All profits benefit the homeless animals at the NHS shelter on Airport Road. ![]() “More space means we can display even more of the wonderful merchandise that we get in every day,” adds co-manager Mindy Williams.Ĭommunity support for the store has exceeded all expectations since it opened in a space on South 8th Street less than two years ago. “We now have a 'boutique' area that includes an expanded men’s section as well as a larger selection of accessories and jewelry,” co- manager Trish Sorum says happily. The bigger store now has a wider selection of clothing and furniture, among many other new and gently used items. Nassau Humane Society’s Second Chance resale store is growing – again.Įarlier this month, Second Chance expanded its space in the 8 Flags Shopping Center on South 14th Street. “Everything I ever did in retail brought me to this point and formed Second Chance,” she says.Volunteers Terry Fisher and Suzanne Ivester at the store’s new check-out counter. After graduating with a fashion design degree from the Barbizon School of Fashion Merchandising, the Columbus native immediately went to work managing local stores, and spent nine years as a sales associate at Lazarus. ![]() Weldon believes she was training her entire life for where she is today. “A combination of old school and new school.” “Our goals moving forward are to grow our online store, our online business, and grow the store through social media,” Weldon says. Mary and her staff used the time to repaint and reorganize the designer consignment store and set up their first online shop. Second Chance was forced to close for two months in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. ![]() Now you see the daughter, mother and grandmother coming in together.” “And we knew we needed a reason to keep mom and teen coming back. “Everything just slowly grew over the years,” she says. Weldon says Second Chance Consignment prides itself on offering “a little something for everyone, much of which is unique.” Immediately, I went to Second Chance to upgrade my wardrobe with suits, blouses and jackets.” “When I’m tired of something, I could consign it and build up my ‘mad money.’ Some years ago, I got a promotion and had to begin dressing more professionally. “Now I could afford some of the designer labels that I aspired to - Eileen Fisher, Vince, Alexis Bittar jewelry and European shoes, all in impeccable condition,” Julia says. Second Chance has earned recognition from Columbus Monthly and for being among the best consignment shops in town (see related story).Ĭustomer Julia Watson discovered Second Chance Consignment shortly after Mary purchased the store in 1999 and she says it changed her life, too. Weldon describes her consignment shop as upscale resale. Designer brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and more fill the store. Her store includes a designer room with velvet curtains and double fitting rooms, a teen room with a TV and crystal balls hanging from the ceiling, and an impressive array of gently used women’s clothing, jewelry, designer handbags, shoes and other accessories. Fifth Ave., her current women’s clothing shop is 8,000 square feet in a long building that occupies a city block. “We both had this feeling that it was the right thing to do.”įlash forward to today and Mary stands at a checkout desk in her Second Chance Consignment Boutique with a smile on her face and breaking out in goose bumps remembering how it all started. “I called my mom that night and she said she would loan me the money,” Mary says. Weldon first had to come up with the money to buy the 1,000-square-foot shop, and she would also be walking away from a guaranteed salary and 401K. “I remember opening the front door, seeing the checkered black floor and having this overwhelming feeling that ‘this is it.’ I knew instantly that this was what I wanted to do the rest of my life.” “I called the owner that night and the next day we met on my lunch break at her shop,” Weldon says. Her mom had seen a newspaper advertisement about a small consignment shop for sale on Fifth Avenue in Grandview Heights and suggested Mary check it out. Mary Weldon was working in downtown Columbus 21 years ago when she received a phone call from her mother.
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