Specialty business helps you downsize couture
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Did you see this cover story in the Washington Post featuring Julie Wilson and Encore Ballroom Couture? Julie provides an important niche service that helps her customers downsize their personal ballroom collections through consignment. This is topic is near to my heart, as I work with organizations and individuals to determine the next chapters for their personal collections.
Customers who consign with Julie know that their gowns will live on to see another day. Encore Ballroom Couture is well-known in ballroom circles, and sells and rents gowns to customers across the country. This is a thriving business, not a charity drop box. For people who are looking to downsize, specialty businesses like Encore help customers feel confident about saying goodbye to their personal items. And, of course, Encore also makes it easy to find your next favorite gown, thus allowing more pre-worn gowns to sparkle in the spotlight. And so, the cycle continues.
It’s recycling but with crystals. Is there anything better?
Julie Wilson and I met ages ago on a backpacking trip through Europe. I was (am) a notoriously light packer and hesitated to add souvenirs to my pack. Julie, however, went on amazing shopping sprees, buying stunning jewelry and browsing the showrooms in Milan. It was fantastic to see her curate her unique style, which was so different from my own.
Decades later, Julie is the only person from that trip with whom I’m still connected – and that’s admittedly thanks to social media. Nevertheless, I’ve enjoyed watching from afar as Julie danced, became a pageant queen, and opened Encore Ballroom Couture with her late mother.
I’m sharing this Washington Post feature to celebrate Julie and her success, but it also reminds me of the work I have ahead of me with Exhibitsmith, LLC. As I develop content about how to help people downsize personal collections, I am particularly inspired by a quote from Julie’s customer Rose-Ann Lynch:
“My dress deserved to be danced in, even if I wasn’t dancing in it.”
Isn’t that the truth? I know I have items in my home that I feel very strongly about but are just sitting around collecting dust. They should be seen, used, experienced. They should be loved, shared, and enjoyed. And yet there they remain, sitting in a box until I figure out what to do with them – or until it becomes someone else’s problem.
And yes, my personal collection does include one dance costume, a mid-90s, crushed velvet, spandex jumpsuit that I wore for my one and only dance recital during my senior year of high school. We danced to an instrumental version of Satin Doll. Need a great track to get through this day? This one’s for you.
Anyhow, I’ve told my mom to donate the costume many times, but I have a feeling that it might still be lurking around their basement. Granted, now that I think of it, that costume may be the ONLY bit of evidence that I ever took tap lessons. I don’t believe we even have a photo or a program from that day. That’s kind of depressing. I like to think that a first dance recital would at least be photo-worthy.
Whoops. I’m getting a little off-topic. I suppose that’s a post for a different day.
Let’s get back on track.
Now I’m not suggesting that you have a closet full of couture gowns hanging around (although perhaps some of you do.) And I’m not even focusing solely on clothing (though I know that there are plenty of prom dresses, business suits, and formal attire out there collecting dust, just waiting for their chance in the limelight.) But what about other items you have squirreled away? Does grandmother’s fancy dinnerware really deserve to be kept in the dark? Is that really how you hold on to her memory? Or perhaps there are other (dare I say, better?) ways to keep her memories close to your heart – that don’t involve bulky storage or heavy-lifting.
Does this resonate with you? Do you have items lying around that you love, but deserve to live their next chapter without you? I think we all do. Letting go can be very difficult, but I’m hoping my work with Exhibitsmith will be able to lighten the load not only in your home, but also in your heart.
In fact, have a brand-new workshop available on this very topic, and am currently developing supplemental content and resources to help organizations and individuals navigate these waters. But I need your help. As I finalize my thoughts, I would love your imput. If you have anything to add on this subject, I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at info@exhibitsmith.com or on social media and let’s chat. Thank you!
Congratulations again, Julie!
Lindsey Smith is an accomplished entrepreneur, educator, curator, and exhibit content developer. With a passion for helping people interpret, preserve, and better understand the objects that make up our world, Lindsey has left her mark on both the non-profit and for-profit sectors.
Through Exhibitsmith™, her artifact management and exhibit development firm that includes the preservation supply company, Hangerbee™, Lindsey works with clients from across the cultural heritage sector to realize their collection and exhibition goals.