In just one year, KalamazooKitty.com has grown from the empty store owner Kitty Copeland opened in June 2011 to 11,000 square feet packed full of used furniture, decor, dishes, jewelry and more.
Before opening
KalamazooKitty.com at 4217 Portage Road in Kalamazoo, Copeland had been a designer for seven years. Her struggles to find antique and unique pieces for her work spurred her to open the quality home consignment store.
Copeland, who has one employee, found the storefront because she knew the building owners. Located just north of I-94, the Milwood neighborhood store pulls customers from as far away as Chicago, Indiana and Detroit, Copeland says. Customers find the store through social media such as Facebook, Craig's List and Twitter, but primarily through word of mouth.
"People who like this kind of thing seem to know how to find them," Copeland says.
Volunteers help out in the store, primarily people who are selling items there. In addition to the typical consignment set-up, Copeland has 13 booths for people who pay a monthly fee for an area where they bring in, price, tag and display their own items.
"The booths offer a great variety and blend in with the rest of the store," Copeland says. "Some people don't even realize the difference."
Copeland says she is happy with how business is going.
"I've tossed around the idea of opening another location," Copeland says. "I get people in about once a week asking me to open in their location. But I have to stay on top of the displays and everything here. I don't want to spread myself too thin."
The store changes every day as new items are brought in and old items are sold.
"Some days we get 200 things in," Copeland says. "It's crazy the amount of stuff that comes in. And that amount of stuff leaves, too. It's a constant cycling of items and displays."
The store is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and closed Sundays and Mondays.
"We have a mix of everything and the prices are reasonable," Copeland says. "It's a place for people to sell what they don't need and buy inexpensively what they do need, which is great with the economy where it is right now."
Writer: Fran Wilcox, Second Wave Media
Source: Kitty Copeland, KalamazooKitty.com
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