One of my favorite consignment shops in Evansville, The Day School's fundraising Opportunity Shop, is set to close this spring.

According to an email sent this morning,

Since 1959, The Opportunity Shop has been a wonderful and important part of Evansville Day School. Created to support student scholarships, school improvements, and general operations, the "Op Shop" has raised significant funds through resale and consignment, all of which have gone back to the school.

As with other resale stores, the Op Shop has not performed as well as hoped in recent years due to a variety of factors, including online shopping, a more crowded resale market, increase in paid staff, and shifting demographics. To counter these challenges, Op Shop staff and volunteers in partnership with school administration have implemented a variety of strategies with the goal of enhanced operations and revenue. These included hiring a marketing intern, repricing inventory, rebranding, digital and traditional advertising, and refreshing the store's interior.

Concurrent with these efforts a task force of Trustees, parents in the retail industry, and school administrators analyzed the feasibility of the Op Shop, as the store's lease is set to expire in the coming months. The task force discussed relocating, changing the model, further marketing efforts, and more. Ultimately, they concluded the Op Shop is no longer a viable auxiliary revenue source for the school. The Board unanimously voted to accept the recommendation to close the Op Shop effective March 17, 2018.

This difficult decision was not made lightly or hastily, and we are confident increased student enrollment and other auxiliary revenue programs will ensure Day School's vibrancy now and into the future. For almost 60 years the Op Shop has been led and cared for by a committed staff and volunteers, and we celebrate their contributions to Evansville Day School. We are working with the current employees to help them transition. In the meantime we are preparing for a store closing sale starting January 29. January 20 will be the final day the Op Shop will accept donations or consignments. Evansville Rescue Mission and Back Porch Consignments are among several options for donating or consigning items.

I'm so sad! I love this place and I'm sad to see it go. But, the space will be open and it's a great place for a consignment shop! HINT HINT!

 

 

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