Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Brown.
Hi Susan, it’s an honor to have you on the pl tform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
While growing up, my Mom was a devoted nurse by profession, but also a savvy shopper with a entrepreneurial spirit. We moved after middle school when she decided to start a clothing consignment business where I helped her after school, weekends and summers. The lessons I learned working with her those 4 years was far more than college and grad school. She taught me the importance of building relationships, understanding your market needs, price points and strong work ethic. Outside of work, we enjoyed shopping consignment every chance possible and accompanied my Dad on business meetings to cities throughout the US. As soon as we checked in a hotel we were scanning the phone book yellow pages to determine our shopping destinations and review our experiences and great finds! Our fondest stores were in Florida, which became the inspiration for my store. In college, I convinced my Mom we should open a furniture and home accessories store one day but I lost her to cancer before finding the right time. My loss was devastating. I couldn’t even visit a consignment store for over five years but after some healing it was time to build my own with Mom in spirit. I am grateful for her knowledge, love and inspiration to continue the tradition. I left a career in hospital administration and became fulfilled in serving others in a different capacity. Fourteen years to the date of my loss, we had the grand reopening in our new location in Westlake. My son was five when I opened and I have great memories of him helping at the store and the storage units near by where we would play nerf guns in the storage aisles at night when there was still work to be done. Taking him to industry meetings in great places and having customers genuinely interested in him while away at college. I have now been in the consignment business longer than my career in healthcare and it feels good. It has brought me great healing to have her beside me along this journey knowing she has given me answers when I listen intently but more importantly, the peace in knowing she is with me everyday.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I started Consign Home Couture in 2008 during a very uncertain economy but realized the first year that my business does well during challenging times. The space was small but it felt right knowing we could expand if/when our neighbors relocated. Thankfully both neighbors left within a year so we could grow. We were at full capacity by 2010 and when our lease was up there were no space options to triple our space in Bay Village. After expanding twice in the first location and after 7 years, I had to make a difficult decision to leave Bay Village for a much larger space. I was fortunate to meet my husband to be as a customer in Bay Village. His encouragement and experience as a small business owner too was truly a gift at the right time. After relocating to Westlake, the store grew beyond anything I had imagined and our market grew significantly from the outer suburbs that allowed us to become a destination place. I am grateful to have met Melvin Jackson, owner of the Cleveland-based Jackson Express Movers, just months after opening in Bay Village. He has been instrumental in serving our buyers and consignors and providing exceptional service and willingness to serve us in much broader region. I am convinced people come into your life for a reason. Just weeks before the COVID mandated closure, I recruited two full time candidates that would help take our business to the next level and we converted our rear warehouse space into our second showroom. During our 2 month Covid closure, it was evident we had to update how we do our business if we were to survive. Work began immediately to set up an online store and thankfully our customers began to support us immediately. Upon reopening from the COVID closure, our only retail store in the shopping center announced SteinMart was closing after 100 years in business. Fortunately we had become a destination place so their closure didn’t hurt as much as we feared. When the economy worsened the past 24 months and the real estate market had shrunk we had to seek out quality furniture to buy to continue to meet the needs of our clients. Finding dedicated and hardworking staff can be a challenge as well as trying to staff for constant fluctuations in traffic. Mom’s words came to me loud and clear. First was, Successful leaders are like tea bags. The hotter the water the stronger they become. Second, surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher. Good people, positive people, can do attitude people who are going to challenge you to make you better. Last but not least, people come into our lives to teach us something, some not meant to be in our lives forever, and sometimes the forever is not the person, but what we gain from them. I’m grateful for a talented and devoted team of professionals, appreciative and loyal customers and especially the forever love from family.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Consign Home Couture is northeast Ohio’s first choice in high end new and pre-owned furniture and home accessories. We have clients travel as far north as Detroit, south to Columbus and East to Pittsburgh. Our online store allows us to service shoppers throughout the US. We are known for maintaining a high standard for quality furniture and accessories in like new condition. We are unique in that we offer a 24 hour return on purchases and don’t require an appointment for accessories (furniture requires an appointment). We are able to pay consignors anytime 24 hours after items are taken home and it doesn’t cost anything if your items don’t sell. Less than 10% of our inventory doesn’t sell and almost two thirds are sold within the first 45 days of arrival. Miss a day, miss a lot in our store unless you are able to catch some highlights on our online store. We offer high end jewelry and handbags in addition to items for your home. Some of our best brands include Arhaus, Baker, Ballard Design, Bernhardt, Century Furniture, Crate and Barrel, Ethan Allen, Four Hands, Frontgate. Hooker, Maitland Smith, Norwalk, Pottery Barn, Uttermost, Restoration Hardware, Serena and Lily, West Elm and Z Gallerie to name a few. Jewelry by John Atencio, Brighton, David Hardy, Judith Ricka, Kendra Scott, Silpada, Tiffany, UnoDe50, and David’s Yurman. Best selling handbags by Burberry, Brahmin, Chanel, Coach, Fendi, Fount, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Prada and Kate Spade to name a few. We offer special promotions for customers who provide their email and those who follow us on FaceBook or Instagram.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Networking with industry leaders by sharing experiences and gaining insight from other business owners has been beneficial.
Contact Info:
- Website: consignhomecouture.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consignhomecouture/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConsignHomeCouture1/
