As Fall approaches, many people start to think about redecorating the inside of their homes. For those undergoing such an endeavor, a little hand to a charity can also be part of the project.
Divine Consign is a Clark County community fundraising organization located in the heart of Vancouver. This upscale furniture consignment store, operated by volunteers, opened in 2005 and has since turned gently-used, donated and consigned furniture into money for local charities in Clark County.
Linda Glover, executive director of Divine Consign, said the purpose is to help local charities while also having the furniture owners get some of the profits as well.
"The purpose is to help local charities that are always in need of money," said Glover. "A lot of people want money for their furniture so this way everyone can earn some money."
Divine Consign provides the community the opportunity to donate household goods to a charity of their choice two different ways.
The first way can be considered as a donated item to Divine Consign as a gift. The Donor can recommend a specific organization that will receive a share of the proceeds.
The second option is having the home furnishings consigned to the store. Consignor receives 50 percent of the selling price and Divine Consign retains the other 50 percent of the selling price to contribute to a charity of the client’s choice.
When someone wants to consign an item, an appraiser will talk with the owner about what is a fair price for the piece of furniture.
According to Glover, on average, the store donates around $600 to charities, while also providing thousands of dollars worth of grants to charities per month.
"We raise a lot of money for charities, which is amazing to see," said Glover. "Another way we help raise money is by doing upholstery."
Eluid Grajalva, the experienced and talented upholsterer at Divine Consign, is available to help make decisions about design and color. A person purchasing or bringing in a piece to reupholster can order fabric from sample books at the store or bring in fabric for Grajalva to work with as well.
"A lot of people come and like a piece, but not the color or fabric," said Glover. "Now, we sell even more pieces because of the option to have it reupholstered is available."
Glover said with a 10,000 square foot showroom floor, the stock is always changing, allowing for people to constantly donate their gently-used home furnishings for some extra money.
"When we first opened and had all this space, I thought I would never be able to fill this place," she said. "Now It’s packed and we are constantly getting new things in the door every day. It’s wonderful to see how much the community cares about helping local charities."
Divine Consign is located at 904 Main St., in Downtown Vancouver. For more information visit www.divineconsignfurniture.org or call (360) 695-6443.