The idea for Seeds and Sprouts Kids was started in a living room in August 2017. Founding partners, Sally Ann Mertens and Jamaica Toeung have 7 children between them and about half that many minutes of free time in any given day. That said, these mamas LOVE consignment sales…the thrill of finding a great bargain, the fun of spending time with other frugal-minded parents, and let’s face it, any way to save cash in the midst of child rearing is not only welcomed, but essential in this day and age.
Despite their love for the sale, Jamaica and Sally Ann felt that no matter which sale they went to, something (or some things) were missing. They dreamed of what it’d be like to create a consignment community where both the consignors and shoppers felt valued and welcomed, and they laughed over some of the out-of-the-box ideas they had. But what motivated them to actually launch Seeds and Sprouts Kids was hearing about the crisis in the WNC foster care community and realizing that a new consignment sale business could be a huge blessing and benefit to this critical part of the WNC community.
At Seeds and Sprouts Kids, licensed foster care families in WNC are offered an opportunity to shop for free through unsold items marked as “donate” at the end of the sale. After this shopping time, any remaining items go directly to local foster care closets. Additionally, Seeds and Sprouts Kids donates a portion of its profits back to the WNC foster care community. When a foster family gets called to accept the placement of a new child in their home, they often have a day’s notice or less. Closets, like the ones Seeds and Sprouts Kids assists in filling, are essential to helping those families adequately prepare for their placements.
With this partnership in place, any items that consignors opt to mark as “donations” that do not ultimately sell during the presale or public sale dates will go directly to support WNC foster care families and foster care children. Additionally, items that cannot be accepted during drop-off due to reasons aside from safety/recall can be immediately donated upon consignor request.
Seeds and Sprouts Kids' first event was a great success in April 2018 with over 150 participating consignors, and the WNC foster care impact started strong. Over 25 foster families were able to participate in the "Foster Family Free Shop" at the conclusion of the sale and went home with over 800 items for their families. In addition, donations from Seeds and Sprouts Kids helped two new foster closets in Buncombe county stock their shelves. Two additional recipients of donations from the spring sale were the Junior Welfare Club of Hendersonville and Abba's House in Asheville.
Register now as a consignor, volunteer, new mom, and/or foster family at: www.seedsandsproutskids.com/login. Additionally, you can find Seeds and Sprouts Kids on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Here are the details about our fall sale:
-Event Name: Seeds and Sprouts Kids Fall/Winter Consignment Sale
-Date/Time: October 6 (8-8pm), October 7 (12-3pm): most items 50%-off
-Location: Xcel Sportsplex, 37 Maxwell Drive, Hendersonville (exit 44 off I-26)
