News-Record.com

GREENSBORO - When there's more month than money, people start hunting for extra cash.

And nowadays, folks are finding it in places they may not have looked before: the closet, the china cabinet, the far corners of the jewelry box.

Consignment shops and other merchants who purchase items for resale say they've noticed an increase in business in recent months as higher prices on just about everything continue to squeeze paychecks.

To be sure, not everyone selling possessions is strapped for cash. Some are just looking for a little extra money for vacations or cleaning out clutter, retailers said.

But Jody Martin has certainly noticed an increase. The owner of the consignment store Rubenesque for Less on Carroll Street, Martin has seen more customers inquiring about consigning the items they no longer wear.

"People would rather make money than give it away," Martin said.

More potential sellers started coming by this spring, she said.

"But it's really picked up now with people dropping in things in the last three weeks," she added.

Ask Gail Gentry if she's noticed an uptick, and she has a quick answer: "Tons."

Wednesday afternoon, she barely had time to grab a bite between consignment appointments and customers.

"It just seems like an ongoing thing," said Gentry, the owner of Gail's Consignment Shop on Spring Garden Street.

"People realize they can make money on clothes they aren't going to wear anymore that are in good condition," said the 20-year consignment veteran. "People are looking to make money and save money."

And, she added, whenever the economy slows, more customers and sellers show up.

Officials at Replacements Ltd., the Greensboro company that trades in dinnerware, tableware and crystal, have noticed a similar phenomenon.

The number of inquires and calls to the company's purchasing department is up about 10 percent on average, said company President Scott Fleming, with the increase coinciding with the economic slowdown.

"They're turning something in their home into disposable income from themselves," Fleming said. "The economy has brought sellers out of the woodwork for sure."

At all the retailers, the amount sellers receive depends on the condition and demand for the items.

But in selling to Replacements, a company that usually reunites people with treasured possessions, the voluntary separation of owner and item often has an emotional price.

Some of the stories are heartbreaking, Fleming said.

"People say they're selling it for gas money. People are in tears on the phone."

Contact Lanita Withers at 373-7071 or lanita.withers@news-record.com