Some cool stuff on my ebay store

So, I have some awesome items / lots in my ebay store right now.

Wholesale lots of clothes (100 pieces per lot) ladies, mens, kids, girls, boys, vintage, costume. You can check out the store and the many various lots at http://www.heatherssecrettreasures.com

Also I have a nice brand new (sealed in its original box)Ashley Furniture hutch. Retails for almost $600 and we're asking $300 or best offer. Here's the link if you're interested: http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ASHLEY-Furniture-HUTCH-Toscana-Birch-Wood-Storage_W0QQitemZ400073767818QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5d26413b8a&_trksid=p4634.m332.l1262

And a great A/V receiver for home entertainment. Retails new for $1200.00. This one is pre-owned but works great and looks to be in excellent like new condition. Asking $500 or best offer. Again, here's the link to that one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ONKYO-6-1-Digital-Surround-Sound-A-V-RECEIVER-1200-MRP_W0QQitemZ400073785202QQcmdZViewItemQQptZReceivers_Tuners?hash=item5d26417f72&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14

The thrift shop is doing well and ebay is finally getting back to being successful again, since now that the shop is open and running, I have time to devote to my online business.

That's it for now. Nite Nite peeps.

The Thrill Of The Hunt

I love thrift shopping for the thrill of the hunt, and have recently discovered that many other people do too. Here are some celebrity quotes I picked up off of random websites.

Katie Holmes: "Fashion is all about the thrill of the hunt for me. There is no excitement, no challenge for me in entering a mall and picking from a limited selection. A thrift store is inherently a land of infinite possibilities."

Modonna: "Thrift shops can give you the ultimate high; I may find little that day, or (more often) there is that brilliant "a-ha!" moment, after an hour of digging, when I surface with exactly the right item in exactly the right color, in exactly the right size, which drapes exactly right along my figure. I didn't know it existed up until that point, but now that I've found it, I can't live without it (and since any given item generally runs in the $5 range, no one has to live without it."

Gwen Stefani: "You don't have to be rich to look chic, put-together, and fabulous. Thrifting is so freeing and creative—it's an almost indescribable adrenaline rush."

Meg Ryan: "Americans need to reduce our shameful waste stream of fashion. Thrift Shopping is one way to get some fantastic clothes very cheap and still look like a million bucks. All the while you are recycling as well."

Reese Witherspoon: "My mom and I make a once a month thrift shopping trip. We find so many unique items and great deals. It can really be a fun and economical pasttime for anyone."

Pink: "I love formal gowns from thrift stores. It's likely no one else will be wearing what you are, and in most cases it was probably worn once then donated."

Christina Aguilera: "I love Resale Shops. You can really play around and mix up your wardrobe with some unique pieces."

Just an Update

So, it's been a while. I keep getting requests for an update so here we go.

The thrift shop has been open about a month now. We're doing great. New customers and people pop in all the time, and we already have quite a bit of regulars. Sorry I haven't been updating lately but I have been super busy. I finally have the store up and running successfully. And have 1 part time helper (my mom who works from 2-6 on Tues to Fri. And starting this upcoming week, I will have my handsome boyfriend as a full timer).

We are closed on labor day, but after that we will be open again from Monday - Friday 10am to 6pm, and Saturday 10am - 4pm. I have been back on the ball with my eBay although there isn't a lot listed right now, I have a bunch of things I will be listing in this upcoming week. Feel free to check out the ebay store Heather's Secret Treasures http://www.HeathersSecretTreasures.com

We have been getting alot of donations so that has helped out tremendously. We are in need of donations of hangers at this time. Adults and childrens, mostly adults. I would like to add a specific section for the undies & bras so lingerie hangers are welcome as well. Right now there are all in a bin, I think hanging them will be much easier for people to look through.

I saw a great article (I think it was on the MSN site?, can't remember, but I copied part of it. It's about things that are better bought used than new. Here is the list"
8 THINGS THAT ARE BETTER TO BUY USED;
BOOKS
CD'S / DVD'S
CHILDRENS TOYS
DESIGNER CLOTHES
JEWELRY
KITCHEN ITEMS
FURNITURE
VIDEO GAMES

And we have ALL of these items in our store!! How convenient huh? lol.
Our books consist of hundreds of titles and a vast assortment of types. Softcover is always .25 cents or 5 for $1, and hardcover are only .75 cents. New ones in EVERY WEEK!

