An Easy Way to Go Green | Shop Consignment

Mother Nature always appreciates any attempt to go green—be it efficient water usage, smarter electricity practices, or shopping consignment. 

This morning we were listening to a piece on NPR about how shopping consignment is a good way to go green anytime, but particularly during the holidays, and particularly during our current economic downturn. It brought to mind a postcard I picked up earlier in the fall over at Logan Trading Company for a local high-end boutique, Passage Consignment Shoppe. The postcard was bright green with a leaf image in the background, prompting shoppers to "Go Green ... Shop Consignment."

So I got to thinking about it, and did a little research on consignment shops around town. By shopping consignment, we consumers are contributing to a healthier, self-sustaining local economy by keeping our money "in house;" we're recycling goods that don't have to be reproduced (no chemicals in the water to dye cotton, and no extra trees cut down and turned into pulp for new books or stationary or furniture, etc.); and if you're a consigner, you're bringing in a couple extra dollars that can be applied to your phone or grocery or gas bills. It's kind of like supporting your local farmers markets by by-passing the larger grocery chains for fresh produce. 

Here's a few I found, though I'm sure there are a ton more: 

• Passage Consignment Shoppe
• Cause for Paws Thrift Shop 
• Abbeygail's Closet Thrift Boutique 
• Around Again Consignments 
• Plato's Closet ® Cary 
• The Eclectic Furniture Garden  

Which consignment shops can you recommend?