Boutique For A Week

I need how much?

kelly — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:00:07 +0000

If you were in my house on laundry day you’d hear some, if not all, of the following…"don’t put clean clothes in the dirty clothes basket”, followed by many “ugh, I hate laundry”, “how can three girls make so much laundry”, or “this little boy may go through more clothes than all three of those girls”.

A few months back, I went through the girls drawers and closets and pulled out the stuff that mom likes, but they never wear. I put all that right in the “SALE” bin in my laundry room. But in just a few short weeks I’m back to “ugh, so many clothes”.

My husband and I are on a constant endeavor to simplify our home…I like piles and he likes things; but we try to simplify as we go. Then my super organized sister calls and says, “Hey, how many t-shirts do you think I should keep for my daughter”. At first I’m thinking, “what, who thinks like that”. But then I am quickly taken to the thought, “now that is brilliant”. If I had a list like that I could go through the drawers and closets and I’d know exactly what I’d need to put on my list of things to buy at the upcoming Spring Sale.

So with a little research, we’ve found these handy lists. We thought we’d share them, we’re nice like that.

We recommend you make one bin for “Boutique For A Week” and one for “Donate/Giveaway”. Then armed with your lists you can tackle one child’s clothes at a time. Oh and go ahead and register to consign now, so you don’t have to keep those clothes until the Fall.

I like this list a lot, its from Chromama. It seems to cover all the bases.

KIDS’ BASIC CLOTHING CHECKLIST

Everyday Clothing

10 short-sleeved tees

5 long-sleeved tees

5 sweaters

4 pairs jeans

2 pairs slacks/pants

2 pairs tracksuit pants

5 pairs casual shorts

School Uniforms

3 pairs long pants (navy)

3 pairs shorts/skorts (navy)

5 polo shirts (light blue)

2 zip-up jumpers (navy)

2 plain tees/polo shirts for sports days (in their respective house colours)

1 broad-brimmed school hat (navy)

Socks & Underwear

12-14 pairs underwear

12-14 pairs socks (white only)

Special Occasions

3 party dresses

3 dressy button-down shirts

Misc

1 set summer pajamas per child

1 set winter pajamas per child

2 swimsuits/swim shorts

Seasonal

1 winter rain jacket

1 scarf

1 beanie

1 pair of wool gloves

1 casual summer hat / cap

Shoes

1 pair school shoes (‘regular’ or ‘sneaker style’), black

1 pair sneakers, white

1 pair thongs (flip-flops)/slip-on shoes

1 pair fancy ‘pretty’ shoes (Youngest only – the boys use their black school shoes)

Happy Organizing which means Happy Shopping!

We’ll see you at Boutique For A Week!

Enter to Win…

kelly — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:31:52 +0000

The Spring Consignment Sale is right around the corner, only 4 weeks left! Yay! That means its time for some contests and prizes to be given away!

You will have multiple ways to enter so be sure to follow the steps below for your entry to be valid.

We are participating in a PreSale Pass Party over at Consignment Mommies! You can follow this link to be entered to win a PreSale Shopping Pass to Boutique For A Week! Oh and by the way, if you haven’t been on Consignment Mommies site, you will want to browse around a bit, check out the blog with great tips for consignors and shoppers alike, such as 12 Ways to Make Money with Consignment, 15 Places to Find Hangers, and 7 Reasons to Ditch Garage Sales for Consignment Events.
You can enter to win additional PreSale Shopping Passes on our Facebook page. We have 2 photos in which you can choose to "tag" yourself in the appropriate picture. The first option is "I’m Consigning at Boutique For A Week" and the second is "I’m shopping at Boutique For A Week". Just pick which one fits you the best, tag yourself and you’ll be entered!
If you are planning to consign but you just haven’t gotten around to it yet, go ahead and take the plunge! When you register within our contest dates you’ll be entered to win $10 Kid Kash.

We can’t wait to see you at the sale!

Contest Rules:

Contest will run from February 24th through February 29th at 10pm. Winners will be notified on or before March 3rd. If a winner does not respond within 48 hours of notification another winner will be chosen.

Raise money with Boutique For A Week

kelly — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:01:53 +0000

Did you know that you can raise money for your church, school, club or charity just by consigning at Boutique For A Week?

