Tagged spring 2012
Pictures, Pictures!
Danielle from First Moments Photography has the Half-Pint pictures all up on her blog, and she’s picked a winner from the drawing at her table! Head over to see if you’ve won…
So many thanks to all of you shoppers, and to Danielle for capturing the fun…
Bring it On!
This coming weekend is the 9th annual Half-Pint Resale, the area’s largest (and local) children’s consignment sale. With only a few days left before the sale, we hope you’ve got your resuable bags ready and your cheat sheets complete.
Here are a couple of other things that might help you with your shopping extravaganza:
1) Volunteers will be wearing black and will be wearing nametags. They are here to help you! There are a couple of volunteers with special duties that will really help you out: Volunteers in the GEAR AREA will help you purchase large items so you can easily purchase them without hindering the rest of your shopping experience. Volunteers with a ASK ME ABOUT BABY CARRIERS sign on their backs are ladies who know a TON about baby carriers and will be hanging around in that area during a few hours of the sale to help you try carriers on and learn about what will be best for you and your baby. We hope that these folks will help make your shopping experience better.
2) There are two main areas at the Madison Curling Club. In the lobby area, there are tables, seats, and places to just take a load off! There will even be some folks selling food (and cupcakes!) on Saturday and Sunday (yumyum). The sale area is in the arena part of the building. Once you head into the sale area, you will not be able to bring any merchandise with you back into the lobby area. We will have hold tables where you could bag your items, if you say, need to go sit and nurse your babe or use the restroom (or get a sugar fix!). NOTE: The temperature in the sale is similar in temperature to the temperature outside. Need to warm up? The lobby area is for you!
3) Spend some time reading through our Shopping Tips. There are a few things to highlight…
4) Strollers are NOT allowed during peak shopping times (anything before Noon on Saturday). It gets so crowded and it would be unsafe for everyone. We also highly recommend you not bring children. We know – sometimes you have no choice! But we’ve had several kids get lost (think kids shorter than the racks and at some peak shopping times, several hundred people packing the space). Finally, Children of any size that are WORN in a carrier are ALWAYS welcome, anytime! If you do bring kids, please make sure that they aren’t playing with the toys or sitting in the gear. We’ve had kids break things which they become unsellable. Thanks for understanding!
5) Like the last sale, there will not be an Express Lane at this sale... I don’t imagine there are too many people saying boohoo because for those of you who have waited in that Express Lane earlier in the sale when the lines are longer, you know that it didn’t actually get you through any faster and was hard to manage. We will continue to manage lines as best as possible and think you’ll find our bagging system swift and our hard-working volunteers fabulous.
6) Check out all of our tips about holding items on our shopping tips page. Remember that items can stay on the Hold table for one hour maximum. PLEASE! Don’t abandon items on this table! Shoppers and consignors alike miss out!
And last, but not least, We only take cash and check! Keeping consignor checks as high as possible and keeping as much money in the community as possible. Thanks for understanding!
Looking forward to seeing you:
Saturday, April 21- 9am-9pm (new longer hours!), and Sunday, April 22- 8am-1pm when everything is half off!
-Ellen and Lisa
the Amazing Supporters of Half-Pint
The thing that we love best about Half-Pint is that it’s a place that builds community. From families passing on their beloved clothes and baby goods, to sharing community resources with each other – it’s all of you helping each other out. Making this parenting thing not so lonely.
Another thing that that we love is how so many businesses and groups come together to help make Half-Pint happen. We want to take a minute to say THANKS to all of you who make this crazy thing that we all do twice a year possible. So go Check out these great family resources!
Midwest Clay Project is a magical place for kids and their parents alike to explore making things with clay! With programming designed to support everyone from the novice to the professional, Midwest Clay Project provides a dynamic and inspirational place for people of all ages and abilities to work in clay. It’s one of my kid’s favorite places to create. Read about our experience here! Find them on Facebook.
The Madison, WI Chapter of Holistic Moms Network is a support, education and social network for parents interested in green living, alternative health care, and gentle, responsive parenting. We are a warm and inclusive group, and welcome you to join us wherever you are on the holistic path in an environment that does not judge. We welcome moms and dads with children of any age, and future parents as well. We have events and activities for both working and stay at home parents. Children are welcome at all HMN events. Find them on Facebook.
