The Posh Whale Sale is returning October 23-26, 2019!
Sisters Maranda Tamson and Kara Gaynos didn’t necessarily intend to go into business together. But last year, they took over the popular Posh Whale Upscale Consignment Sale.
For over a decade, the Posh Whale Upscale Consignment Sale has been bringing Cape Fear Families a new and unique kind of consignment sale. The focus at Posh Whale is on high quality, brand name, top-condition clothes for kids.
A Different Sort of Retailer
“We are so different,” Maranda said of Posh Whale. “We are able to offer parents the opportunity to buy specialty clothing you can’t get at the mall. Unfortunately, despite how much Wilmington has grown, there still isn’t a large selection of high end stores for children.”
Maranda knows the market, too. She and Kara aren’t just the new business owners, they are long-time Wilmington residents and moms themselves.
“We started shopping Posh Whale years ago,” Maranda explained. “We jokingly said to the owners [at the time] that if they were ever interested in selling they should talk to us because we love it so much!”
Two years later, here they are.
As owners, Maranda and Kara are working hard to maintain the essence of Posh Whale Upscale Consignment Sale, sticking to the basics of the sale that first attracted them as shoppers. All clothes sizes newborn to 4 are still name-brand only, boutique-style clothes.
But over the years, Posh Whale Sale has grown fast. At the spring sale, kids clothing will go all the way up to size 14. Clothing sizes 5 to 14 will not have to be name-brand, but they will still be in great condition. The rules are: no stains, no tears, no holes, and current styles.
The Posh Whale fills a niche
“Kids of all ages grow so fast,” Maranda said. “They cycle through clothes so fast, that it is great for parents to be able to ‘recycle’ old clothes but also get new ones in great condition for their kids.”
In addition to clothes for kids ages newborn to 14, Posh Whale Upscale Consignment Sale will also have gear, toys, board games, dress-up clothes, and books for consignment as well.
The sister duo knows firsthand how busy life can be for parents, too, and now offer a concierge service for those with items to consign and sell. If parents simply don’t have the time to price, tag, and enter all their items, Posh Whale can help. The team will come and pick up the items, then prepare them for the sale (the fee for the concierge service is assessed through a small percentage of the final purchase price).
“I love this,” Maranda explained of the concierge service, “because with the way the world is now, I personally have a safety concern about selling things online. I don’t want strangers to come to my house and know where I live, especially since my kids live there, too. So for Posh Whale Sale, we have found an answer to this and can help give parents safety and security.”
A perennial favorite
There are two sales a year, one in spring and one in fall. Seasonal items (swimsuits in the spring and Halloween costumes in the fall, for example), are available. The sale is usually held over a few days, and dozens of volunteers help each time. Shopping opens at various times, with separate slots for volunteers, consignors, new moms, grandparents, and the general public. On the last day of the sale, most remaining items are offered half-off.
Posh Whale Sale also gives back to the community, allowing them to make the sale days not just about beautiful consigned clothes, but also about a community coming together. For their Spring 2019 sale, for example, items tagged for donation that do not sell will be given to Foster Pantry, and there will be a “Charity Hour” at the sale, where $10 at the door will also be donated to Foster Pantry. Given that over 1,000 shoppers attended the Fall 2018 Posh Whale Upscale Consignment Sale, shoppers and consignors can make a big impact.
As Maranda and Kara count down the days until the Spring 2019 sale (see poshwhalesale.com for all the details), their lives are busy. But for the sisters, it truly is an act of love.
“I love every piece of Posh Whale,” Maranda shared. “I love doing this with my sister, I love a good deal, I love good clothes, and I love being able to connect families in Wilmington.”
Read more about the upcoming Posh Whale Sale!
Learn more about Posh Whale Upscale Consignment Sale by visiting poshwhalesale.com or following them on https://www.facebook.com/ThePoshWhaleUpscaleConsignmentSale/Facebook.