Want to know what makes One Week Boutique, the children’s mega-consignment sale, so unique? It’s the people (and the good deals.) We spoke to two longtime One Week Boutique shoppers/volunteers/consignors to get their take on the upcoming event that opens to the public on Friday, April 9. (Don’t forget to download your coupon for free entry that day).
Jessica Tatar shopped and consigned at the first One Week Boutique held at a church in 2004. A resident of Thomasboro, she works out of the house full-time and is a full-time mom to her two kids, 7-year-old Jackson and almost 2-year-old Leigha. She “lives and breathes” the OWB.
Bethany Davis also dates her first experience with OWB back to the initial sales held in a Champaign church. She doesn’t buy ANYTHING (her caps) unless she checks the sale first. She is also one of owner Donna Pepper’s behind-the-scenes assistants and she works the registers. The mom of three boys — 9-year-old 9, 4-year-old Mark and 2-year-old Jeff, she lives in Savoy.
Chambanamoms.com: What was your best buy at OWB?
JT: My best buy ever was when I was pregnant with my second child in 2008. At the Spring sale that year, I was able to purchase an almost new rocking bassinet that had that music box and vibrating mechanism along with the night-light built in. This item was gorgeous and I had my eye on it in the stores but didn’t want to spend over $200.00 on one. I was able to get this bassinet for $20.00 and the seller included a sheet and a stuffed bear! My daughter slept in the bassinet until she was four months old, so it was definitely worth the $20.00!
BD: That’s so hard to narrow down! Most recently, I bought a very nice stroller for $10, one that would have easily cost me $70 in the store or online.
Chambanamoms.com: What do you like best about the One Week Boutique – shopping, consigning, volunteering?
JT: The money that I make is nice and is always a large amount (usually around $400.00). Volunteering is fun because of the excitement you feel from the shoppers and also seeing how fast the items move. It always amazes me that the night of the pre-sales, the building is packed to capacity with kids stuff and by the finishing day, the building is pretty well cleaned out. Shows how great of a need Chambana has for recycling kid’s items.
BD: At first, for me the sale was all about the thrill of the hunt, the best deal, the best find, the bargains. Now that my boys are older and I don’t need baby gear, two-dozen footie sleepers or a mountain of burp cloths, I’m still with the sale because I love working there. I still love to shop of course, but now it’s more about the work and the fun. It’s a nice change in routine twice a year too – right when things get sedentary and calm after Christmas or the start of the new school year, Donna announces the next sale location and off we go again.
Chambanamoms.com: Why do you think this sale has been so successful for so long?
JT: 1. The integrity Donna has behind the sale. The sale is kept to the highest expectations of Donna and I feel that Donna would not allow something in the sale that she herself would not purchase. The quality of the items are great – no garage sale buys here. 2. The community. Donna has kept a personal feel to the sale – you always see her there and she’s always working. If she has a consignor who is down on their luck, and Donna knows about it, she will do her best to help that consignor.
BD: I think OWB continues to be successful because no matter how large it gets it still feels like a small, personal experience. Consigning and working at the sale really personalize it, we’ve all forged friendships and relationships with each other and it’s really a “family affair”. It’s not one of those nameless, faceless Bargain Bonanzas that roll through town, it’s a *part* of Champaign-Urbana now.
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Did you hear the news? Amy and Laura from chambanamoms.com will be at OWB – hope to see you then! Please stop by and say hello.
What: One Week Boutique
Where: 606 W. Anthony Drive in Champaign (former Best Buy building)
When: Opens to the public on Friday, April 9 at 9 a.m. Hours: Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday (half-price sale) 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
How Much: $2 admission on Friday, April 9; free on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. (Free coupon for Friday’s admission is available here).
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