Charitable consignment
Consignors who come to Lilla and Little Lavender are always asked one question: If their items don’t sell, would they like to pick them up or donate them?
Faith Gardner, owner of both Mountain Brook shops, said giving back has always been important to her, and she is thankful to do that through her stores.
“I was personally raised in my home that you give back, whether it’s time or money,” Gardner said. “You give, and if it’s not money it’s time. If you don’t have time, you take them a meal. It’s biblical; it’s spiritual. It was something that was driven into me as a kid, and it’s something I believe in firmly.”
Both stores collect donations from consignors, including items that are not consignable and items that do not sell within the designated time period. Lilla has been open since March 2015 and specializes in adult women’s clothing. It has a quick turnover, only holding items for 60 days before returning or donating them. Little Lavender, a children’s consignment store that Gardner purchased about four years ago, holds items for 90 days.
Because their stores only take clothes that have been dry cleaned, if something is not in mint condition, they will give the consignor an option to donate.
“Sometimes they need to be washed, and we can’t consign those, and a lot of times our consignors will just say, ‘Just donate those,’” said Heidi Hallman, who works at the stores. “There’s a huge need for clothes in this community.”
If there is a family in need, Lilla and Little Lavender also will pull together clothes to donate. A few months ago, a house outside of Mountain Brook burned down, and a relative posted on the What’s Happening in Mountain Brook Facebook page asking for donations. Gardner said they invited the woman to the store to find new clothes. Other times, organizations will approach them for specific items.
“There are some organizations that come to us and say, ‘We have a child that’s in need of this kind of clothing,’ or ‘We have a mother that needs an outfit for an interview,’” Hallman said.
Store employees also get together to talk about what they would like to support. Both stores hold “bag sales,” during which a portion of sales will go toward supporting a fundraiser or charity. To select where the donations will go, the nine staff members of Lilla and Little Lavender get together to discuss their options.
“Everyone has a heart for something, so it’s kind of everybody sharing that,” Gardner said.
They have supported Girl Scouts, Grace House Ministries, Boy Scouts, Junior League of Birmingham, Sid Strong Foundation, Super Sam and other nonprofits. At the Sept. 29 Shop, Sip, Save, Support event in Crestline Village, both stores raised money for Magic Moments, an organization close to Hallman’s heart.
The ability to give back, Gardner said, mostly stems from the charitable hearts of their consignors.
“I think the reason that we are able to be so philanthropic is because our consignors are,” Gardner said. “We will take on consignment, and we will keep it for a certain period of time. Most of the time, people don’t want their things back, and so those are the things that get donated. That helps us, so really the giving is coming from our consignors.”
Lilla and Little Lavender are in Crestline Village near The Pants Store. For more information, go to the stores’ Facebook pages.