Asheboro Magazine-All About Fashion Cover Story

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January 2011 • Vol. 1 • Iss. 6

ASHEBORO Think Local First

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all about fashion

reduce, resell, reuse feature story sojourney

zoo zeal zoo loses one of it’s oldest & most popular animals

community character

Library Celebrates 75th Year-Page 18

mark joyce

“All About Fashion Upscale Consignment is the first place I shop for my two sons’ clothing, shoes, and toys. The shop is always clean, the staff is always friendly, and I can always find what I need...and more! As a 4-year consignor of All About Fashion, I have saved lots of money & countless trips to the mall. Great place to sell and shop!”

- Michelle Cole, Asheboro “All About Fashion provides a wonderful shopping atmosphere as well as a great way to transform your gently used items into cash! I love to get a great deal and that’s what you get shopping at All About Fashion!”

- Sharon Beddingfield, Asheboro

Reduce, Resell, Reuse

Photos & Story By Sherry Johnson

K

ara Newton (born Geise) always wanted to be in retail.

Growing up in Burlington, her dad, Tim Geise, owned a donation-based second-hand store, Outreach Thrift Store. His brother was a missionary in Guatemala, and Geise was able to support the mission work his brother did with proceeds from the store.

Kara would get up early on Saturday mornings and go to the store with her Dad. She loved spending time there organizing the shelves, and unpacking merchandise. She dreamed of the day when she would open her own store and planned all the details in her head to pass the time. When she graduated from high school, she knew she wanted to open a second-hand store with high quality items, where mothers could come in with their children in strollers and browse the aisles.

“I did not want a crowded “flea

market” type store. I wanted it to be a place where people could come in and get high quality items at an affordable price. When I moved here, I realized that Asheboro did not have an upscale ladies consignment store and I decided to open one and give us ladies a place to shop and find fashionable clothing, as well as accessories.”

Kara met her future husband, Jonathan Newton, at a private church school in Graham, NC. They dated for two and a half years, and the very day after graduation from high school he asked her to marry him. They were engaged for six months, before getting married in December, 2002.

They settled in Staley, NC for the first three years where Kara managed a tanning salon and also worked at the Curves franchise next door in Burlington, NC. Her husband worked at his family’s company, Steel Supply & Erection in

10 ASHEBORO Magazine January 2011

Asheboro.

When they relocated to Asheboro in late 2006, she worked at Chili’s, while scoping out the area and surrounding communities, looking for just the right location for her store. There was a kids’ consignment store in the Village Marketplace, All About Kids and she looked into renting the space next door to open her ladies consignment store, wanting to tap into the existing foot traffic All About Kids generated. She found out through a friend of a friend that the owner was actually looking to sell the business. Kara spoke to the woman, and when she suggested that Kara spend some time working for her while she was considering the opportunity, she agreed. She began work at All About Kids on August 29, 2007, and the sale of the business was final on October 1st – her lifelong ambition to open her own store had become a reality.

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She closed the store for five days in November to completely remodel the inside – tearing out counters, removing walls, painting, carpeting the entire space and changing the name to All About Fashion Upscale Consignment.

She re-organized the existing stock and took new consignments to increase the offerings of the store. While her main focus at that time was on children’s clothing and everything that goes with having a baby, she added an upscale ladies consignment section as well.

There was nothing like it in Asheboro at that time, and she has never looked back.

You will find brands like Coldwater Creek, Ralph Lauren, Gap, Ann Taylor, and Talbot’s to name just a few in the ladies section. Everything in the store is organized and it’s very easy to shop – items are categorized by type and then by size. You can easily look through the sweaters in Medium, or pants in size 6. It is pleasantly merchandised and constantly changes, due to the nature of the business - every time you visit the store, you will find something new. She expanded her second room to include furniture consignment, sofas, tables, chairs, desks, lamps, & other nicer home furnishings. In the children’s section, she consigns clothing, furniture, strollers, high chairs, exersaucers, toys, bouncy seats, pack and plays, and baby gates.

Why travel to Greensboro when you can get cash for your gently used items right here in Asheboro?