Our cd's and dvd's are 1.99 with case, and those without a case (I have them neatly in ziploc bags to protect them are only.99 cents. I also have a TON of vhs / vcr tapes, all .99 cents each.

Childrens Toys - Tons of toys ALWAYS, starting at .10 each and going up to about a dollar.

Designer Clothes - We have tons of designer clothes too. Old Navy, Abercrombie, Aero, Victoria's Secret, Guess, Hollister, Ann Taylor, just about any brand you could think up, we have. In a large assortment of styles and sizes for men, women, juniors, kids, and plus.

Prices on clothing starts at around .25 cents up to about 5 bucks tops.

Jewelry is now in stock. We have alot of costume jewelry in, vintage and new, starting at .50 cents. We have some Park Lane jewelry starting at 5 bucks in NEW condition. Did I mention most of the costume jewelry has its original tags??~~

Kitchen items - we got it! Pots, pans, toasters, glasses, utensils, vintage and newer. Prices start at .25 cents and go up to about 3 bucks.

We don't carry a whole lot of furniture and what we have varies week to week, but right now we have a sofa for $15, a tv stand for 5 bucks, and i think we have an end table too. We usually get sofas, kitchen tables, chairs, recliners, rockers, beds, mattresses, baby stuff, etc..

Video Games - we have a small selection but they are all always 3.99 or less. Right now we have PS2 and Xbox games.

Thanks for reading, Peace! Heather

Pictures!!

Well, the good news is I finally took some pictures. I have been busy getting the shop ready all week. Everything is finally done and we are ready to open, except that we are waiting to get a meter installed by the Electric Company. It's supposed to be done Monday or Tuesday, but I'm not holding my breath on that as everything is taking a LOOOOOOOOOOONG Time!!

These are just pictures of the thrift shop in no particular order:
Here is my Men's Rack.












I'm not sure what these creepy little ceramic things are, but they are for sale, and possibly haunted lol. (I would not be able to sleep at night with these staring at me!!) They give me the "heebie jeebies" haha (stole that slang from Scooby-Doo).













This is the sign on the door as you're leaving. Just made it on the computer. Love Pac-Man giving you the thumbs up!













Here is my own version of the "Free Bracelets" sign I've seen so many places. It says Free bracelets with every item shoplifted, and shows handcuffs.













Here is a view from the front door, before everything was done, but close to done.















This is my ladies dresses / jackets rack. I like how I dressed the mannequin, she's uber trendy lol. This is a black dress with black polka dots on it. Pink pearl necklace that ties behind the neck with a black ribbon with pink polka dots. So much cuter than the photo shows.





















This is the ladies shirts / tops. Assorted by size and sleeve length.

















Someone was getting rid of this wooden weird thingy and I figured I could find something to do with it. Voila ~ a great belt display!


















Another view of the ladies tops.















And again with the ladies tops... maybe I took so many pictures of these because these took the longest amount of time to organize and sort.
















This is a cute little section next to the ladies shirts in the corner with all kinds of cute accessories and costume jewelry.





















This is a shelf of books, nick nacks, and randomness. Awesome shelf custom made by Sweets.





















Another view of the shelf area.

















This is when you first walk in, just a little area of random things.



































Weird religious art? I like it.




Here are the questions that were emailed to me and the answers.


What size is the shop?

The store is 1000 sq. ft.

Have I received alot of donations?

I actually purchased most of the things I have, but I have had a few donations here and there. I went to the store today to show my boyfriend "the finished product of all my hard work" and when we pulled up there were 2 boxes of nice clothes sitting by the front door. So, that was a nice surprise. Not sure who left it, but THANK YOU whoever you are out there!! Always appreciated!




How old am I?

Ewww.. I don't like that question only because I don't feel like I am as old as my age would tell. I'm old enough to know better, but still young enough to not care. LOL. I'm 33.

Redecorating Your Bathroom With Thrift Store Finds!!

Found a good article on ehow.com on how to redecorate your bathroom with thrift store finds.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4714708_pretty-repurposed-thrift-store-finds.html

LoCaTiOn LoCaTiOn LoCaTiOn

Here is the location of the shop:

Deja Vu Thrift Shop
5010 E. Judge Perez Hwy.
Meraux Louisiana 70075

Coming ALong Quicker Than I Thought

I got a phone call yesterday from the zoning commission and they have approved the building..hooray! So Monday I can go pick up the zoning letter and bring that with me over to the Sheriff's office to get my occupational license so I can open for business soon. (Glad it wasn't the 2 or 3 weeks we originally were told it was gonna take.