Its super easy! All you have to do is to pick one person to register as a consignor on behalf of your group. Then collect accepted items as donations for your fundraiser. Prepare and tag your items.

Bring your items to drop off.

Pick up unsold items or donate them to charity.

Receive your check!!!

So wether you have a church group, a friend who needs help with medical care, a charity, dance group, etc. The possibilities are endless. Don’t miss out on this easy way to raise money for your cause!

What’s New at Boutique For A Week – March 2012

kelly — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:01:01 +0000

Boutique For A Week is excited to announce the introduction of Kid Kash!

Kid Kash is a great way to purchase the items for your family’s growing needs and not have to take ‘real cash’ out of your budget or wallet! You can earn Kid Kash by volunteering during our sale. Here’s how it works:

All Kid Kash issued to you can be used at both of our 2012 sales. So, if you don’t find what you want or need at the Spring sale (which is highly unlikely), you can use your Kid Kash at our Fall 2012 sale.
Kid Kash is issued in certificate form in increments of $10. You may use it toward any purchase at our Boutique For A Week sales THIS year. Keep in mind, the entire $10 value must be used at time of checkout.
Kid Kash is distributed AFTER completion of volunteer hours. 8 hours will earn you $10 in Kid Kash. After, 16 hours you receive $20!
You can also choose to gift your Kid Kash to someone you’d love to bless. Just have your loved one present the certificate when paying at checkout.
Kid Kash is not currently available for purchase.

We also want to highlight some specific guidelines for this sale.

Our goal at Boutique For A Week is to always have the best quality and the best prices in town. In order to keep that quality standard please note:

You need to make an appointment for Drop Off.
Any items with a specified limit will be counted at Drop Off.
Maximum of 200 clothing items.
Maximum of 15 like new items in sizes 0-6 months. (This limitation is due to the overwhelming amount of clothing in great condition. Therefore, if you bring clothes in this size range please be sure to price competitively or your items will not sell.)
Maximum of 20 pairs of quality, like new shoes.
We accept Junior sizes 0-16 and Young Men’s sizes 28W-34W. (Sizes 12 through 16 must be trendy and manufactured in the last 2 years and MUST BE NAME BRANDS, which sell best in these larger sizes.)
Maximum of 3 stuffed animals (non-battery operated).
Any bedding must be manufactured within the past 3 years and must be name brand, stored in a bedding bag. The bedding does not sell well if it isn’t current and easy to see. Bedding not placed in bags will not be placed on the sales floor.
We no longer accept VHS tapes.
Drop side cribs are NOT accepted, due to the recent recalls.
If you are consigning with us for the first time, you will need to log in and create a user name and password. You will be assigned a consignor code and a card stock color. If you are a returning consignor, you will need to log in with the user name and password that you created previously. Then you will be able to start tagging your items!
As a consignor, if you volunteer for 8 or 12 hours (two or three 4-hour shifts) you earn $10 in Kid Kash. If you volunteer for 16 hours you earn $20 in Kid Kash. Kid Kash is distributed after volunteer hours are complete. It can be used at either the Spring or Fall sale.

Update on Us! Part 2…

kelly — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:06:37 +0000

This is Part 2 of our series, Update on Us! Which is updating you and giving you a window into our lives. This post is written by Kristen and is about her family’s recent transition to Georgia.

This year brought about a new adventure for our family. My husband had accepted a job and we were moving our family to Georgia. Neither of us had ever been away from home at all. We had been apart of the same church and the same friends for 15 years. This was quite a change but one we were excited about as well.

Our adventure began at 5am on Friday, January 27^th. Our trip up with 2 moving trucks, (who knew you could have so much stuff?) 5 adults, 3 kids and a puppy, was uneventful and went very quickly considering. We arrived to a new home we were renting that we had never seen in person. We had a friend check it out and had lots of pictures but this was a move of faith for us for sure.

We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived. It was a cute house on a great piece of property and the area was beautiful. We began the walk through and the kids were already playing when we were informed that the natural gas had been turned off and would not be on for 6 days. In Georgia that means no heat, no hot water, no oven and no stove. Yikes!!! Us Florida gals were quite worried knowing that it would be 27 degrees that night.