With the recent economic situation in this country – thrift & consignment stores have flourished, and this trend is likely to continue with consumers

New Year

embracing a thriftier way of shopping.

It’s good for the environment, too, as millions of pounds of household goods are kept out of landfills by donating or consigning at local stores like All About Fashion.

If you prefer to have your money up front and not wait for the item to sell, Kara also pays cash on the spot for baby equipment, as well as top brands like Abercrombie, Hollister, LaCoste, American Eagle, Aeropostale, and Ralph Lauren. Young people especially like to always have new and exciting pieces in their wardrobe at all times, and this offers them a way to get the cash to go out and buy the latest styles and always be in fashion.

She is expanding her product offerings to include Men’s clothing up to size 40” waist, and better brands of shoes – Johnston & Murphy, Cole Haan; as well as watches and accessories.

All About Fashion had 740 existing consignors when Kara took over the business, and she has grown that number to over 1,760 consignors.

There is new fresh merchandise coming in the door every day. If you are on Facebook, become a fan of the store at www.facebook.com/aafconsignment and you will get updates when special items come in. If Kara and her wonderful staff know you are looking for something in particular, they will let you know that something that might appeal to you has just come in. It’s like having your own personal shopper!

In addition to the gently used pieces, she carries a number of new or handmade items by local people. You can buy handmade bows, crocheted volume1 issue 6 asheboromagazine.com 11

hats, and a boutique selection of pillowcases dresses made by a local seamstress, as well as car seat privacy blankets, designer nursing wraps, and burp clothes. These are hand stitched

by Oh So Cute Fashionz and Princess Ree Designs. She also carries a line of polka dotted & paisley trendy luggage in several sizes; garment bags, small and large duffel bags, lunch boxes, back packs, make up cases and diaper bags.

These items make great baby shower and birthday gifts.

Kara learned by trial and error what works best for her business. Keep your pricing real, stick to the policies you set and always offer quality merchandise at reasonable prices. If you are interested in consigning items, bring them to the store in a large plastic tub with a lid, your name and phone number clearly marked on it. Items must be freshly laundered, neatly folded, with no stains, rips, missing buttons, etc. The items should be less than 3 years old so the style is still current, and she will only accept 50 items per month from each consignor.

Each consignor receives 50% of the selling price on clothing and accessories, and 60% on furniture and home décor. In the next few months, Kara is launching a consignment VIP Discount Card. Stay tuned for more details on that program.

Her tag line for the newly improved All About Fashion is Asheboro’s Largest One-Stop Upscale Consignment Shop.

In July, 2008, Kara and her husband, Jonathan, purchased Wholesale Office Furniture Direct in Burlington. Her father manages that business for them.

They carry beautiful office furniture 12 ASHEBORO Magazine January 2011

from designers like Kathy Ireland, DMI, Lazy Boy, HON and Miller @ Work at40 to 70% off retail prices. She is now bringing this concept to Asheboro with the newest expansion of the store this month. All About Fashion will now have 3,000 sq. ft. dedicated to clothing from infants to men’s & ladies; and 3,000 sq. ft. for home and office furnishings.

In addition to the businesses, Kara has three children: Jacob, seven; Megan, five; & Morgan, who just turned two in November. All of them are active and keep Kara’s mother-in-law very busy, as she is their caregiver when Kara and Jon are working.

Kara loves to shop, her favorite local store being Maurice’s. That is one of the reasons that her store is so successful, she studies the way other stores are laid out and managed, and strives to improve all the time. Jon is an avid hunter and loves to hunt deer, duck, and turkeys; as well as spend time fishing.

As a family, they love spending time with their kids at the lake, tubing, skiing and swimming. In the winter months, the Newtons love to take family trips to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It is so beautiful there and the children love it.

When they are at home, Megan loves dancing and is enrolled in a local dance studio; while Jacob is into baseball.

Morgan loves eating and getting into everything. They keep their mom and dad very busy!

If you haven’t had a chance to stop in to All About Fashion, 1520 E. Dixie Dr. , please stop in, browse the racks and say “Hello” to Kara or call her at (336) 6252742. You will be glad you did. 

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