CHARLOTTE, N.C. — They say necessity is the mother of invention, and one Charlotte-area mom's creative way to earn money after losing her corporate job has turned into one of the most significant consignment sales in the Southeast.
The Green Jeans Consignment Sale is run by moms for moms, and this year it's bigger than ever as women in the Charlotte region look for ways to save money while picking up essential items. The sale started in a storefront and now it's gotten so big, it's in a giant mill in Mooresville.
“I actually ended up having to shop kids consignment because I couldn’t shop at Gymboree full price and I found I loved the consignment option," Cindy Williams said.
That’s when Williams started the Green Jeans Consignment sale.
“The first time I went, they were in a little store in Cornelius," Jennifer Mautz, a longtime shopper at the sale, said.
The sale has since grown exponentially with women everywhere raiding their own closets. Then they sell what they don’t want and get a 60% cut of the sales, with Green Jeans getting the rest.
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Shoppers in turn get some great deals.
"Oh yeah, who doesn’t love a deal!" Sarah Camino said. "This is a big one."
Williams said Green Jeans started out with 65 sellers in 2010. They're now up to 350 and they've had to put a cap on that.
"That first time we had 1,500 items and now we have 30,000," Williams said.
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With inflation on the rise and a potential recession looming, this year’s sale looks to be the biggest yet.
“We anticipate a lot of interest and a lot of traffic for sure,” Williams said pointing to the number of calls she’s been getting and the advance registration numbers.
The sale runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 2. You can find all the information you need at Greenjeanssale.com.
Contact Michelle at mboudin@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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