; the impact lasts a lifetime. (from http://www.50centsperiod.com/)

Bag Sale #1

The Finders Keepers Bag Sale is easily one of the biggest semi-annual events of the year for our stores. And this season, we had saved so much merchandise for the bag sale - that we decided to have two! Our first bag sale was a huge success, and raised $1890 for Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta. Our customers rock!!

You've got stuff. You want to help charities. Now what?

Charities and fund raising efforts depend on people like you and are eternally grateful for your contribution. And you can give even more support by taking the time to sort through your items before you send them somewhere for donation/consignment. Collection sites spend a lot of time, effort, and resources disposing of items that aren’t usable. Look at each piece. Is it still truly useful? Is it current enough for someone to wear/use today? Is it (really) in good shape? Throwing out belongings might feel wasteful, but it actually saves the charity/organization time and money for you to screen your own items with a careful eye before you donate them.

Consignment stores have become a great way for charities to earn money from the resale of better merchandise. Keep this in mind: consignment stores are for profit companies, so the prices tend to be higher than thrift stores (because they don’t receive government funding of any kind to offset expenses) so customers expect good quality and only minimal (if any) signs of wear. Shopping consignment has become trendy, and these trendsetting shoppers expect stores to keep up. Look at each piece and honestly answer: would I buy this again today? If the answer is yes, then it’s likely someone else would buy it again too. If the answer is no, then decide whether a donation center could truly use it or if it should simply get tossed out. Don’t feel guilty! You’re actually doing charities a favor.

Finders Keepers Consignment Stores have set up accounts to raise money for multiple charities. These accounts earn more than regular consignor accounts, and receive 50% of the purchase price of every item. In 2010, Finders Keepers raised more than $10,000 for Haitian Relief Efforts alone. If you have things you’d like to sell in the name of a charity, bring your items in neatly (note: clothing wadded in a trash bag wrinkles within seconds and people won’t buy wrinkly stuff) and fill out our “pink slip” with the name of the organization that you’d like to donate the proceeds from your items to, or let a store representative know what charity you’d like to support and he or she will help you from there. That’s it! We will then screen the items for sell-ability. Anything deemed unsellable will be donated to the charities that we support, but we do not give tax write-offs and do not receive funding as a collection center, so a pre-screen by you in your own home will help all the way around.

Our three stores each have accounts set up for many different charities, and each have different consignment needs. Finders Keepers Fashions sells men’s, women’s, plus-sized, and maternity clothing as well as accessories: shoes, handbags, scarves, jewelry, etc. This store has a customer-demand for current and good-quality work-wear, suits, and wardrobe staples as well as fun and trendy pieces. Check your clothing for moth holes, tears, discoloration (particularly around the neck or under the arms,) spots, and stains. Shoes must be in new or nearly-new condition with no visible wear inside, and very minimal wear (if any) outside. The same rules apply at Finders Keepers Boutique, but this store has a high demand for funky and trendy merchandise, and doesn’t do so well with the basics or conservative wear like suits or sets. This location starts with labels like J. Crew and Banana Republic, and continues through couture fashion designers like Chanel and Prada. This store only carries clothing sizes 0-14, and also only sells clothing for women. Neither store accepts knock-offs or counterfeits of any kind, so please don’t bring them. Finders Keepers Furnishings sells furniture and home décor, and does best with contemporary pieces from retailers like Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel. They’re looking for newer import styles, neutral colors, and clean lines. Knick-knacks, do-dads, porcelain figurines, etc. do not sell in this store. A good rule of thumb: if it didn’t sell at the yard sale, it won’t sell here.

Learn more about our consignment policies and the charities we support on our website: http://www.fkconsign.com/