via Empowerment Group
Philadelphians are gradually becoming more and more aware of how many hidden jewels are scattered along Girard Avenue, and Findz is no exception. Just a block away from the Girard stop on the Market-Frankford Line, Findz occupies a small store with merchandise that spills out onto the street to create a mini sidewalk sale. The consignment shop houses tons of great clothing, jewelry, DVDs, books, games, shoes, toys, and other treasures, all able to be sold at much lower costs because of being bought as samples or traded in from customers.
Consignment shops have grown in popularity recently, but Findz is unique among them, because it is very much a product of the changes in its environment. Beth Fox, who co-owns the shop with her daughter Jamie, comes from a family that has been a part of Girard Avenue for decades, and has experienced its transformation. “We started across the street; my husband’s old business, Fox Electric, has been here forever. It was owned by his grandfather and started on 8th Street 75 years ago. This area has changed a lot in that time. I can’t really explain it; it used to be a bad area but now—it’s completely changed.”
Beth and Jamie know that customers appreciate their choosiness when it comes to what they will sell. “We pride ourselves on checking for spots or flaws, and we won’t sell it if the quality isn’t there.” Browsing through the store it’s easy to see their good taste in their merchandise. “When people come into the store, they’re so excited because we have designer clothing, gently worn, almost new, and new items. We also sell sample jewelry from nice stores for as little as two dollars. Our goal is to price it so that people can buy it—we don’t triple markup things like a lot of other stores do.”
For Findz, customer satisfaction comes easily but attracting new customers is by far the biggest obstacle the business faces. “Bringing in customers is tough. Once they’re here they love it, it’s just a matter of getting them here.” Beth and Jamie have tried advertising in newspapers like Metro and have recently begun to build a presence for Findz on the internet, starting with a Facebook page. Still, especially in this economy, getting the attention of potential customers is extremely difficult.
One of their plans to boost sales is to offer huge discounts on Black Friday, so make sure to visit Findz at 33 W Girard Ave, to take advantage of that. As they wait for business to pick up, Beth and Jamie will continue working hard in their shop and impressing the customers they enjoy so much. Beth says, “Having lots of customers coming in here, that’s my favorite part of the job.”
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