Since I can’t seem to ask a question without silently answering it myself, here’s what I would have entered in our Kate’s 35th Consignment Anniversary Celebration & Giveaway. Maybe some of these are new to your perception of your business; others may be feasible to add to your professional bag o’trix.

This is what I would have answered if asked “How are you helping improve the visibility and public perception not only of your own shop, but of our industry in general?”

• Referring other shops to my customers when I couldn’t fulfill their needs this visit: That’s everything from having your peers’ contact info readily accessible to actually calling the shop across town and asking the shopkeeper if they can help my customer.
• Working with my local marketplace’s resale shops: Joint shopping guides, ads, promotional events, maintaining a local group’s web site  are just some ideas that help you, help them, and help the image of resale. Imagine what you could do together that might be too much effort or money separately. Imagine if  you could motivate all 3 or 30 of your neighbor resalers to join with your listing at HowToConsign.com. My goodness, there would be vans-ful of shoppers converging on your little burg from all directions.
• Sharing deals. Price breaks on quantity ordering of supplies. Calling your resale peers when you come across a great deal…for 15 showcases, “must buy all.” Going together to buy one full page ad in the holiday shopping supplement of your local paper, then divvying it up yourselves.
• Mentoring a fellow citizen. Whether it’s letting a new shop know you’re willing to help, or going in front of a gaggle of 10th graders who are interested in entrepreneurship, paying it forward is good for you, your soul, and your business.
• Stepping up to the plate. We saw it happen most vividly after Hurricane Katrina. (Some of the links in that area of TGtbT.com may not work; it’s old news but full of inspiring ideas and actions.) But even just volunteering to help at a local NFP shop’s big sale or loaning racks to a newbie ’til she finds some deals, is helping the image of resale. And building relationships for when the time comes (and you know it will) when you will need a favor.
• Working with “shop local” events. What’s more local than resale? Ditto working with local eco-groups. Ditto working with charities near to your clientele’s hearts. In other words, being a participating memebr of your local community.
• Shopping resale myself, whenever possible. As a first choice. To save your wallet, to support your neighbors, to be able to proudly say “Yes, and I bought it used!”