We have sung the praises of Swim East and Swim West for years, and are continuing to do so. Only a few years into swimming, the eldest of our kids can be found doing backstroke the length of the pool. And we’ve seen the magic first hand that turns a child that transforms from hating the water to laughing and giggling all throughout class. Find them on Facebook.
OOH MAMA! The Out of Hospital Madison Area Midwives Association is a group of individuals who provide home birth maternity care for the community. Find out more about their services at the sale!
Why should you love YumTum? Because they make feeding your baby and toddler delicious and nutritious food easy! YumTum gently steams and minimally processes the ingredients to maintain as many nutrients as possible and they combine ingredients such as beans and rice to provide a complete protein in your baby’s meal, and more. YumTum’s food grows with your baby, so they will love to eat the Tummy Grubs and snacks well into their toddler years. Find them on Facebook. (where they are currently listing where you can buy their goods ON SALE!)
Holy Cross Lutheran Preschool – LIttle minds need greatschools and teachers! Holy Cross offers a robust 4Kprogram that might be just right for you. Located on Milwaukee Street on the East side of Madison, their programming includes everything from spanish, to music and science,to reading and religious education. Find them on Facebook.
Tenney Nursery and Parent Center – TNPC is a preschool and parent cooperative that offers several preschool classes and a parent/child playgroup (a great way to get introduced to this creative and play-based center). Due to the cooperative nature, parents work closely with the staff and ED and help mold their child’s education. Visit and see it in action! Find them on Facebook.
Do you have a will? If you have children, you should have a will! Attorney Heather Hazelwood is an associate specializing in personal and business services at Hurley, Burish & Stanton, focusing on estate planning, family law, and Guardian ad Litem appointments. Heather is passionate about working with clients to help them plan for the future and manage life’s transitions. Meet her at the sale! Find her on Facebook.
Madison Children’s Museum – I know you’ve heard of them. But have you tried them out yet? Better yet, have you become a member? We’ve found the ability, because of our membership, to get discounted parking at the museum and to pop in and out as we please to be worth our membership’s weight in gold. We love the museum year round, but as we’re heading into the summer months, I love all of the summer programming that they have, and it’s always great to have a humid day option where the kids can play hard and stay cool. Find them on Facebook.
The Little Gym – Little people need a gym all their size – that is where the Little Gym comes in. They encourage playful development, and non-competitive serious play. A perfect way to start an active life! Find them on Facebook.
Kindred Kids – We’re once again partnering with one of the greatest kid-focused non-profits around. An organization that strives to let kids help kids, Kindred Kids is worth the drive to Columbus, just to hang out and be around these amazing people (which is something you can do!) ”We chose the name “Kindred Kids” because there are commonalities shared by all kids. They really are all Kindred. Their differing abilities may make some of their needs different but their needs as children are the same.” Find them on Facebook.
Mother Nature’s Diaper Service – Little bums love keeping the environment clean, and Mother Nature’s Diaper Service is here to help! They deliver clean cloth diapers right to your door – Sounds dreamy! Find them on Facebook.
First Moments Photography is the official photographer of the Spring 2012 Half-Pint! I had our first family pictures taken by Danielle, and she managed to get great shots even though my child kept yelling “NO PICTURES!” We’re excited to have her on board. Find her on Facebook.
-EC and LS
Announcing the Spring 2012 Sale: Consignor Registration is OPEN
Freelance Graphic Designer and Half-Pint friend and volunteer Christina Kind refreshed our logo - Check out her other amazing work at Christina-works.com.
You’ve waited patiently (for that we thank you!) and now the time has come. The sun today is telling me it’s the day – spring is officially on it’s way.
Announcing the 9th annual Half-Pint Resale – bigger and better than ever. We hope you are planning on joining us the weekend of April 20-22 at our NEW location at the Madison Curling Club. It’s almost twice as large as the Goodman Community Center and will be a great venue for more consignors and more good thrifty finds. ((Find out more about curling here!))
