Where do Consignment fit in our community?

Is this goodbye to consignment stores?

This year marks 10 years since I bought our little consignment store, The Children's Marketplace.

There's something special about that name. I grew up in the small town of Tottenham, Ontario. Back then, it had one stoplight, one grocery store, a fish and chip restaurant... and tucked into the little strip mall was a children's consignment store called The Children's Marketplace. I never imagined that years later I'd own a store with that very same name.

Consignment has been around for well over a century, but it really flourished in the 1930s and 40s as people embraced the idea of reusing and recycling. Today, there are only a handful of true children's consignment stores left in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. (Unlike second-hand stores that purchase items outright, consignment allows families to earn money only after their items sell.)

Today, I learned that another children's consignment store in a neighbouring city is closing after 10 years in business.

It made me stop and ask myself a difficult question:

Are we headed in the same direction?

I sincerely hope not.

The truth is, though, it isn't just consignment stores that are struggling. Many small businesses are fighting incredibly hard just to stay open.

Looking back over the last decade, I realize how much this little store has shaped my life.

I bought it while raising two young children. Like many business owners, I missed school pickups, bedtime routines, weekends with family, and countless moments that I can't get back. I quickly learned the difference between working in a business and working on a business, a lesson every entrepreneur eventually learns.

I later expanded by purchasing another consignment store, which brought exciting opportunities but also demanded even more of my time and energy.

Then life happened.

My mom became critically ill, and I stepped away from the store for several weeks to be with her before she passed away. Our incredible staff carried the business through that season, and I'll always be grateful for them. But I also learned how difficult it can be when customers don't always see the human side of small business ownership.

Only months later, COVID arrived.

One location qualified for rent relief. The other didn't. We paid rent for a closed store for an entire year.

Yet somehow, we survived.

Our staff, friends, and loyal customers rallied around us. They shopped local, supported online sales, and reminded us why community matters so much.

Then came what many businesses called the "dry year 2025"

Sales dropped dramatically. Our rent increased by nearly 80%. Minimum wage rose twice in a short period which I absolutely believe workers deserve, for many small businesses, there was little support to absorb those costs.

For the first time in the store's nearly 30-year history, I had to lay off staff simply to keep the doors open.

That was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made.

I've also had difficult conversations with customers about changes we had to make just to survive. Through tears, I've found myself explaining that we're simply trying to stay afloat and that kindness goes a long way.

I've rarely shared any of this publicly.

Maybe because I wanted people to see the fun side of owning a children's store. Maybe because I believed I'd figure it out without talking about it.

But today feels different.

Watching another small consignment store close made me realize that these aren't just businesses disappearing. They're community spaces. They're places where families can afford quality clothing, where parents can earn a little extra money, and where sustainability is more than just a buzzword.

When a small business closes, we lose more than a storefront.

We lose people, relationships, and pieces of our community.

I don't know what the future holds for our little store.

What I do know is that I'm incredibly grateful to every family who has shopped with us, consigned with us, encouraged us, and believed in what we're trying to build.

If you love small businesses, now is the time to support them not just ours, but all of them.

Because once they're gone, it's very hard to bring them back.

Here's to hoping we're still here for many years to come.