m i a d d e s i g n s Consignment Shoppe

I am a mother of two. I have stayed at home with them in order to give them what I lost to a car accident at the age of 8: a mom. I love being their mom; they are both in high school now and helping them to foster their own gifts and talents has been a blessing beyond measure for me to give to them. I, however, need to show them that my own education and hard work that I put in at their age and in college is ready to be activated alongside their blossoming dreams. I am a "connector" - I love to connect people and ideas. I also love data and streamlining and organizing. I have a passion for “good finds” and helping people. I have always said that if I could have a perpetual garage sale, I would. I found my dream space (or it found me) in a quaint place called the Cotton Exchange in Downtown Wilmington, NC. When I walked into it, my ideas and years of brainstorming were awoken. I have never felt so sure about how to finally use my natural gifts and talents. I want to open and run a Consignment Shoppe that will enable me to do all of the above and bless others in the process.  I am always helping people to organize and find myself coaching them on how to get rid of things that they no longer need. The hard part for most is that they don’t know what they need and don’t need anymore. Many are affected emotionally by this. “Hoarding disorder occurs in an estimated 2 to 6 percent of the population and often leads to substantial distress and problems functioning” (psychiatry.org).  I have a dream, a vision and a mission to help people to turn their excess into goods for others. In an effort to reduce waste, clutter and stress, consigning allows us to do just that - and we all make or save money in the process. All consignors whose items do not sell have the option to donate to an organization called Catie's Closet as well as to our local Domestic Violence Organization, Vintage Values. I know now why I never "knew what I wanted to be when I grew up”; my dream just took a little more time to be realized for the sake of my kids to have their mom.