A Mom-to-Mom Sale is essentially a huge sale where you can buy gently used baby and kids' items directly from sellers. You can get great deals on second hand baby clothing, kids' clothing, toys, games, furniture and gear. You are also introduced to some local Mompreneurs!
A friend of mine had a table at the sale so I went to drop off a few of my own baby items, hoping to make a few $$$. I wasn't really planning on buying anything but when I got there the deals were too hard to pass by.
I was also surprised to see so many Momprenurs at the sale. I went thinking it was much like a indoor yard sale but surprisingly I was blown away by all the crafty moms promoting and selling their hand-made goodies. I think I have mentioned before that I am a huge fan of ETSY and this sale was like shopping on ETSY but without the shipping.
Before I mention any of the amazing Mompreneurs or their products I want you to know that I did not receive any monetary compensation for promoting these individuals or their products and any statements made are strictly my opinions. I am promoting the following mompreneurs because I feel they have good products and I am more than happy to use my blog platform to raise awareness about other hard working moms!
The first items I purchased were made by Little Leggings By Lynn She is a local Mompreneur who creates unique handcrafted children's fashions and accessories. She was very pleasant to deal with and her products were absolutely adorable. I bought some of these and some of these. Her prices were very reasonable. $8/pair of leggings. This is a steal considering some baby boutiques sell them for $20+.
After I had bought one of her dresses I realized it had one flaw. Many of the Etsy designers are switching to a safer style pillow case dress pattern. Long straps near the the necks of young children could possibly endanger a child. The one I bought had straps that you pull to tighten and loosen the dress around the neck. Overall, I think she has a great business started and she will definately be getting more purchases from me.
Next I stopped by Little Jenny Wren's table. Jen is a mompreneur who has a love for upcycling and crocheting. I purchased these two items
She had a wonderful assortment to share with her customers. She makes adorable hats, chenille bibs, hair accessories, crayon roles and upcycled kids clothing. I absolutely love her idea of upcycling clothing.
I even convinced her to give me a lesson on threading a sewing machine. I am so going to hold her to that promise! Definately check out her Etsy store for your little ones or your next baby shower purchase.
If you are looking to experience some true sewing talent you need to check out Terri's Krafty Korner from Janetville, Ontario. She can be reached at terriskraftykorner@msn.com.
I chose to purchase two of her handmade reusable lunch bags similar to these ones.
Reusable Snack Bags are a great alternative to zip lock bags
100% designer cotton exterior. The interior is made with water resistant food safe nylon with an easy Velcro closure. Easy to clean. Wipe out with a damp cloth to clean or machine wash and line dry or low tumble dry.
Also, how cute would it be to give this pouch to a child to carry their crayons, small toys, or anything you can think of.
Her prices were outstanding. One reusable lunch bag was $4 and anything comparable on Etsy sells for $6.50-$8.00. She was also selling quilts, blankets, and charm bookmarks.
If you are looking for "loot bags" for a birthday party or need a baby shower basket made, then you need to contact Mama's Loot Bags. Angela and Sandra, are the owner and creators of Mama's Loot Bags. They base their business out of Peterborough, Ontario. They are two moms who started this business as a way to earn an income, all the while balancing the demands of a family and spending quality time with their kids. They have a selection of gender based goodie bags in the $6-$7 range. These are the two that I purchased much to Sapphire and Opal's delight!
The company also delivers inside Peterborough and they can customize to suit the theme of the party!
I also want to note that the Mom2Mom sale is not all about baby products.
Amanda O'Neil is a very successful local consultant of Pampered Chef. She had a table that she used to book shows, promote Pampered Chef products and she even gave visitors a chance to win a free piece of Stoneware.
Amanda is very engaging and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to those "oh so delicious" pampered chef recipes. She is very familiar with all the Pampered Chef products because she uses them on a daily basis while cooking for her kids and husband. Her success as a consultant has earned her several trips. She is also a wonderful volunteer in our community and has held several Pampered Chef shows with proceeds being donated to charities.
So if you are a representative of Avon, Party Lights, Mary Kay then maybe you could consider getting a table at the next Mom2Mom sale.
Finally, I wan't to offer these few tips to make your trip to a Mom2Mom sale go as smoothly as possible.
If you can not leave your children at home then a good idea is to come with a smaller sized stroller or baby carrier for smaller infants. It was very busy and those big strollers are extremely difficult to manouver through a crowd of people
Be kind and bring some smaller change with you. A lot of the used items were priced at $1-$5 and most people came with $20 dollar bills in their wallets
Bring a reusable bag with you to stash all your purchases
Always try to barter with the sellers. Most moms are very willing to negotiate pricing or throw in an extra book or bib with any purchase you make.
If you are wondering when the next Mom2Mom sale is in your area than keep checking the local paper.
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4 comments:
I've been going to these for a few years now...they are at different places all the time and some (sales) are small and quaint. I think this last one (in PTBO) was their biggest one. To be honest they are hit and miss...I've been to some that are fantastic and some that weren't. I'm so happy you mentioned Moma's Loot Bags on your blog. They are my neighbors and are really great. I'll let them know you liked their stuff!
Yes, I guess it's like any yard sale {hit or miss}
I just really liked this show bc of all the handmade items I saw. Not sure if they are all like that.
I thought that Mama's Loot bags were priced well for what you got in the bag. By the time you go to the $ store and gather all the items you really aren't going to be any farther ahead.
Plus it wasn't full of candy which I find most loot bags have in them. If you're opposed to $ store toys than they had a envirofriendly plant as a favour to give guests. I find sometimes $ toys fall apart as soon as they go to play with them.
Thanks for the comment Nichole
Hey Crystal- thanks for the plug. Will be updating my Etsy website soon.
Also-- there are several websites that list mom to mom sales-- just google "mom to mom" or "mom2mom". The last one I went to was called a "kid to kid". I found a bunch of them listed on kijiji under garage sales or community events.
The mompreneurs at these sales is kindof a new thing. Usually at trade shows they charge upwards of $150 for a table- and for people like me that just do it on the side, that is not feasible. So this way, it's a good rate for the table and you have your niche market right there. I will say it is hit and miss as the pp said...sometimes people want used cheap stuff and are not necessarily prepared to pay for handmade stuff, even if its at reasonable prices.
I'll let you know when the next one is!
I think I'll have to hit up some of the trade shows bc I absolutely loved the handmade items yesterday. I will have to sale that the used clothing was much cheaper than any second hand kids clothing store that I've ever been too. Most items were priced $2-$5. At the used clothing stores most price higher bc they have to split the profit with whomever donated the clothing. Just thought I would point that out for those who shop at places like Recycled Kids etc.
Thanks for the comment!
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