We went ahead and started moving in and getting settled and stocked each room with lots of blankets and space heaters. The first night was actually not that bad and we all stayed relatively warm. The lack of showers was becoming an issue though so we all raided a friend’s house for warm baths and showers. It’s amazing how you take little things for granted.

In the meantime we were getting unpacked and started taking things to the basement (basements sure are fun ). For some reason the kids’ socks were wet and we quickly discovered that the carpet in the basement was soaking wet. The hot water heater had leaked and soaked the basement carpet. Now we had a wet basement, broken hot water heater, no heat, no hot water, no oven and no stove.

That first morning I made coffee to try to stay warm. I reached in the refrigerator to get my favorite flavored creamer and it wasn’t cold. Are you kidding me? The refrigerator wasn’t cold! Another call later and we were informed that the fridge would need to be replaced. Now we were in our 2^nd day in a new state, knowing only a handful of people and had no heat, no hot water, no oven, no stove, a broken hot water heater, a wet basement and a broken fridge.

I began wondering what in the world we had done and greatly wanted to be home in my “old house” where I had all of the things that were comfortable and familiar.

Thankfully, within a few days, we had a new fridge, a new hot water heater and a warm house with hot water. After that we were able to get settled in our new home and start our new life in our new place.

This adventure has just begun for us but I’m sure it will be full of new things and new experiences. God has blessed our family so much and I am excited about the new opportunities He is giving us here. There are already lots of things I’m getting used to here. The weather is amazing and the people are so kind. No one is in a hurry so things take a bit longer since you stand and chat as you are shopping or checking out. I think these things are going to be great and I’m looking forward to many more fun days here in Georgia.

~ Kristen

Update on Us! Part 1

kelly — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:02:14 +0000

This year has brought many new and exciting changes for the families of Boutique For A Week. We thought we’d humor you with our crazy lives this January. This first post is about a long awaited adoption for Kelly and her family.

January 2nd came with a new addition to my family. David and I embarked on the journey to adopt a son over a year and a half ago. We had decided to pursue a domestic adoption which also meant that most likely we would be adopting an infant. A small, 7-8 pound little baby boy.

So, trying to be a frugal mom, I’ve been stocking up on diapers, wipes and formula. And not to mention that I’ve purchased three, yes three strollers from Boutique For A Week. They each have their own purpose. A Snap n’ Go for quick trips in and out, a Car Seat and Stroller combination for the nicer trips out, maybe to the mall or to church, and another stroller I thought would be great for our family trips to the local theme parks. I even stocked up on adorable little boy clothes, that I just couldn’t resist, knowing he could come any day. I had the drawers in our soon-to-be sons room just bursting at the seams waiting for him to arrive.

This may or may not be because of my need to have everything under control. I mean, who wants to get a call to pick up your son and have to run to Target on the way to get a car seat just so you can bring him home. Not me…so I tend to over plan. I even had toys and a Baby Bjorn and formula, did I say that already? I had some 50+ containers of baby formula (none of which were expired).

Part of this tendency may also be due to the fact that I have three daughters. Yes, count them…1,2,3. My oldest daughter is 8, youngest is 5. So I’ve been out of the baby stage for a while.

Part of this may also be because, I see all the great items that get consigned and I have a hard time letting great priced items go when I know it is something that I will need.

Back up a few days to December 31, my husband gets a call asking if we want to have our profile shown. We had this little agreement that he wouldn’t tell me know until we got the “CALL”. The one every adoptive family wants to comes so badly. The one that says, a birth mom wants you to be the mother and father of her baby. The one that would tell me that my desires to have a son would be fulfilled. Well, David doesn’t tell me that our profile is being shown, but on January 1st, we were picking out a movie to watch and my husbands phone rang. It was 9 o’clock at night, who calls at that hour, right? Well, it was our case worker making the “CALL”.

And our lives have not been the same since. We welcomed our son Isaac into our home the VERY next night. And the funny thing is, all that planning and preparing I’d been doing…it didn’t help one bit. My husband and I adopted the most adorable, blonde hair, blue eyed boy. Yep, you read that right BOY! Full on BOY…all 21 months…with trucks and cars and dirt right along with him.

