Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Bag Sale - September 2010

We spend a couple of hours setting up bag sale: roping off the parking lot at our Fashions location, blocking off the driveway to thru-traffic, rolling out racks (and racks) of clothing, lining up shoes, hauling out armfuls of handbags, and mentally preparing ourselves for the best kind of madness and mahem there is: the first five minutes of Bag Sale. And last Saturday was no exception. The line started before dawn, and by the time 9am arrived over one hundred people stretched across the store front and down Lake Street.

And then Bonnie, owner of Finders Keepers and our Fearless Leader, introduced Haji, a refugee from Sierra Leone, who works at our Furnishings location. Haji and other refugees are the reason - the real reason - that we hold this semi-annual event. Shoppers can stuff bags full of clearance merchandise for only $10 a bag and 100% of the proceeds from our Bag Sales go directly to Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta (RRISA.) Last Saturday's Bag Sale raised $1638 for this very worthy, very necessary cause. I couldn't help but wonder what he thought about the event. But just the idea of it made me burst into big, pregnant-lady tears and I didn't want to be a blubbery, teary mess when I asked him because I have never seen him cry. In fact he smiles. A lot.

I've posted pictures below. Be sure to check out our youtube page for video clips of interviews and the total madness of Bag Sale! And take a peek at our blog for Finders Keepers Furnishings to see pictures from RRISA's Artists Market.


Now that's my idea of a buffet!

Tessa and Leanne from RRISA helped set up the Bag Sale!

So many shoes!

Mother Nature generously donated a beautiful morning for the event.

The line kept going and going!

Jessi was ready to collect money!
She is having a wedding ceremony this Saturday - congrats Mr. & Mrs. Ross!

Bag Sale 90 seconds after opening!


Bag Sale at 3 minutes in...

Way to get in a morning work out!

Jackie was a formidable and fashionable line guard :)

Time elapsed: 5 minutes...

Hi Haji! I wonder what you think about all this...

Thursday, September 23, 2010

It's been a good day!

It has been QUITE a day! For starters, I finally finalized the new website (the test address for the new site is: http://www.finderskeepersconsignment.vpweb.com/ if you want to check it out before it goes live.) And fantastic news just keeps coming in!

The Atlanta Journal Constitution's Blogger Rena Cash picked up the email we sent out about our bagsale and posted this on her blog:
Finders Keepers semi-annual bagsale


As the weather cools, it’s a great time to think about summer clothes. Seriously. Finders Keepers is holding its semi-annual bagsale on Saturday from 9 a.m.-11 am. in front of the store. During this time period, stuff as many summer clothes and accessories from Finders Keepers Fashions and Finders Keepers Boutique into the bags they provide and pay only $10. Only cash will be accepted and all proceeds will be donated to Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services in Atlanta. Additionally, everything in the store will be 20 percent off.

And then we opened the much anticipated Best-of-Atlanta 2010 Issue of Creative Loafing and saw that... YES! Finders Keepers Consignment Stores won best consignment stores in Atlanta! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who voted. We are so grateful for your support. We love what we do, and winning these titles make us feel like you love what we do too!


Friday, September 17, 2010

In Transition

The store - and the state - are both in that splendidly awkward time of transition between seasons. (It came back to bite me yesterday when I opened all the windows the night before and turned off the AC then tried to grin and bear it as the temperature climbed almost 30 degrees - and into the 90s - the next day.) The store is packed to the gills: the summer merchandise is in its final stage of clearance - 1/2 off the lowest price! - and the fall and winter inventory has come in like a tide: engulfing every rack and shelf. And fall/winter pieces take up almost twice the room as the summer apparel as we trade in tank tops for thick wool coats. In brief: space is always a precious commodity during this season. But the good news: the inventory is amazing!











Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The Heart of an Artist

We women wear many faces: the face we keep on for an eight hour day at work, the face that smiles when our kids or significant others come home and ask us what's for dinner, the face we pose in a social setting when we don't really know anyone there... it's safe to say that we keep ourselves in check... a lot. But what we wear can set us free and speak for us when saying exactly what we think might not be the most productive course of action. Our style lets us spend a little time each day with that artist that lives in each of us, oft neglected but always ready to rise to the occasion.

Total Regular Retail Price: $1735
Total Price at Finders Keepers Boutique: $739

Boutique Girl: Julia (styled and photographed by Carrie)




On Julia:
Dress: Atos Lombardini $229
Cardigan: Tracy Porter $39
Boots: Stuart Weitzman: $219
Beaded Belt: Donna Karen (NWT - retail $500) $219
Sequined Hat: $33