I went over to the shop last night and ALL DAY today. Got some clothing racks put together. Got alot of clothes hung up and in order by size and all on the racks. Almost finished the mens section and did alot on the kids sections. Running out of hangers though LOL. Need to get some. Anyone have any spare hangers hanging around they don't need???

So tomorrow we will be moving the stuff from the storage building into the shop. And next week we will be working, working, working!! Having 2 or 3 custom shelves being built by Sweets, also he's gonna make me a sign and some rack hanging and such. In the meantime, I will be sorting merchandise and hanging clothing to get the store ready to open. Trying to open for not this Monday coming up but for the following Monday.. we shall see though!

I know I promised pictures, but I forgot to bring the camera. Will definitely be bringing it tomorrow.

What's that old saying?

Something like "Anything worthwhile doesn't come easy!" lol. Seems like one thing after another with trying to start up a new business. I am get irritated easily and I am becoming extremely impatient lately, not great qualities I know, but I am trying to stay positive.

Well that wonderful building I spoke of fell through. The landlord did not have the building equipped for handicap access therefore that has to be taken care of before I can have a retail store there according to parish government regulations, and he decided that it was too much trouble and doesn't want to rent it for retail now. So this is why I haven't written anything in a few days.

I have been driving around and looking at commercial buildings for lease. On Wednesday, I found one! So I paid the deposit and first month's rent and am ready to move in. Yesterday, I went to fill out the form to get my occupational license, and they said that I first have to get a letter from the Parish Zoning Board to confirm it is a proper commercial location, blah, blah, blah. So over to the zoning board I go, fill out the forms, and had to draw a diagram of the lot etc.. I finished that and went back yesterday afternoon to hand it in..PROBLEM! Apparently the building I rented "supposedly" doesn't have enough parking spaces to accomodate a retail location. I am supposed to have 12.5 parking spaces (What the hell is a .5 parking space LOL??) so I had to call the landlord, and he has to file a parking variance, basically so that I can operate my business even though I don't have the required off-street parking available.

So now that is being filed today. It has to be brought in front of the zoning board people and they will rule to give us an exception or not. From what I understand, this is common practice in St. Bernard Parish, because it is a small town recovering from hurricane damage, so this happens with alot of businesses. Long story short, it will be another 2-3 weeks before I can get my occupational license. Good news is that the landlord told me that I can go ahead and set up shop and that he wont charge me rent during this time while we are waiting for the zoning issue to be resolved. I can't open to the public, but at least I can have everything ready for when I can open.

stay positive..stay positive.. stay positive.. sorry i was talking to myself there.

Sunday we are going to start getting things going. I promise new pictures for the next blog entry.

Oh, and those Sega CD games sold for $25.00... sweet!

Yay!! Found A Great Location!!

Today I was on the hunt for a commercial building to lease. I looked at 4 places. The one that was actually best suited to my needs was the cheapest and the nicest looking... hmmm.. some things are just meant to be I guess. (Not to mention its like close to 2000 sq ft.. NICE).

So tomorrow I am heading over to sign the lease and put the deposit and first month's rent down. Then I am going to be working my *** off trying to get it set up as quickly as possible so I can open the doors!

I forgot the address LOL, but I will post tomorrow after the lease signing.

And my helpful and awesome nephew, Sweets, is coming down from Missouri this week with a counter he found for me, and he will be helping me set up, building a bookcase, making a sign, hanging rods for the clothes, etc...

It even has a big back room that is good not only for storage / office space, but will work great to run my eBay business from. Hooray for me.. lol.

Things Are Progressing

So, as the title says things are progressing for the thrift store, just slowly. I am a completely impatient person, so the time it is taking to get things going is killing me!! I just want to get the store open! I finally finished pricing all of the clothing inventory. It took like 3 weeks... it's ALOT OF STUFF!!!

I came across some old video games for the Sega CD system. All great condition and in their original cases. So, I put them up on my eBay store.

