Sonya Nix and here husband were having a weekend away in TN when they wandered into a strange new kind of shop – a Consignment Store. Sonya, being the ever-creative and talented woman that she is, immediately starting thinking about all the fun and cool things she could do with a consignment store.  She was at a point in her life when a little change was a welcomed opportunity and she (now laughing hysterically at the thought) said that at the time she thought to herself, “this doesn’t look that hard.”

On January 7, 1997 Sonya Nix opened Better Than Before in a very small office with just 3 rooms. What was once an insurance agency was now home to a consignment store. The store was initially called “Twice As Nice” but Sonya quickly realized there were other consignment stores across the country with the same name. One of her co-workers in the health care industry suggested Better Than Before and Sonya quickly filed all the paperwork to make the name hers.

The first Consignors were Sonya and her Mother because they had to get the store stocked, and the first Customers were truly divine intervention because they had no budget for advertising, just word of mouth. Sonya’s first sign was hand made out of sheet metal and wood and was painted and constructed much to her family’s dismay, in the living room of their home.

When asked, “why do you do what you do,” Sonya responded, “Women tell me every single day how much we mean to them and how much we help them and how they don’t know what they would do without us. I mean, every single day, we hear this. That is why we do what we do. We mean a lot to an awful lot of people, what a great way to spend your days, helping others.”

We also asked Sonya for some sage advice to others who are thinking of starting their own business and here is what she said, “ Be ready to sacrifice because you will and I don’t mean to be negative but no one should go into owning their own business with a false sense of glamour.  We do a lot of grunt work and dirty non-glamorous activities. You need to be prepared for all that is required. You are serving people, you are a servant, if you don’t have a servant’s heart to serve other people and try and make their life better than you will have a harder time succeeding because serving others is really what owning your own business is all about.”

Better Than Before has grown from a 3 room insurance office in Cullman to 2 large scale stores, one in Cullman, AL and one in Decatur, AL and now Sonya sells literally to the world through her online website BTBConsignments.com and she sells through LIVE Facebook Videos and on Instagram. What’s next for Sonya? Well, let’s just say she just signed up for a YouTube channel, so keep an eye out!

So statistics tell us that the average woman (with a life expectancy of 80 years of age) will spend approximately $125,000 in her lifetime on clothing and accessories. This will equate to just over 3,100 different items and include 145 handbags, 185 dresses and yes you guessed it – – over 270 pairs of shoes!  It appears most women, on average, will spend somewhere between $150 and $400 every month on clothing. That’s about  $1,800 to $4,800 a year!  Don’t you think it’s ironic, then, that after all that shopping and spending, that 3 out of 5 women complain they don’t have anything to wear in their closet!  I’m over here giggling to myself because I know that’s me at least 3 or 4 mornings a week!

Let’s face it girls.  It’s no secret our retail spending habits are most often tied to how life’s treating us. It’s one of those “funny – not funny” scenarios.   We shop when we’re sad.  We shop when we’re happy.  We shop when we’re mad.  We shop when we’re excited. Call it retail therapy, revenge shopping, or any other label you want to stick on it but the truth of the matter is – it can get expensive! If we’re smart we’ll step back and look at the how’s and why’s to this shopping thing. 

I know  –  you’re looking at these numbers, thinking, “No way! I don’t spend anywhere near that much!” And some of you are sheepishly thinking, “I wish I only spent that much!”  Either way, we’re shopping for what we need or want and it’s worth looking at WHERE we’re shopping in addition to WHAT we’re buying.  Where do you shop?  The mall?  Online? Instagram?  Facebook?  There’s literally thousands of options.  But I want you to consider second-hand as one of those options.  And, in my opinion, one of your best options!  So consider this:  “fast-fashion” (like H&M and Zara) held a retail value of $35 billion total in 2018.  Well, that’s impressive, I guess.  I mean who knows unless you hold that number up against other totals, right?  This is the impressive part.  The second-hand clothing industry totaled over $24 billion in that same year!  And let me give you just one more number cause it’ll blow your mind!  If trends continue on track, the resale/second-hand industry will hit $64 billion by the year 2028!  Holy Skinny Jeans Batman! 

This is serious business!  Full disclosure:  I’m a resale shop owner so I’m a little biased.  I have no quams about pushing the advantages of shopping second-hand. But obviously I’ve done my homework. Today’s resale shopping is nothing like it was years ago.  Shopping for second-hand clothing no longer means rummaging through musty, smelly, disorganized thrift stores.  There are literally thousands of adorable resale shops, discount thrift stores, and online resale options available to the savvy shopper.  They’re clean, well-organized and chocked full of some of the most impressive brands you can imagine. There really is no limit to amazing treasures you can find shopping second-hand. There was a time when women felt the need to shop second-hand to “make ends meet” or “shop on a budget.”  But you know what?  Those days are in the past.  Shopping resale isn’t just about getting by or staying in a budget anymore. You are no longer restricted to someone else’s worn-out choices.  It’s not your Mama’s Resale anymore!  Shopping second-hand is exciting and fun and the choices are endless.  Your favorite local consignment or resale shop is a different store every time you enter the door!  This is September and there’s a movement sweeping our nation and actually the world:  Can you go the entire month of September and purchase only second-hand fashion?  I promise –  will be way easier than you think!  Because buying second-hand is no longer a sacrifice  –  it’s your ticket to the GOOD LIFE!