So while I planned for a baby, God knew what we needed…I needed to keep right on sleeping through the night so I’d have energy to tackle this little guy. I’m building trains and trying to make boy noises.

And those three little girls I told you about, they are having the time of their lives. Loving this little boy. Sometimes I wonder if he’ll be confused who his mommy really is.

But then, he walks in the room, lifts up his hands and says, “Ma Ma” and I know, he knows.

Welcome 2012

kelly — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:09:15 +0000

Boutique For A Week is honored to have won the distinction of the BEST SALE IN THE ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA AREA FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW! Thank you to all who voted for us, we are grateful to be serving you and our community.

Well, another Christmas has come and gone and 2012 is here! Now is the time to set your goals for the coming year. One of our goals is to go through our inventory and determine why an item hasn’t sold and make sure that it meets the high standards that Boutique For A Week will be implementing in the Spring 2012 sale in March. For example, we will be deleting any items that haven’t sold in the last two sales. They will be donated to a local charity. This will make room for only our VERY BEST items to make it to the Spring Sale. We will add new inventory based on a more conservative, upscale approach to ensure that our items will sell quickly …

Is it in GREAT (THE BEST) SELLING CONDITION?
Is it an item that is up to date and in working order?
Is it an item that Boutique For A Week accepts?

Higher Standards = More $$$$ … Keep in mind, the better quality, the more shoppers are willing to pay higher prices. So, go ahead and make a New Year’s Resolution … if it isn’t in the best condition and will make me the most money, I WILL DONATE to Goodwill or another local charity.

We have found that the NUMBER ONE TOP SELLING ITEM IS ….. TOYS, with SHOES running a close SECOND. Yes, clothes, books, DVD’s, nursery items, baby items and everything else our Consignors bring in GREAT condition will sell if priced competitively. Keep in mind, your items will be seen by well over 1,000 people in a week’s time. That means if there is more than one of your item, in better condition, and priced competitively, that item will sell first.

There are many ways that you can make more money by thinking through YOUR shopping habits as you tag and price your items. DON’T MAKE SENTIMENTAL DECISIONS IN PRICING. If an item is priced for sentimental reasons, chances are it will not sell. This is a business, so make business decisions! Give your great heirloom and ‘sentimental’ items to your nieces and nephews and best friends.

On behalf of Boutique For A Week, we want you to do as well as possible, and make these suggestions based on what we’ve seen sold and the prices that are competitive. We have consignors who regularly make over $500-$1200 EACH SALE. Why not be one of them? Follow the simple tips outlined above and earn more money this sale.

Boutique For A Week is excited for another year to serve our community, shoppers and most of all our consignors. If there is anything that we can do for you, please let us know how we can make your experience with us more satisfying.

Boutique For A Week – It’s Almost Here!

kelly — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:00:11 +0000

I don’t know about your house, but my house looks like Boutique For A Week is going to take place at my house. Clothes and toys that are tagged in one bin, clothes and toys yet to be tagged in another. Check-out computers on my kitchen table as we (I should say, my husband) makes sure they are all set. Bags are packed too. Since the sale is in Casselberry and I live in Winter Garden, the girls and I will be staying at a friends house for the week. There is a lot of coordination for the fastest week of my life. It’s funny how that happens, right? You plan for months for a vacation and then before you know it you’ve had a great week away and are on your way home. Sale week for my partners and me (my mom and sister) goes very much the same; we start working on a sale about 3 months prior and then before we know it sale week arrives and the days just fly by. Time flies when you’re having fun right?

As you finish up your final preparations, whether you’re consigning and finishing up your tagging, registering to shop at our Expecting Moms pre-sale, or figuring out how early you can come to shop, know that we are feverishly finishing up all the things that you can’t do until the last minute. We are excited for each of you to consign or shop! We’d love to meet each one of you.

We’ve added a few new categories this sale… like our Betsy Shoppe, which will have local creative crafting moms selling their great creations. Just between you and me, I’m thinking I’ll get as much Christmas shopping done as I can. In addition we will also have a Uniforms section, a Formal Gowns section and a “Booooooo-tique” with hundreds of Halloween costumes. And that’s just the beginning!

We will see you at the sale next week, which is already stacking up to be the biggest and greatest yet!

