About this time before each sale Cindi and I start to get a little manic. Have we passed out enough fliers, secured enough sponsors, scheduled the utilities for the right day? Will we have enough rack space or should or husband carpenters build some more? Will we have more consingors this time around, and more shoppers too?

Luckily all usually comes together by sale time. We are really lucky to have multi-talented family members who, in addition to their day jobs, also function as cashiers, baby-sitters, tech-support, and the aforementioned rack-builders. We have also always been lucky to have enough great volunteers at each sale. We cannot do it without extra hands and the event benefits from a group effort. Having consignors who have a vested interest in making the event a great success makes the whole sale better. We all benefit from more shoppers, better customer service and a pleasant atmosphere.

The last few days are also filled with reminding folks how the system works. Everyone has to choose a check-in time. We cannot just handle people walking in during check-in. It is a period of controlled chaos and we need to know how many people are coming at once. Everyone has to get their tags entered before check-in begins. The sale has to be closed before we start taking in items. We need everyone to follow the same tagging guidelines. Hang all clothes, supply your own hangers, put small toys and puzzles in ziplocs, put shoes in bags. I think Cindi and I recite these things in our sleep.

About this time before each sale we also get pretty excited. This event that started with 55 consignors in 800 square feet is now taking place in 25,000 square feet with what could be over 250 consignors. We help people find great deals, we donate items to worthy charities, and we make ourselves and many others a bit of spending money! 5 days til the fun begins!