Cleaning out closets to make some extra cash

Clearing out her closets each spring, local mom Johnna Thompson used to separate the stuff she no longer wanted into two piles. One, she'd give to friends and family. The other, she'd try to sell off.

"It was, 'so-and-so could really use this. I'll give it to her,' " Thompson recalled. "But now, I'm going to try to sell everything."

Thompson, who has a 3-year-old daughter, Ember, is one of about 330 people who plan to sell things like used maternity clothes, baby strollers and toddler shoes at a massive consignment sale this weekend in Renton. Seller participation is up nearly 50 percent from a similar event last fall.

Apparently, today's cash-strapped consumers don't just want to spend less money while out shopping — they also want to make a little money.

Organizer Kay Koitzsch said the recession seems to have motivated parents to sell their children's items as soon as they outgrow them. In prosperous economic times, she said, they might have given them away or let them pile up in closets.

"Everybody is watching their money closely," she said. "A lot of people will hold onto things in case they have another child, but they're not doing that anymore. They're putting that money back into their budget by selling it."

Thompson said she could use some extra cash now that her husband, a construction worker, is out of a job. She hopes to not only make $100 this weekend, but also to buy all of Ember's summer clothes for less than $70.

"I couldn't go to Target or Macy's even if I wanted to. I don't have the money," Thompson said.

Koitzsch, who lives in Normandy Park and has a full-time government job, dipped into her personal savings three years ago to own and operate consignment sales twice a year called Just Between Friends.

Oklahoma-based Just Between Friends supports 84 franchises in 20 states, providing training, marketing materials, and barcoding and checkout tools, in exchange for a $10,500 franchising fee, plus royalties of 2 to 3 percent.

Koitzsch said she has since spent an additional $20,000 to get the local sales up and running, and expects to finally break even this year. Consignors set their own prices and keep up to 70 cents of every dollar that changes hands; the rest goes to Koitzsch, who does not charge for admission.

She said her sale last fall drew about 1,500 shoppers and generated nearly $35,000 for 223 consignors. It was held at the Renton Community Center, which no longer is big enough. This weekend's sale, at a former QFC store in Renton, takes up twice as much space.

Eastside mom Nina Hawley recently joined Koitzsch as a local franchise owner and will hold her first sale May 9-10 in Issaquah.

Hawley said she had hoped to attract 100 consignors but has already exceeded that goal.

"A lot of the consignors I've spoken with are thinking about cutting back on family vacations or even Christmas," she said. "They're trying to plan for those expenses and make some money so that they can still enjoy the lifestyle they're used to."

— Amy Martinez

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Offsetting the carbon footprint of a 60-watt fixture, for instance, will cost Destination anywhere from 35 cents to $1.06, according to a chart provided by e-commerce manager Doug Drake. — AM

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Dry Soda launches its seventh flavor this month: Cucumber. The Seattle-based soda company will debut the flavor at Starbucks' Northwest stores on May 5, then roll it out to Metropolitan Market, Amazon Fresh, QFC, and restaurants like Crush. — MA

Retail Report appears Fridays. Melissa Allison covers the food and beverage industry. She can be reached at 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com. Amy Martinez covers goods, services and online retail. She can be reached at 206-464-2923 or amartinez@seattletimes.com