And it’s good that we’re moving to a bigger space, because we now will feature items for children ages 0 to TWELVE! Yep, we’re letting our Full-Pints in on the thrifty action. Bigger Clothes, more sporting gear, gaming, and toys for the older set.
?!Where?! did you say the sale will be located? It’s just a hop away, located technically in McFarland, but near the corner of Hwy 51 and the Beltline Highway, we’re positive that no matter where you live, you’ll find it accessible. We KNOW you’ll love the parking and all of the extra space that is allowing us to expand the sale, as well as give you places to relax with your Half-Pint shopping buddies post sale and enjoy a snack or two before your return to your work and families. More fun mappage to come in the next few weeks!
Half-Pint Resale is the area’s largest children’s consignment sale. Last sale we sold nearly 25,000 items in just two days, putting your goods back out into the community and a few extra dollars into local pockets. We love that everything stays right here in our community – we’re an Entirely Local operation. In fact, because of our commitment to the community, we just joined Dane Buy Local and hope to introduce you to other great local and community centered businesses through this new connection.
Let’s get the sale on your calendar! Click here for all of the ins and outs and times and details. You’ll note some major changes to the calendar. Longer volunteer and consignor presales, as well as a FULL DAY OF SATURDAY PUBLIC SALE SHOPPING that extends late into the evening (We’re biased, but 9pm is also a great time to grab the girlfriends and head out for a drink afterwards; we’re just sayin’.) You can find even more good deals running into Sunday during the longer Half-Price sale. For those of you shop our presales, we highly recommend taking a second look at the sale post the presales because there are things you’ll never see until they are unearthed!
Of course, the HIGH QUALITY of the goods being sold and the incredibly affordable prices won’t change a bit! As veteran thrift shoppers, we know how important this aspect is to the success of the sale. We take great pride in making sure that the items being put on the sale floor are in gently used condition. The AFFORDABLE prices, well we certainly can’t take any credit for that. We have been so impressed with the fair and affordable prices consignors pass onto shoppers and believe this is cornerstone to Half-Pint’s continued success. Half-Pint Resale is only as good as its consignors and we think the world of the folks who consign with us.
registration IS OPEN!
For Veteran consignors, you will find some new – and maybe a bit scary – guidelines. Don’t Fret, we’ve updated all of our tagging guidelines to walk you through the (very simple) process!!
Once you are registered through our new online system (more info below), you be able to print out barcodes that correspond with your name and prices (For example, a page of barcodes that are for $2 items, a half page of $5 items, and a handful of $50 items for your gear – and all will be linked to your consignor number. Each $2 barcode is the same, each $5 barcode is the same, etc.). Barcodes are then copied easily onto labels. Labels are affixed to our new tags (that are quite similar to the old tags), giving you the flexibility to tag with a glass of wine in front of the TV or with a gaggle of friends (you can see where our priorities continue to lie, hey?).
Already tagged some for this sale? We’ll allow our old tags for this sale only (please only use them if needed) – the barcodes can be affixed to the bottom of the tags, no problem.
Wondering why we made the switch? Head over to our Tagging and Pricing area of the site for more info.
For those of you who are new, check out the Consigning area of our website for loads of info that will explain how it all works, and learn about all of the fabulous perks of consigning (including 70% of your sales, and a special pre-sale all for you!). Make sure you look through the Tagging Guidelines and our What to Sell documents on this same page. You’ll also note that we are no longer accepting Cribs.
REGISTER NOW!
NEW CONSIGNOR REGISTRATION
(only for those who have NEVER been assigned a Half-Pint Consignor #)
RETURNING CONSIGNOR REGISTRATION
(for anyone who has EVER been assigned a Half-Pint Consignor #)
Your number is your past Consignor number MINUS the letters.
Your password is the last name which you registered with at the last sale.
Having problems logging in? Contact us and we’ll help!)
Lots more to come in the upcoming days – volunteer registration, Printable Posters, fun contests and ways to get your pre-Half-Pint fix! If you aren’t yet registered for our email list, now is the time to get on board. We’re excited to see y’all again!