ROANOKE, Va. – Organizers of a highly-anticipated kids’ consignment shopping event are going virtual until they can host the event in person at the Berglund Center again.
The annual Lauren’s Friends & Alex (LFA) Kids consignment event is a staple for Roanoke Valley parents trying to keep up with their kids’ growth spurts.
The event is usually held twice annually, once in spring and once in fall, but this year’s March event was postponed to June because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ellen Cleveland is the owner of LFA Kids and she came up with the idea to have this week’s “Virtual Mini Sale.”
“The intention was to help people who need clothes right now,” Cleveland said. “So we opened it up to about 50 consigners to bring us a limited number of just clothing and shoes so we can do some virtual shopping for about 40 people.”
After signing up for a slot online, you can use Skype, FaceTime or Facebook Messenger to connect with a personal shopper. Your shopper will help you look through different sizes, colors and brands of clothes and shoes. Then, they will box them up and set them outside for you pick up.
“It’ll just be like a normal conversation with a friend,” said Jennifer Kidder, one of the personal shoppers. “But here I am saying, ‘Do you like this outfit? Do you like this outfit? Do you like these shorts?’ You say ‘Yes’ and we buy it.”
Providing consigners like Ryan Michalski a way to clean out their clutter.
“It’s been sitting there since March,” Michalski said. “Waiting, and I’m tired of it being there and I’m anxious for it to get out.”
And now buyers have a way to find something that fits.
“So we hope this is going to be a good way to help people, tie them over until the event in June so we can see them again,” Cleveland said.
This week’s virtual mini sale is happening Thursday through Saturday. Click here to sign up online for a time to shop.