Name of business: As They Grow, LLC
Address: Sale locations vary
Phone: 808-7326
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.AsTheyGrowSale.com
Hours of operation: Events are seasonal. The next sale will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 13-14 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 15 at 230 S. Decatur Blvd., Las Vegas.
Owned by: Lisa DeLuca, Lisa Renteria and Leslie Stewart
In business since: Organized in 2008, first event held April 2009
Describe your business.
As They Grow is a seasonal, semi-annual children’s consignment event. We hold four events a year: a spring/summer event and a fall/winter event in Henderson and Summerlin.
Our consignors register online and prep and tag their items at home. They print bar-coded tags using our computer system and drop off their items over a three-day period. We inspect for quality, then organize like a department store for easy shopping.
We have two pre-sale days, first for volunteers, then for consignors and registered new moms. We are open to the public Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Sunday is our 50 percent off day.
Consignors keep 65 to 70 percent of their sales. They also get to determine the price of their items. At a traditional resale store, sellers keep 25 to 40 percent of the value a store owner assigns. Our average consignor earns almost $300 per sale, and many earn more than $1,000.
Who are your customers?
Anyone who wants to save money on new or gently used baby and children items. Our customers range from first-time parents to seasoned grandparents and are from all across the socioeconomic spectrum.
What makes your business unique?
ATG has no paid employees. We are fully supported by volunteers who donate their time in order to shop early, earn a higher percentage of their sales or simply get involved in a fun, fast-paced event.
Secondly, we fill a niche. Prior to ATG, there were no professional consignment events in town. We provide a way for consignors to make significantly more return on their items than traditional models, such as resale stores or garage sales.
Finally, the three of us have different strengths. Our partnership has allowed us to capitalize on those strengths and develop new skills.
Where do you see your company going?
We have been asked by a number of people if we would consider coming to their state or if we would consider partnerships elsewhere in the country. The answer to both is yes.
We are currently in the process of putting together an expansion plan, and within the next few years, we envision a multi-state expansion via franchising.
Locally, our goals include expanding our partnerships with local charities, growing our consignor base and increasing our fundraising programs with local schools and charities.
What is your business philosophy?
Our philosophy is to serve the community.
We help families stretch their dollars by providing access to high-quality baby and children’s items at a fraction of the retail price. We help consignors by providing them a simple and safe way to sell items that their children have outgrown. And we support local charities. Our partners include Women’s Resource Medical Center of Southern Nevada, Peggy’s Attic, Baby’s Bounty, Children’s Heart Foundation, Quest Academy and others. We also support fundraising efforts year-round.
What’s the most important part of your job?
Time management. It is critical to stay on task in order to successfully manage such large events.
ATG is developed and marketed year-round, not just during the sale season. Often, the activities that happen in the offseason are the most crucial in creating a positive experience for shoppers, consignors and volunteers.
What is the hardest part about doing business in Las Vegas?
Finding locations to hold the sales. We lease vacant, big-box retail space for two weeks. Between tight competition for large spaces, high foreclosure rates and reluctance by owners and brokers to engage in short-term leases, we have a very difficult time securing venues.
If a property is available and willing to work with short-term leases, they are often leased in the fall to Halloween stores for three-month contracts.
Fortunately, we have a couple of commercial real estate agents with whom we have developed relationships, and they have worked diligently to ensure that we have a location for every event.
Other challenges include finding affordable storage, attracting and retaining volunteers and educating the public about the benefits of consignment event shopping.
What is the best part about doing business in Las Vegas?
The people. We have met some of the greatest people over the last 10 seasons and have made many new friends.
Las Vegas is so transient that it can be difficult to get to know others, especially when you are a stay-at-home mom. ATG really has become a community event where parents, grandparents and others can network and support one another and have fun.
What obstacles has your business overcome?
When we first started, we needed to get a business license from Clark County. At that time, there were no licensed consignment events in Southern Nevada. The county did not know how to classify us, nor did Metro know how to work with us. We were almost shut down before we opened.
How can Nevada improve its business climate?
Starting a small business in Southern Nevada would be easier with the help of a small-business liaison. While there are plenty of resources at the SBA and SCORE to help with business plans and financing, there are none that help navigate the difficult process of licensing. There were many times when someone didn’t know how to process us, so they simply denied us.
Additionally, the requirements are constantly changing. For each event, we need to get a few different kind of permits. The requirements are a moving target.
A small business liaison would know the rules, laws and statutes and would be able to help “nonconforming” businesses navigate the process successfully.
What have you learned from the recession?
To stay focused on what’s important. In business, it’s easy to get distracted with “what’s new” or what your competitors are doing. However, it is critical to stay focused on what made you successful in the first place.