Mommy Mart event draws strong crowds
Aubrey Wilson and her daughter Bristol of Marietta sort through some items to purchase at the Mommy Mart sale Saturday. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Emily Prather of Marietta looks at the sales racks while Judy Peoples pushes grandson Oliver, 7 months, at the Mommy Mart sale Saturday. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
A Mommy Mart Volunteer sets an item back on the rack during the Mommy Mart sale Saturday. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Aubrey Wilson and her daughter Bristol of Marietta sort through some items to purchase at the Mommy Mart sale Saturday. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Emily Prather of Marietta looks at the sales racks while Judy Peoples pushes grandson Oliver, 7 months, at the Mommy Mart sale Saturday. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
A Mommy Mart Volunteer sets an item back on the rack during the Mommy Mart sale Saturday. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
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MARIETTA -- The bi-annual Mommy Mart Sale at the Junior Fair Building in the Washington County Fairgrounds was in full swing this weekend and was visited by hundreds of shoppers.
"I think we've already had 1,000 people [between Friday evening and Saturday]," founder Molly Flooding said Saturday afternoon. "I think we've sold almost 70% of our inventory."
Items in the sale are provided by local individuals who price their gently used items, ranging from clothes to toys to strollers, and print a tag with a unique barcode linked to that person. Once that item is sold, the individual receives 65% of the purchase price.
Flooding said approximately 300 cosigners provided items for the sale this time around.
"Due to space, I can only take about 320 cosigners," she said. "It's for space reasons. It's not meant to exclude anyone. I can only fit so many items in 12,000 square feet."
Flooding said the popularity of the sale has grown exponentially in 14 years and that they have all been held in the Junior Fair Building.
"The first year I had 26 cosigners. It didn't fill a third of the available space," she said.
Flooding said one of the reasons the Mommy Mart sale is popular is it allows shoppers to look at items in person, especially toys.
"We miss the big toy stores," she said. "We don't have the opportunity to give kids the big toy store experience anymore,"
Flooding also credited the event's success to the over 200 volunteers who helped coordinate the event. A volunteer only shopping event was held Thursday.
"This is their reward for helping run this event," she said.
Judy Peoples of Marietta attended with her daughter Emily Prather and grandson Oliver, seven months. Peoples said she used to work with Floding for many years on the sale. Still, she likes to come back.
Flooding said she's had visitors from Zanesville, Ohio and Sistersville, W.Va. Previous cosigners move away but will come back to shop.
"Some have moved to Columbus or Akron but since their families are here, they'll make a trip and shop," she said.