Photo by Ossie Bladine

Some call this time of year the doldrums of January. In part, I agree. Trees line the curbside, menorahs have been packed away and holiday carols no longer play 24/7 on the radio. The frantic pace of December has been replaced by a month’s worth of Saturdays without a single event on the calendar. With all that spare time on my hands, and the fact that there’s little space in our crowded closets to fit our new holiday treasures, January will be the season of closet cleaning — not to mention the garage, attic, crawlspace and basement.

Sometimes ample storage is not a good thing. It seems like I find myself in this same predicament every year. Post holiday mayhem, I weed through the clutter and lug boxes of clothes and my son’s toys to local charities. But what to do with the big items taking up space in my basement like the set of dining room chairs that we’ve never used or the bookcase that doesn’t fit in our living room anymore? Sure, I could pop them up on Craigslist, but then I’d have to take a photo and go to the trouble of arranging a time to show them. The Goodwill’s always another option, but I don’t love the fact that someone who might really need my bookcase may not be able to afford Goodwill’s pricing.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn from a friend that I had another choice right here in the ‘Couv — Divine Consign. While I’ve perused the holiday shop before, I assumed it was an average consignment shop. How wrong I was. Divine Consign is the brainchild of a number of Vancouver’s longstanding charity groups. The upscale furniture shop is part of Gifts for Our Community, a nonprofit that focuses on raising funds for Vancouver’s arts, education, and human services.

In 1997, a variety of leaders from local charities, large and small, came together to brainstorm new ways to generate revenue. Linda Glover, the Executive Director of Gifts for Our Community, recalls how successful Our Children’s Store was in Portland. The group wanted to do something similar in Vancouver: “We have very talented people and wonderful nonprofits. We wanted to create a way to help provide resources. But, not another fundraiser—we wanted to provide a service.” The group also worked to ensure that they included more established nonprofits like the YWCA and ARC that already had a large network as well as smaller charities that were either trying to get off the ground or struggling to generate revenue.

The Holiday Shop made its debut in downtown Vancouver that year. The store was open for three months, and all proceeds were divided amongst participating charities. Corporate partners donated retail space and electricity to run the shop. From that point on, The Holiday Shop became a mainstay for the holiday season. After ten years, organizers began to realize they were ready for change. “A number of things occurred,” said Glover. “First, we realized we were limited in the number of organizations we could support since we were only open for three months out of the year. Also we couldn’t get the kind of wholesale price breaks that other retails could because we were open for such a short time. We were paying more wholesale then we could get at any of the big box stores. We began thinking what do we need here in Vancouver? A place to donate furniture kept coming up.”

From there the idea of a year-round consignment store burgeoned. Glover was fortunate to have a large number of loyal customers who followed The Holiday Shop and were excited about the new venture. The premise of Divine Consign was that patrons of any local nonprofit could donate gently used furniture. Once sold, the nonprofit would receive a share of the revenue. The other unique angle that Glover realized during the initial planning period is that there is no other store in the country that is open to raising funds for any charity in town. Divine Consign officially opened in 2005 and has been going strong ever since.

Today, Divine Consign has well over one hundred charities that have received financial donations through consignment. Additionally, customers are welcome to suggest an organization that isn’t on Divine Consign’s register and volunteers will contact the charity about signing on as a partner at no cost to them. The store is staffed by volunteers who average a half-day shift one time per week. Volunteers run everything from the office, to payables, decorators, and appraisers. Glover estimates it takes twenty to twenty-five volunteers each week. There are currently over 1,880 active consigners and 2,995 items available for sale.

Unlike the big box stores that once threatened the store’s viability, the draw for shoppers is finding unique items that can’t be found elsewhere. Glover likens it to a treasure hunt where customers come in and search for the perfect piece of furniture to finish off a room. She’s also seen a recent boost in sales of smaller items like loveseats and side tables as people are downsizing. And it isn’t just the treasure hunters who appreciate Divine’s offerings; charity partners are thrilled when they receive a call informing them of a waiting check for $600 to $1,000. Divine Consign accepts gently used furnishings and accessories, so start cleaning the closet and scouring the basement. They’re located at 904 Main Street and online at shop@divineconsignfurturire.org

Kate Dyer-Seeler is a mom, a writer, a coffee junkie and avid reader. Her column appears every other issue in The Voice.