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A Business Minute Tags
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Tags Consignment Boutique co-owner Tanya Bruchacek stands beside an artfully decorated display, which is a signature of the trendy local store. - photo by Kim Van Meter/The Leader

The first business to be featured in The Leader’s newest community-centric “A Business Minute” is Tags Consignment. Get to know what makes Oakdale business special.

Answers submitted by Sandy Reed, co-owner of Tags Consignment.

 

1). Tell me a little bit about your business (what you do, how you got started):

We are a consignment store, which is a resale store for clothing and other items.  Ninety-five percent of our items are owned by our consignors, who bring their items in for us to sell. Comparable to the eBay “buy it now” feature - one location to showcase your best!

 

2). What do you enjoy most about your job?

We really enjoy the community aspect of our jobs. There is such a shared responsibility between the store and the consignors, that it creates a camaraderie that doesn’t always exist in other businesses. Since the unsold items go directly to donate to local charities, there is an added layer of what our business and stakeholders bring to the community.

 

3). What’s a common misconception about your work?

That we are a thrift store. Our consignors bring us their best for consignment, and expect us to price accordingly. The beautiful thing is that we are still 50-70 percent below retail pricing.

 

4). If money wasn’t an option, which charity would you most enjoy giving to, and why?

We really, really love Family Support Network and the pet shelter. Part of our mission statement is to support women and children, and being able to donate to those groups on a regular basis helps us execute that mission.

 

5). What are some of your current projects?

From a community involvement perspective, we are working on a way to support sixth grade camp right now, still in the brainstorming session. From a retail perspective, we are in full “go mode” in merchandise and displays - the store just continues to evolve.

 

6). What are some of the biggest challenges in your field, today?

Challenges in our field today is simply balancing the need of our consignors to get a fair price for their things with the need for the buyers to get a deal. Consignment is a thriving industry right now, and we want to be the best in our area. Our strategy is simply “smart growth.”

 

7). What do you find most rewarding about your job?

Definitely the people. We have met some of the most fabulous people right here in Oakdale, and are proud to do business here, live here, have kids in school here. It is just a great town.

 

8). What are some of your pet peeves?

Drops that are not in “ready to sell” condition. To get their items accepted for consignment, our consignors have to get through our receivers first, and they are tough! We try to only accept things we would buy, and that bar is somewhat high.

 

9). How has your business changed over the years?

The volume. We have grown to over 2000 consignors, receiving over 1500 pieces per week. For a small business, that is a lot of movement!

 

10). Who/what business or business owner would you like to see featured in the Oakdale Leader?

The movie theater! Hutton’s Hamlet! One of the coolest things about Oakdale is I can get or do almost anything. Shop, antique, get a cool pedi, watch a movie, get my kids acting lessons, swim in a public pool … I wish small businesses had an outlet to create a higher profile for themselves, but this feature is a really good place to start.

 

If you own an established business in Oakdale and would like to be featured in this new and exciting feature in The Oakdale Leader, contact business reporter Kim Van Meter (kvanmeter@oakdaleleader.com) with the heading and the subject header BUSINESS MINUTE and she will email you a set of 10 questions, which you answer and return, at which point, the business reporter will schedule a photo to run with the feature. Times are hard but The Oakdale Leader is here to remind the community why Oakdale is the best place to live, work and shop.

For questions or more information, call Van Meter at 847-3021.