A Surprising Find Among Consignment Stores Near Me

Finding the best consignment stores near me led to an unexpectedly rewarding journey, here on Hilton Head Island. In fact, the very finest one of the consignment stores near me turned out to give a whole new definition of consignment. What I discovered might be of interest; I found it enlightening, for sure.

A furniture concern once defined consignment store as “an upscale pawn shop.” In a conventional consignment store, they appraise the item you would like to part with, and if accepted, they price it and do the work of selling it, typically sharing 40% to 60% of what it sells for, with you. In the end, you get some money in exchange for the item – not nearly full sale price – and you don’t go through the effort of finding a buyer.

A Bigger Idea

When I went on the hunt for the best consignment stores near me, the surprise I discovered was The Church Mouse. Started years ago as a charitable endeavor by the members of a church here on Hilton Head Island, The Church Mouse put in play a different business model. When people bring their well-loved furniture, clothing, tableware, jewelry, furnishings, and accessories to The Church Mouse, they are consigning them to doing good work in the community.

You see, strictly speaking, to consign something is to transfer it to somebody else’s custody or care. Yet an even more specific definition is “to set apart for, or devote to, a special purpose.” That’s the sense that The Church Mouse made of the idea. The results, over the years of great and growing success, have been that more than 125 local and regional charities have reaped the benefits of the things we no longer wanted or needed.

Instead of returning around half of a sale price to the person who consigns the item, The Church Mouse puts far more than that sale price to work for the good of our neighbors, here in the beautiful Lowcountry where we’ve been fortunate to make our homes. Our gratitude for living or visiting here gets real.

What You Get

People who bring their things to The Church Mouse get a receipt for tax purposes, yet the thing they value most goes far beyond that. Knowing that something they have enjoyed – whether a piece of furniture or jewelry, a clothing item, a set of golf clubs or skis, a table setting they no longer use, a book they have enjoyed and completed, a piece of art – will find its way into the hands of somebody who will value it just as highly – knowing that is the beginning of a kind of satisfaction that the other consignment stores near me simply cannot match.

Just dropping something off with The Church Mouse offers the chance to see Hilton Head Island’s most carefully curated collection of well-loved things for sale. As a result, our donors in some cases become our customers, too. The Church Mouse looks and feels more like visiting a friend’s home than browsing a thrift shop or consignment store. And new items arrive every day, so a visit is never ho-hum.

The consignment stores near me honestly don’t measure up to an experience such as this one.

What They Do

When you donate an item to sell at The Church Mouse, our team of volunteers makes sure it is spruced-up and looking its best. Then it joins the display among other items of the same category, in discrete mini-departments around the shop.

The appearance of these sections is unlike any other of the consignment stores near me. The furniture arranged to greet you at your entry; the clothing displays, men’s and women’s; the jewelry counter and accessories; the array of colorful and elegant tableware; the books and decorative items and collectables, offer together a far better invitation than any of the consignment stores near me.

I have to believe that the reason they present this unique appearance is because of the care that The Church Mouse volunteers bring to their work. This is not just merchandise. These items were well loved, and they will be well loved again. In between time, they will generate funds that help neighbors in need, through the more than 50 charities that apply each year for contributions from The Church Mouse.

What Good It Does

When you buy from The Church Mouse, you become part of something greater than yourself. You are helping others in ways that range from nutritious meals, to literacy, to medical care, to family support. In fact, during the 17 years that The Church Mouse has carried on its work, the results have directed more than $2.5 million in grants to charitable organizations, missions, and non-profit endeavors on behalf of the community. The other consignment stores near me just don’t offer that kind of satisfaction.

The Church Mouse makes it easy to do well while you are doing good. Located even more conveniently than the consignment stores near me, The Church Mouse is on Arrow Road, not far from the Sea Pines Circle, and easily within reach, for visitors and Hilton Head Island residents alike.