Three Ways to Win Boutique Bucks

kelly — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 08:00:05 +0000

This weekend marks just two weeks until the next Boutique For A Week baby and kids consignment sale. With time passing by so quickly, we are offering Boutique Bucks gift cards for your weekend achievements. You have three ways to win!

The first contest is to see how many consignors can registered in 3 days! So, for all of those who have been putting off registering for our upcoming sale, all you have to do to register on our website and enter here. You have until Monday, September 5th at midnight to register! Of those who register in this three day period, we will be giving away one $20 Boutique Bucks gift certificate.

The second contest is for those of you that are already registered, you can enter for a chance to win by entering the most items into your inventory between now and Monday, September 5th. All you have to do is enter your items into the online computer system. The person who tags the most items between now and Monday at midnight will also receive one $20 Boutique Bucks gift certificate.

And lastly, hop on over to our Facebook page and share us with your friends. We are just a few "Likes" short of 1000! When we get 1000 fans we will be giving away another $20 Boutique Bucks gift certificate! Already a Facebook fan? It’s okay, you can still enter this contest. The winner will be chosen from all our fans!I So be sure to share our page with all your friends!

It’s time to get busy! Have a fun and productive LABOR DAY weekend!

Sandie, Kristen & Kelly

Need a Boutique Bucks gift certificate? They are a great gift idea for a mommy in your life. Gift Certificates can be purchased in any amount and paid for online. Let us know where to send your gift certificates today!

We are a Top Rated Children’s Consignment Sale and we were voted BEST Children’s Consignment Sale in Orlando. Don’t miss out!

Consignor Makes $1000+

kelly — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:10:22 +0000

Boutique For A Week recently looked through our records and realized that we have several consignors who seem to have gotten ‘into a groove’ and figured out how to best use the Sale as a way to earn a lot of extra money. This is an interview we did about one of those amazing, ingenious, everyday moms! This mom made over $1,000 on our Spring, 2011 sale. Let’s hear what she has to say about how she did it.

Q: Where do you get the items you consign?

A: A lot has come from the stuff we had for my boys. My younger one is three now, so in the last couple sales I sold a lot of my “baby” stuff. I also enjoy going to garage sales and thrift shops looking for stuff my boys will need and while there pick up any good deals I see.

Q: How many items do you usually consign?

A: When I started consigning I had approximately 300 items and I have increased each sale by about 100 items. I will probably have close to 800 items on the upcoming sale.

Q: What would you say is your ‘best seller’?

A: I almost always sell 100% of my toys. This is followed closely by those essential baby items – baby monitors, crib bedding, bathtubs, bumbos, strollers, swings, high chairs, etc. as there are so many expecting moms that register to shop early. In the clothing category, boys clothes and trendy teenager clothes seem to sell really well.

Q: What is the average price of your clothing items?

A: Approximately $4.00.

Q: What percentage of your items sell?

A: I have sold as high as 60% of my items. On average though , I would say around 45-50%.

Q: What advice do you have for other consignors that might help them as they tag and price their items?

A: Keep ahead of it by taking advantage of Boutique for a Week’s online system which is now open to accept entry of items between sales. This is a wonderful feature! And also to be organized – have your supplies on hand such as card stock, hole puncher, zip ties, hangers, etc. There is nothing more frustrating than not having the stuff on hand that you need to get the job done when you are ready to do it.

Q: Have you participated in a lot of consignment sales and why do you like Boutique For A Week?

A: I have gone to many consignment sales but have only actually consigned with Boutique For A Week. I truly believe they are the best consignment sale out there. They appreciate their consignors, they are so helpful, they are good at getting the word out about their sale and they are always looking for ways to improve.

So, it seems that you really can do well by consigning with Boutique For A Week. We LOVE our consignors to come with an attitude of wanting to make a lot of money and doing all they can to make that happen.

It’s not too late for YOU to make a lot of money. If you’re already a consignor, keep looking around to see what might be a great seller and branch out a bit, as our $1,000 consignor did. Keep looking for ways to increase your bottom line. After all, every family can do well by pocketing an extra $1,000! We look forward to sharing about our next $1,000 Consignor for the Fall 2011 Sale. If you’re not registered to consign, that would be your first step … get registered, and start tagging & pricing. You have almost 3 full weeks to get it done!