Sweet Buy & Buy Consignment  Sale Aids Boys & Girls Club

1st printed by the Owensboro Messenger Inquirer

Keith Lawrence, 691-7301, klawrence@messenger-inquirer.com

Jennifer Higdon and Stephanie Higdon knew when they saw the parking lot Saturday morning that their first The Tot, the Teen and the Wardrobe Consignment Sale was going to be a big hit.

"There were hundreds of people out there waiting for the doors to open," Jennifer Higdon said of the indoor yard sale she and her sister-in-law were running in the 14,000-square-foot gym at the Mike Horn Unit of the Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club, 3415 Buckland Square. 

By 6 p.m. Saturday, 700 adults had paid $1 each to enter the giant yard sale where 105 people and six stores were selling thousands of items of clothing, toys, books and furniture.  "That doesn't count the children and the consignors," Jennifer Higdon said.  "They got in free."

Stephanie Higdon said the sale was such a success that they're already talking about having four next year - starting in March or April. "It went great," Jackie Horn, one of the consignors, said during a lull around 1 p.m. "I've sold 75 percent of my stuff already."

She could have had a yard sale at home, she said. "But it's air-conditioned in here," Horn said. "And it's more fun. You meet so many nice people. They were lined up all the way to the back wall in four checkout lines this morning. It was great."  

Holly Conkright, one of the owners of Mommy and Me, a maternity wear and infant boutique, was one of six retailers who brought new merchandise to sell at the event.   But she also was busy buying during the lulls. "I'm supposed to be at my little stand," Conkright said. "But I'm over here shopping. I couldn't help myself."

This outfit, modeled by Reece Higdon, son of co-owner of Stephanie Higdon, will be in the Spring Sale Photo courtesy of www.hopewellphotography.com

Steve Winkler, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club, said the sale helped get exposure for the Mike Horn Unit, which opened last fall. Several parents and grandparents stopped him during the sale to ask about the facility's programs for children, he said.  "That's what we were hoping for," Winkler said.

Sheila Webster, a local jewelry artist, brought her Sheila's Sculptured Jewelry to the consignment sale.  "I was mostly trying to get some exposure for my hand-made sterling silver and 14-carat gold jewelry," she said. "This morning, most of the people were looking for clothes. But some of the older people stopped by. I've sold quite a few pieces in the past hour."

"We've sold at least half of the stuff we had," Jennifer Higdon said at 1p.m. "This guarantees we'll be around for another 10 years." She said she had talked to shoppers from as far away as Paducah. "I didn't get a chance to sit down until 11:30 a.m.," Stephanie Higdon said.

The sisters-in-law refer to themselves as "professional bargain shoppers." They have so much fun shopping, they said, that they decided to create their own bargain shopping business.   Jennifer Higdon, who teaches at Apollo High School, has three children ages 4 and under. Stephanie Higdon, who works at Texas Gas, has a 4-year-old.   When they're not working, they say, they're shopping for bargains.

The consignment sale, the Higdons say, is designed to help others find bargains. The sale continues from 1 to 3 p.m. today. And many of the remaining items will be marked down 50 percent, Jennifer Higdon said.