“Check us out.”
“Give us a chance.”
“See how much you can save.”
That’s the message from Tiffanie Diest, who with her husband, Randy, of Shippensburg, own a small pop-up kids’ consignment organization with four sales each year.
The couple and their five children are gearing up for the upcoming Onward Kids fall sales. The first, the south sale, will be held Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 12 to 14, at Kauffman Community Center, 7289 Ruritan Drive, Chambersburg (between Marion and Greencastle). Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and nFriday, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The north sale is set for Oct. 10 to 12 at Chambersburg AMVETS, 750 Fifth Ave.
In addition to clothing for infants to teens, as well as maternity, the sale also features sports equipment, toys, games and books, outdoor toys and bikes, room decor and bedding and furniture. The “biggest regulation” for consignors, according to Diest, “is that the clothing must be gently used. We check everything for holes and stains. We only buy quality items. And all toys must have batteries and work.”
Onward Kids is the 2024 winner of Verstanding Media’s best store for children’s clothing. “By sale day, we’ll have 30,000 items, including many that are brand new with the original price tag. In some sizes there will be 1,000 items. You can find a lot,” Diest said.
Rewards abound for both consignors and customers, she added. “Afterwards sellers will say ‘I can’t believe how much I sold.’ They are surprised by how much money they made.” (Checks to consignors, who earn 65 percent of their selling price, are mailed within seven days).
The reaction from first-time customers is always the same, according to Diest. “The number one thing we hear at checkout is ‘I don’t want to know how much I spent,’ and then, ‘I can’t believe it’s so low.’ And they always thank us for having quality items.”
Diest was introduced to Onward Kids in 2008, “when a wonderful woman I worked with told me about a little consignment her daughter started. The first year I helped; the second year I started consigning… Within the first five years I started dreaming of my own consignment.
“Throughout the years I continued at each sale, shopping and consigning. In January 2020, with the amazing support of my family and friends, my husband and I purchased our first sale. Through a tough few months and Covid shutdown, we started our journey and were soon given the opportunity for our second sale. And today, onward we go … dreams really do come true,” she said.
Instructions for consignors and other information can be found on the business website, http://www.onwardkids.com
“They enter their items on the website, print off tags and drop off items at the sale location by appointment Sunday through Tuesday the week of the sale.” (Unsold items may be picked up from 5 to 6 p.m. the last day of the sale). Items not picked up are donated to Better Days Animal Shelter, Chambersburg, and sold in its thrift shop, Diest noted. There is a registration fee of $10. And there is an option for a limited number of consignors to request a person to help register their items.
Preparing for the sale as well as work during the event involves the whole family. “My husband puts everything up and tears everything down. We build all the racks.” Their friends, as well as the Diest children, ranging in age from 7 to 15, also help with varied tasks.
Diest said her consignors are loyal. “Once they consign, they don’t leave.” Onward Kids offers an option to yard sales, she added, which can be time consuming and are subject to inclement weather. Still, Diest said, her biggest challenge is getting new consignors. “We just want to get the word out,” she added, to fulfill her mission of “helping other families.”
