“Easy on the Earth, easy on the Wallet”
By Edita McQuary
When the man with the guitar and a rabbit peering out of his backpack walked into her store, Robin Cross knew she was back in Santa Cruz after doing business in Scotts Valley for six years. The man asked to use the telephone and “paid” by singing a song he made up as the rabbit sat on his head.
While Robin was growing up in west Santa Cruz, her mother took her and her four siblings window-shopping at furniture stores and antique shops to look at furniture and design items. Robin says her mom has really great taste – design magazines were regular reading at their home – and as a result, Robin developed her interest in furniture and interior décor.
Before opening her own business, Robin did a variety of work. When her daughter was young, she worked as an instructional aide at her school. Later, she helped a friend with her salsa business. For a short time, she worked as a mortgage loan processor at another friend’s real estate business before finding out a desk job was not for her.
In May 2006, Robin rented a warehouse in Scotts Valley and offered five pieces of furniture for sale. After six years in Scotts Valley, in July 2012 she was able to open at her current location in Santa Cruz with a store full of gently used furniture and decor items. Research on-line, visiting furniture stores in San Francisco, San Jose, Monterey and consignment shops enables Robin to price her items appropriately.
Redo Consign & Design has an interesting upscale mix of home furnishings. Here there is “An eclectic mix of vintage antique, contemporary, mid-century, traditional and even new furnishings all in excellent condition.” A change in lifestyle to a more casual way of living/entertaining has attracted people who want to change their décor. Not long ago people used to host sit-down dinner parties; nowadays they are more likely to have buffet-style gatherings. The result? Redo Consign & Design has customers wanting to sell furniture to other customers who want to buy that same furniture.
From their website: “How it Works: Consignor to receive 50% of the net proceeds. Items should be without rips, stains, dents, major scratches or odors; clean and in excellent condition. Items are consigned for a period of 90 days. This is negotiable. After 30 days, the original price is reduced by 15%. After 60 days, the original price is reduced by an additional 10%. It is the consignor’s responsibility to contact Redo at the end of the 90-day contract. Items not sold must be picked up within 10 days or will be considered donated.” Consigned items which do not sell after an appropriate time and which the owner does not want back, are donated to Habitat for Humanity’s Re-Store in Santa Cruz.
“Easy on the Earth, easy on the Wallet” is Robin’s motto. There is a pattern here. Besides selling gently used quality furniture in good condition on consignment, she also acquires décor items on consignment from a tropical salvage company in Indonesia. This company removes wood out of landslides and streams and then turns it into tropical hardwood furniture. The company sets their own prices so Robin cannot offer discounts on these items.
Although there is a furniture store next to her business and an antique store nearby, Robin said that what she offers are unique, one of a kind pieces for the home. The day I visited, there was a beautiful “Tiffany-style” lamp on sale. The Store does not carry office or children’s furniture and headboards but not mattresses.
Another service Redo provides is a “redesign” of your home, an easy and economical way to bring your home up to date. Robin and business partner, Nancy Dussault, have a business called “Redesigning Lifestyles.” They will come to your home or business for a redesign consultation for a fee. Please call for details.
“I love when people tell me they’ve been searching for something for years and they finally found it here. It’s the kind of store you need to visit at least once a week. We receive new things every day so our inventory is constantly changing,” says Robin.
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Redo Consign & Redesign is located close to Highway 1 at 1523 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz, 95066 and are open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is closed Holidays. Telephone: 831.439.9210. Website: www.redoconsign.com