Here is a link to the store page if anyone is interested. http://cgi.ebay.com/SEGA-CD-RaRe-LOT-5-Video-Games-COMPLETE-Spider-Man-MoRe_W0QQitemZ400061729431QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVideo_Games_Games?hash=item5d25898a97&_trksid=p4634.m332.l1262

I also found some adorable vintage safety pins with pink plastic tips. Probably used to pin the old cloth diapers on. Just thought they were cute so I took a picture...lol.

More 411 on Deja Vu Thrift Shop

What we offer:

CLOTHING * SHOES * ACCESSORIES
BABIES * KIDS * MATERNITY
LADIES * MENS * PLUS * JUNIORS

DESIGNER BRAND NAMES!

NEW, PRE-OWNED, & VINTAGE ITEMS

ART * BOOKS * GIFTS * HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
HOME DÉCOR * ECLECTIC COLLECTIBLES
GAMES * TOYS * & SO MUCH MORE!

NEW ITEMS EVERY WEEK!!
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Our Hours of Operation will be:

MONDAY - FRIDAY 9AM - 6PM SATURDAY 10AM - 4PM

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Tons of designer and brand names in our inventory will include:

Tommy Hilfiger, Express, Banana Republic, Guess, Forever 21, Cato, Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale, Hot Topic, Calvin Klein, Roxy, Eddie Bauer, Ecko Red, American Rag, Anne Klein, Gap, Old Navy, Gymboree, Victoria's Secret, Liz Claiborne, Nine West, Nike, Osh Kosh, Ralph Lauren, and so many more!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Opening Soon! No specific date yet, but sometime in the next month is what I am shooting for!

Thanks for reading all of my random crap... lol!

Deja Vu Thrift Shop Mission Statement

DÉJÀ VU THRIFT STORE MISSION STATEMENT

Our store mission is to provide quality new, pre-owned, & vintage items at not only affordable prices, but at the best prices you’ll find. In these times of a struggling economy, especially in St. Bernard parish, where there are many still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, we want to offer clothing and household items that are affordable to everyone.

Our pre-owned and vintage items are inspected and sold only in a clean, wearable condition. We don’t specialize in a particular style of clothing, we specialize in the quality and condition of the clothing. Offering a vast assortment of clothing such as casual, career, formal, modern, vintage, trendy, designer, retro, goth, the unusual and offbeat, childrens and adults of all sizes, there is surely something for everyone at our store.

We would like to think a visit to our store not only saves you on gas from traveling to a mall or boutique in another city, but that you will be able to find the same quality and style of items at our shop that can be found in those establishments. We offer brand new and pre-owned clothing with the same brands you will find in the mall, but at a fraction of the cost.

We also offer a huge assortment of household items and eclectic collectibles at low prices. Shopping with us for those needs will also save you money on a trip to a specialty store or antique shop. Spending your money within our parish ensures that your tax dollars are being put right back into our own community.

Our store is also proud to offer pre-owned items as we feel it is Earth-Friendly and is our way of helping to recycle and reduce unnecessary waste. We accept and greatly appreciate any and all donations of unwanted items you may have.

We also donate items regularly within St. Bernard Parish to community organizations that are in need of clothing for underprivileged families or individuals. We also offer gift certificates to local churches and community organizations so that they may distribute them to families or individuals in need.

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Also, I have a myspace profile for my shop! Check it out and add us to your friends list if you like. http://www.myspace.com/dejavuthriftshop

Also, if you have any questions about the shop, you can email me at dejavuthriftshop@yahoo.com and I will post answers here on the blog.

And thank you Danah for the comment! Miss you guys!!

Logo

I have decided on a logo for the thrift shop and thought I would share it.

Getting Ready

So I am in the process of opening up a thrift shop. I have plenty of inventoryand I am right now in the process of pricing the items. This week I am on the hunt for a location.

(THESE ARE THE PICTURES OF THE STATE OF THE THRIFT SHOP NOW...LOL... I know, what a mess haha)

We will offer new, pre-owned, and vintage items. Mostly clothing, but we will also have art, household items, etc..

I have an ebay store as well, which is how I make my living as of now. I plan to continue working on my online store. http://www.heatherssecrettreasures.com/

Although there isn't much in my online store right now as I've been devoting almost ALL of my free time to working on the thrift shop.

I am posting a few pics of how things look now..lol. Just for some before and after shots. Right now its just a building filled with boxes and boxes of inventory.

I can't wait to see how it progresses myself LOL.