A new shop has opened in downtown Ronceverte – Mountain Mama’s Consignment!
After ample planning, manager and owner Sunny Sanchez explained that with the help of her two partners, Melanie Tucker and Emily Pacheco, the shop is offering consignment clothes, retail, earrings, accessories and more. Sanchez explained the shop was named because “We’re all moms, so we decided on Mountain Mama.”
The grand opening was held on September 18, a day the team celebrated in person and on social media. Sanchez explained how the shop came to be through several partnerships and local helping hands.
“First I went to [Mayor] Deena Pack and [Councilmember Tanya Hazelwood], and Tanya knows everybody. … There are so many people that are making things and selling things and stuff like that these days. I got hooked up with Melanie Tucker and Emily Pacheco – Emily was selling dresses at her shop every once in a while and a friend of mine knew about Melanie because she does earrings at different places. I got a hold of them, told them this is my idea. I’d really like to get together and do a partnership for a consignment/more of what you guys do, but together.
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| Emily Pacheco, Sunny Sanchez, and Melanie Tucker, at the grand opening of Mountain Mama Consignment. |
Finding a building proved tricky, but the team pulled it off with a little connecting help.
“We looked for months for a building because no one in Ronceverte wants to get rid of their buildings,” Sanchez said. “Tanya actually got a hold of the owner [of the building] and she mentioned us to him. I talked to him about it and we went from there. We redid the entire thing, we ripped out a bathroom and made a fitting room, redid the entire inside so it’s really cute.”
Opening specifically in Ronceverte was a priority for the beginning business.
“I actually moved back here from Florida,” Sanchez explained. “Plato’s Closet was big there, [a business that buys and sells gently used clothing for children], and I went down to the kid’s consignment in Ronceverte and after that I thought ‘there’s no retail.’ … I grew up in Ronceverte, I moved back from Florida so my kids could grow up in Ronceverte and go to Ronceverte schools. I wanted to keep it in Ronceverte, I didn’t want to go to Fairlea or Lewisburg. … I was in the medical field for 12 years, so it’s like a breath of fresh air to play with clothes. … It’s been a lot of fun.”
Although consignment shops frequently will sell items for a percentage on behalf of individuals, Mountain Mama is not set up that far yet. Inside, Sanchez is offering cash for slightly used clothes.
“Instead of [people] putting stuff in and people getting a percentage of what they sell, I’m just doing a buyout. Getting started, I’m doing up to 20 dollars for a garbage bag of clothes. I’m doing max two bags right now. I take purses, shoes, accessories, that kind of stuff. I figured a little bit is more than nothing, you can take your clothes to Goodwill or thriftshops and get nothing out of it. There’s not a lot of retail in the area and this way I could give back and receive the stuff as well.”
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She also encourages potential customers to watch the shop’s social media pages, where new outfits and possibilities are being constantly uploaded.
“Because we do consignment each week [what we have] changes each week,” Sanchez says. “We get new things in all the time. … We try to post the new stuff we get everyday. We love making outfits and posting them. … There are people who come in and say ‘if you get this size, let me know’ and I’ve done that. I’ve saved it for them. Or they can message us on our site, that kind of stuff. We try to work with people because it’s hard during the week to come in and [shop].”
She also encourages shoppers to bring their children on the weekends.
“On Saturdays, you may or may not see a couple of little ones running around. We have been doing coloring book and stuff and snacks and drinks on weekends, so the moms can come in and shop and the little ones can have entertainment.”
Sanchez also hopes to get more involved in the community. Similar to Jims Drive In in Lewisburg, she’s looking to set up a free coat, sweater, or sweatshirt area for “anyone that needs it” once the weather gets colder.
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Sanchez also explained it would be open “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, we’re open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Then Thursday, Friday, Saturday, it’s 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays we took off to be with our babies.” In addition, as of Tuesday, September 28, the shop plans to only accept winter clothes.
After their grand opening on September 18, Mountain Momma Consignment posted to its Facebook page.
“We want to thank everyone who came out today to support us and our new business! It was a darn good day for Mountain Momma!” wrote Tucker. “Loved seeing everyone and loved the comments about how beautiful our store is! We are definitely building on a dream and hoping you all will be excited with us. Tomorrow we will be back open from 10-7. So if you missed today, try to come out tomorrow and see what we have. We will constantly be stocking new inventory and changing things up. You never know what you will find. Thank you again!”
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