About Shar's Consignment

The Story Behind Shar’s Consignment

When I was in college, my idea of success was pretty simple: I wanted a job that made a lot of money. I grew up poor and lived in government housing, so financial security was very important to me.

But while attending the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas, I heard something in chapel that changed the way I thought about my future: You spend about 40 years of your life working, so make sure you’re doing something you truly enjoy.

Another saying also stuck with me: You’re either working for someone else’s dream or you’re working for your own.

At the time, I was working three and sometimes four jobs to put myself through college. I was willing to come in early, stay late, and work hard, but there were many times when I felt like that hard work wasn’t appreciated. I began thinking about what it would look like to put that same effort into building something of my own.

Looking back, I believe the Lord was already putting the pieces together that would eventually lead me to open a consignment store.

One of my jobs was sitting with an elderly woman who had Alzheimer’s. When I came to work on Saturdays, her daughter would tell me about the great garage sales she had found and the things she thought I might like. Eventually, she began taking me with her.

It didn’t take me long to discover that I could buy good items at garage sales and take them to consignment stores to earn a little extra money. What started as a way to supplement my income planted the seed for something much bigger.

The more I thought about my future, the more I realized that I wanted to reap the benefits of my own hard work. I knew I wanted to open a consignment store.

There was just one problem: I was turned down for the loan.

Instead of stopping me, that made me even more determined. I decided I would open the store without borrowing the money—and without a bank making money off my dream.

So I worked.

I worked full-time at Baylor and part-time at the Elite Cafe in Waco. I saved my money, searched for used equipment, and waited for the right location. Little by little, the pieces began falling into place.

Then the location I had been hoping for became available.

In 1995, I opened my first consignment store in Waco, Texas.

From the beginning, I had big goals. One of those goals was to expand within three years, and within that time I opened my Temple location.

Shortly afterward, I got married and was living in Round Rock. I knew I didn't want to spend my life driving the interstate between Round Rock and Waco, so I eventually sold the Waco store and poured my time, energy, and heart into the Temple location.

And Temple became home.

Nearly 30 years later, I’m still here.

But somewhere along the way, Shar’s became about much more to me than owning my own business.

Because of the way I grew up, I understand what it feels like to want the nice clothes and name brands that other people are wearing but not have a lot of money to spend. One of the things I love most about consignment is that it gives people—and especially young people and families—the opportunity to wear the brands and styles they love at a fraction of what they would cost new.

I love knowing that someone can walk into Shar’s, find something they feel great wearing, and afford it without breaking their budget.

And there’s another side of consignment that I love just as much.

Shar’s doesn't only benefit the person buying the clothes. It benefits the people who bring them to us, too. Instead of clothing sitting unworn in a closet, our consignors have an opportunity to turn those items back into money.

Over the years, through payments to our consignors, Shar’s has put literally hundreds of thousands of dollars back into our local community. That is something I’m incredibly proud of. The money generated through this little store doesn't just stop with me—it goes back into the hands of the people and families who live right here in our community.

When I look back, I can see how God used things that seemed completely unrelated at the time—a childhood without much money, working my way through college, a chapel message, an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s, Saturday garage sales, a loan rejection, long hours at two jobs, and a dream I couldn't shake—to lead me exactly where I was supposed to be.

Shar’s Consignment was built on hard work, perseverance, faith, and the belief that something valuable deserves another chance.

That was true of the things I found at those first garage sales, and in many ways, it has been true of my own story too.

I’m incredibly thankful for every consignor, customer, employee, and friend who has become part of Shar’s story over the years. What began as one young woman’s dream in 1995 has grown into a business that has helped people save money, earn money, and enjoy great clothing for nearly three decades.

And after all these years, I still love what I do.