Conscious Collective Consignment
445 Bridge Street NW
Grand opening is Saturday, February 8 from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
/Eric Tank
Dressing rooms made from upcycled materials /Eric Tank
On Saturday, February 8, the Conscious Collective Consignment shop will officially open on Bridge Street. The grand opening will take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and feature live music from local artists Gabrial James, Rick Chyme, Brian Haik, Molly Bouwsma Schultz & Scott Schultz and Nicholas James Thomasma on Saturday. On Sunday there will be a drawing for one of three Valentines gift bags plus special sales, in house coupons and other prizes.
Conscious Collective is owned and operated by sisters Erin Gant and Katrin Ophoff. The two have been tossing around the idea of a consignment shop that focuses on sustainability for years and saw an opportunity to realize that idea on the Bridge Street corridor.
"Its an area that is being focused on for revitalization and growth and I think that this side of the city really deserves to expand and to have some meaningful businesses and companies in this area," says Gant.
The Collective will offer women's clothing but also recognizes the demand for men's, maternity and plus sized women's and will work to provide those options. In addition to modern and vintage inspired clothing the Collective will sell repurposed home decor, local artisan jewelry, gifts and art.
Both sisters share a passion for sustainability and hope to build the Collective based on that foundation. The front counter and the dressing rooms were all built using reclaimed materials including wood, concrete, metal and fabric.
"We have a very specific focus in our own personal lives and want to carry that over into our business of focusing on sustainability and reusing and repurposing and giving new life to things instead of just cycling through and purchasing new all the time," says Gant.
The Collective plans to regularly donate clothing to Well House, a local housing first initiative.
"We're excited to be doing things for the residents of Well House. During our grand opening we're holding a food and necessities drive to benefit the residents of Well House. We're really excited to be able to give back to that specific group of people that have such a significant need in our own community and that they're often overlooked," says Ophoff.
Both Grant and Ophoff look forward to being a part of the Bridge Street corridor revitalization efforts.
"We want to specifically seek out other area businesses that have some similar focus or idea or are interested in building community and we want to promote those other businesses in any way we can," says Gant.
The neighborhood revitalization efforts are in large part Rockford Construction's commitment to investing in the west side. Swift Realty has been investing in vacant building on Bridge Street and currently owns the building that the Collective occupies.
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