Winter weather had me stuck inside with no outdoor adventures in sight for the week, so what type of adventure could I have? Hmmmm. I decided to clean out my closets a bit, find some hiking and snow clothes that I wasn’t using and try and find a new home for them. I had previously taken a few loads to our local outdoor consignment store in town called Alpenglow Gear Co. and it was time to take in some more items, maybe make a little money and check out what new things they may have.
When I clean out closets and drawers, I try and find good homes for the items when I can. Things go to Manna House, Goodwill, Disabled Vets (DAV) but sometimes it is hard to part with hiking and camping gear. Sometimes those items haven’t hardly been used and I just know that there could be someone out there that could use that item. That is where Alpenglow comes in to play. They opened up last May.
The owners are Travis Shatka and Russell Brechbuehl, both born here and their friendship started in these local roots. Both are avid climbers. Travis coaches climbing teams. Russell has worked as a rope access worker, a person who uses ropes and harnesses to get to high-up or confined places. If you wonder what a rope access worker is, they are very skilled and certified, providing services such as windmill maintenance, spanning building maintenance, industrial safety, and even production rigging on film and TV sets.
They both have traveled around the country and observed consignment stores for outdoor equipment but noticed the lack of one in the Oakhurst area, gateway to Yosemite and wonderful nearby places to experience outdoor adventures. So they started one.
Whether you are cleaning out your closet, need some extra money, need some outdoor clothes but don’t want to pay full price, Alpenglow may be the right store for you. I have stopped by in the past and seen people score big on kid’s jackets. Once I saw someone who had out of town guests come in and they didn’t have gloves but found them at Alpenglow without having to invest much money.
Travis also shared with me that they recently consigned items from federal workers who were furloughed during the Federal Government shutdown and that they have provided over $25,000 in consignment funds to their customers. They haven’t even been open a year yet and think of how those funds have been spent in our community to help many more people!
I brought in a few things from my closet on the day of this adventure and consigned them for sale. I thought you might like to learn about what is involved with this process. I had previously brought things in and signed a contract with them when I started but if this is your first time with them, you will need to do that. Here are some of the details entailed in that contract.
Terms of Consignment:
The consignor shall receive a percentage of the final sale price for each item as determined on a sliding scale, depending on the pricing category entered. Pricing categories are as follows:
$0-$74.98 Consignor will receive 60% of final sale +10% bonus if funds are used in store.
$74.99-$249.98 Consignor will receive 65% of final sale +10% bonus if funds are used in store.
$249.99-UP Consignor will receive 70% of final sale +10% bonus if funds are used in store.
Time Limit & Markdown Schedule:
From the date of input. Consignors are agreeing to leave items at store for a minimum of 45 days. Each item has 90 days to sell at full price. After 90 days, items will be marked down by 10%. At 120 days the items will be marked down 20% below original list price. At 150 days the item will be marked down 30% below original list price. At 180 days the item will become expired. Consignors are responsible for retrieving any unsold items after the 180-day expiration date. Items will become property of AGC if they are not retrieved within 30 days of expiring and may be donated at the discretion of AGC.
While Travis and Katie examined what I had brought in and started listing it, I walked around the store to see what they had.
Shoes and boots.
Quite a few children’s winter clothes.
A whole row of backpacks.
This is a good opportunity to show you how the pricing works. I took a closer look at this Osprey Kestrel 48 Day Pack to illustrate the pricing and I borrowed an explanation that Russell had previously written up the process.
For those curious about sales at Alpenglow, the entire store is set to go down in price the longer each item stays here. After 90 days on our shelves the price drops by 10% and subsequently 10% more each thirty days thereafter. You can check the dates on each tag to see if the price has changed yet.
So, for this pack, it lists for $180, was originally listed for sale at Alpenglow for $120, dropped to $108 and January 1 and the price has now dropped to $96. So it pays to check back often for new inventory and price drops.
I continued checking out what they had and the next area had skis and boots.
Quite a few maps.
Books
Bicycles and cycling clothes.
Quite a selection of winter hats.
And quite a few winter jackets. I pulled out a North Face Women’s jacket for the details.
I didn’t purchase anything on this visit but I did receive some money from my consignment sales which was very nice and much appreciated.
Where is Alpenglow Gear Co. located? They are on the north end of Oakhurst on the east side of Highway 41 in the Silver Creek shopping center next to Moxie Salon, and across the street from the Oakhurst Fruit Stand. Their address is 40879 Highway 41 Suite 1F and you can reach them at (559) 800-8099. Their current hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Alpenglow Facebook Page is a great way to check out new items that have arrived.
Map:
Alpenglow Gear Co. 40879 Highway 41 Suite 1F, Oakhurst
Sources:
