In this episode of "Not Just Buildings," host Foster shares upcoming Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce events before interviewing Ashley, owner of On Second Thought Consignment. Ashley discusses the unique stories behind consigned items, the importance of community connections, and her family’s role in running the business. The conversation highlights the value of secondhand shopping, sustainability, and supporting local businesses. Ashley also shares tips for donating and consigning, and invites listeners to visit their new location. The episode emphasizes the personal touch and community spirit that make Bedford’s small businesses special.
Transcript:
Foster (Speaker 4):
Hello and welcome back to Not Just Buildings. Now, you might be wondering, do I have the right podcast? What on earth is Not Just Buildings? Well, listener, I'm pleased to tell you that we have renamed Chamber Vibes to something that more accurately reflects the purpose of this podcast, which is to tell the stories of businesses, non-profits and institutions in the area of Bedford, Virginia, which we do by talking to the real local people working behind the scenes. Plus, the new name is pretty catchy, and it's inspired by long time chamber and board member Bill Moss, who always says that businesses aren't just buildings, they're people. Thank you, Bill, for your years of service to our chamber and business community. We appreciate you. Anyway, thanks so much for sticking with us as we grow. And if you're new to the podcast, we're glad to have you join us as we kick off 2026. Now for our official introduction.
Welcome to Not Just Buildings, where we interview the local people behind businesses, nonprofits and institutions in the area of Bedford, Virginia. My name is Foster Garrett, and I am the Director of marketing and events for the Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce, which is a membership organization whose mission is to serve as a catalyst for local business success, a convener of regional leadership, and a champion for a vibrant and resilient economy. However, before we get to the interview, I would like to highlight some of our upcoming programming and events. We offer a little bit of everything for everyone, so I encourage you to stick around to learn more about what's next. But if you want to just jump straight to today's interview, no worries. You can find all of our programming on Bedford Area Chamber. Com and I'll drop our phone number at the end of this episode, so make sure to listen all the way through. First up, for the year, we have in with a new, which is our chambers annual kickoff event, happening January 29th from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Bedford Area Welcome Center.
If you've never been to this event, it is a great way to meet all the people behind the leadership of the chamber. So me and Kayla are staff members. Our board of directors, our ambassadors, some of our committee members. Some of our most involved chamber members, and just all the people. And you don't have to be a part of our chamber to come. You can just be living or working or playing in Bedford and you want to come on out. Maybe you just want to enjoy our free or d'oeuvres, or you want to make some new connections. And it's just a great way to get everybody in the room to start off 2026. On a strong note, we'll have a mega grand raffle with all sorts of exclusive things from our chamber. like I said, there are freshman's. We're so appreciative to our friends of the Bedford Area Welcome Center and the Destination Bedford Tourism team for organizing that for us. The food sounds delicious. It's going to be so good. and we'll also have tables set up by some of our chamber, our newest members that joined in 2025.
You can find out more about their business and what they do in some of their services and just makes them mingle and have a great time. Again. That's free. You don't have to be a member to come. And you can just come by next Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m.. Next up on the ballot. We have a, start up toolbox marathon on February 12th. It's an all day event, and we're partnering partnering with the Small Business Development Center in Lynchburg and our friends at the Bedford Bedford County Office of Economic Development to provide that for entrepreneurs. So maybe you have a business idea or something that you're trying to do or want to do, and you just want to come out and explore different funding options, put together a business plan, bounce your idea off professionals, but also your peers. This is a great way to kind of get started with what you want to do with your business. and this will be happening at the Bedford Welcome Center as well. So it's right here in town. the cost is really low.
It really only covers your lunch. We're bringing in lunch from, town kitchen and provision, so it'll be absolutely delicious. But it's a good way. If you've had something on your mind, maybe a project or a small business idea or what have you, and you want to try to make it happen, just explore it. This is a great way to do so. You can find information about it on our website and for the and on the SBDC website. next up we have two big events in March, in April, and I'll just mention them very briefly. But on March 18th we will be at Susan G. Gibson Science and Technology Center in Bedford for an all day career technical education expo. So we do this for all 708th graders in Bedford County Public Schools. we bring in businesses that maybe want to introduce students to their industry or partner with the schools. We bring them in to do different hands on activities and demonstrations. And if they have a counterpart at the school where their class aligns with the skills that would be applied in their industry, then we pair them up together.
The teacher talks about, You know, if you take my class or you come to Susie Gibson for this program, then you'll learn this, this and this. You can get this certification. You can go into all these different job fields. And then on the other side, the professionals that are representing their business can talk about, you know, they mentioned this skill. This is what I use every single day I have these certifications. This is how much the industry typically pays and just gives students an idea of not only what's available in our community career wise, but also how they can get started on some of their interests by taking different classes at their high school or at Susie Gibson, or maybe beyond that and go to KVK or what have you. we just want to inspire everybody and educate them on what's available to them and show them that there's many different routes to success. And it's not just, you know, college is a great option, obviously, but maybe it's not an option for some people, or maybe it's not the best option.
That doesn't mean that you can't still be successful and still achieve your goals and then last on the on the roster. We have our spring job fair on April 17th from 1030 to 2 at Blue Ridge Community Church at New London. I am super excited for this event. we have had a great experience at Blue Ridge Community Church. They have been great to us. and if you're hiring, if you're actively looking for local people, we encourage you to sign up for this. it's a great way to drive local job seekers your way. And we always get such a big variety of people, whether it's people that are looking to change careers or maybe starting their career, or maybe they are looking for a new opportunity and just want to see what's out there, it's a great way to kind of bring in a lot of different people for interviews. And yeah, put yourself out there as our great employer in our region. But like I said before, everything I just talked about and more is on our website, Bedford Area Chamber.
Com, and you're always welcome to reach out to us with questions. The chamber would love to hear from you. Whether you're a chamber member, a community member, or just somebody who enjoys our podcast. But that's enough for me. Without further ado, please allow me to introduce today's guest, Ashley Markland, with On Second Thought Consignment. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much. I'm excited to talk to you today. I actually love your story. I didn't want to tell you that off air.
Ashley (Speaker 5):
Thank you so much. You didn't tell me that.
Foster:
No, I, I like I like to save like the good things for like for the air because like, I don't know, it just makes a little special.
Ashley:
It does I appreciate that.
Foster:No problem. Well, before we kind of dive into it, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself and then about your business?
Ashley:
Yeah, absolutely. So I have lived in Lynchburg with my family since I was little. I couldn't even tell you like five years old.
And we relocated or located to Lynchburg after living in Roanoke. My dad was an engineer by degree and his job was in Lynchburg. He was commuting.
We had to get closer, with two young kids. I have a sister who's two and a half years older than me. We just couldn't deal with the back and forth he was doing every day. So we moved to Lynchburg and soon after his job moved overseas. And so we had a decision to make. Do we, stay in the area or do we move again and move the family? And so my parents had always enjoyed secondhand shopping, as had, you know, me and my sister had always kind of tagged along, and we my parents, I guess, decided that at that point they were going to try to open a second hand store. and so that has been a big part of my life. It's really all I've ever known is the business. and so it's when you ask, tell me about yourself. That's kind of the first thing that comes to mind when we're talking about a podcast.
and who I am because it is just a big part of our family. outside of that, my background is in marketing. I went to Virginia Tech. got a degree in public relations. I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina with my now husband. Did not think I would return to the area. I think a lot of people think that when they leave, and we came back after we had our three year, three year old twins, they're now three. Oh, wow. came back to the area, to kind of raise our family. And, you know, things happen with on second thought. We have grown, we've expanded, and that has kind of led us to where we are today. my entire family is still here. My mom and my dad and my sister and me. And then we have some littles, who will hopefully share the same passion that we do. But, you know, reselling second hand. All that stuff has been a big part of my life and it's something that I'm passionate about.
I know my entire family is passionate about. but yeah, my my parents kind of just took a chance. Yeah.
Foster:
I mean, going from engineering to running any small business, but especially doing retail and consignment, that's a big change.
Ashley:
It was a huge change. And I think what started it was my mom always liked shopping secondhand. And so she would take me and my sister places with her. I still remember going in secondhand stores, in Lynchburg. there's where the kids things are on water. Like, I can still remember going in there with my mom. and it was just, again, it was all we all we ever knew. And so when my dad's job went overseas and my mom was at the time staying home with me and my sister, it's like, well, what do you do? and I don't know how the conversation started between between them. But one thing led to another, and they found, a space for lease on Forest Road. it was 2000ft² at the time.
We had home items in the front, clothing items in the back, and it just took on a life of its own. it's been crazy to see the growth over 21 years.
Foster:
That's such a long time. I had no idea that it had been there for that long.
Ashley:
Yeah, and I think a lot of different things can contribute to our success. One thing that we always point to when people ask us about the business is we we're kind of a recession proof business, right? And so when things happen in our economy or, you know, the housing market or all these things that can impact people's spending, they want to Make some extra money. So you're going to consign. But also I may still want my closet to be fresh. I want to get a good deal on clothes. And so instead of going to the mall or shopping online, I'm going to go to the consignment shop up the road and get some new stuff for it. Better price. And so we have found success in that area.
And that wasn't I don't think our intention was, you know, like, this is bound to be successful and no one thinks that going into a small business. But over time we have found that, and then I guess on the flip side, when things are, you know, the economy is great and that kind of stuff, people have the money, they want to refresh their home, they want to get new decor, they want to get new clothes. And so, we have just found over time that, people enjoy our concept.
Foster:
That's awesome. Yeah. I mean, it's like a every season business.
Ashley:
Literally every season. And when in the past we would have kind of a we call it like a lull, right in January. All businesses, if you go to target or those types of stores, they're changing out their, you know, their, products to the spring stuff. They're getting their gardening stuff out. And so we we experience that a little bit too. But this year, and since we have moved to our new location, we've really found, like, it hasn't stopped.
I think one day, 1 or 2 weeks ago, we signed up 14 new consumers. Wow. which is crazy because you're, like.
I mean, maybe like 1 or 2 a day in the past, but like 14 were like print work contracts for people like, yeah, we're running out. It's just like constant, which is amazing because in addition to the saving the money aspect and, that part of it, you also have the part that I care about a lot, which is keeping items out of landfills, giving things a new life.
Truly, when fans trash is another man's treasure. and so that's something else I love of, like, people are, you know, figuring out like, let me sell my stuff. Yeah.
Foster:
Can you talk a little bit about what consignment is? Yeah. Because I think a lot of people when they think of like cleaning out their closet, they think of like going to Plato's closet and like selling a couple things and then taking the leftovers and going to go and donating them.
Ashley:
Yeah. so we are there's consignment and there's thrift and there's buy out. Right. So we're consignment. and so I can kind of walk you through, if you were a consignor. you would come in and you would bring your items on hangers. I give your hangers back to you, and we're done going through your items. we accept consignments Monday through Friday, 10 to 4. And so there's no appointment necessary. some places you're going to have to book a month in advance to get your selling appointment with that. We don't.
Sorry. We don't require that you, limit your. Sorry. I apologize.
Foster:
No. You're good. Let me put you on the spot.
Ashley:
My head. My headset was falling down.
Foster:
I saw it slipping off slowly. Oh my gosh.
Ashley:
Okay. We're back. So we don't require appointments. And so what that means is you can come in when it's convenient for you. you don't have to put it on your calendar. You don't have to worry about missing an appointment. You can stop in when it works for you. we accept items seasonally, so right now we're about to transition to our spring season. And what we do, we take your items back, we look through them. I would say we have a pretty, a pretty not strict, but, we really want the quality pieces. And so what we look for when I'm going through consignments. does it have any stains? Does it have where. So really, in the winter we see, you know, like sweaters, they'll get, like, really fuzzy or, like, really pilled.
those are items you may pass on if they have holes, anything like that where, I would call it like it's not ready to wear. we may pass on it. And the things that we do accept, we get your inventory, we or your information, we put it on, a sticker. It gets in our lineup, we enter it. If you're a consignor already, you kind of are in and out really quick. If you're not a consignor, it takes about five minutes to get set up. I think that people get nervous like this is going to take time. Yeah, and I actually spoke to someone the other day and she was like, I have friends and I just don't think they realize how easy it is. and so I think that might be a misconception too, is like, I do not have time to do that. Like literally pull items out of your closet, bring them to us. No appointment necessary. And we really do the rest of the work for you.
Foster:
That's awesome.
I think that misconception is probably one. Doing any type of paperwork.
Ashley:
Yes, I agree with you.
Foster:
And also like if you go somewhere like Plato's Closet and you go like drop off like a bag, you have to section out a couple hours of your day.
Ashley:
Yeah, you have to go back.
Foster:
You have to go back. Yeah, yeah.
Ashley:
So you take your items. When we're done with them, you're gone. We're going to handle the rest for you. we have a consignment period of 60 days and so, 60 days to sell. And if they don't sell, we give you two options. You're welcome to come back and get your items that don't sell. some people do it, some people don't. It's really just a toss up. we have a really high sell through rate. I mean, obviously, we take stuff we think it's going to sell, and if it doesn't sell over time as inventory levels, if things get full, if we're changing seasons, we go through and pull old inventory and we donate to some local organizations in the area.
And so it's going back into the community, which I love. I think people are like, well, where does it? Where does it go? and so I've taken contractor bags full of clothes to an organization called Food Not Bombs. In our area, they give out items at Miller Park on Saturdays. really great organization. We have done, Patrick Henry home. There's just so many options, and we're always open to other organizations, like if you are in need of clothes for our community, please reach out. I'm going to do a little plug right here because we would love to, you know, again, we we love to give those items to the community and people who need them if they're. I know some places have like, closets to like, get people ready for interviews and stuff. we would we would love to help, help you with that. And then with the home side of stuff. I think I've talked about clothing because that's typically, that's typically the side of the house that I'm on.
But we also have home decor, furniture, that we sell as well. Same process there. So after that 60 day period you can come get your items or we donate them. And so, you know, people who are getting back on their feet, they, they might need dishes or things like that or wall decor. if it doesn't sell, it goes back to the community.
Foster:
That's awesome. Yeah, that is amazing.
Ashley:
It's like one of my favorite parts.
Foster:
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think, like, nowadays, it's very rare for people to take things that don't like, aren't selling or like don't sell and like, donate them. Yeah. I feel like there's a lot of waste. Yeah. And it's awesome because, like, that's that's like the whole point of, like consignment of thrifting, of antiquing is like reusing things, not throwing them away.
Ashley:
And there are so many on the furniture side, the amount of stuff that comes in and I'm like, what do you know about it? That doesn't happen on the clothing side, right? Like, you bring a shirt in from J.Crew.
I don't need to ask. It's life story. Yeah. But on the furniture side, the amount of stuff that comes in and you're like, what can you tell me about this? Like, I see that it's cool. Like, I don't know if you've watched porn stars was like a big show.
Foster:
Oh, yes. Okay.
Ashley:
I love porn. You know, they're like, what do you know about it? And you're like, oh, in this story, it happens almost every day. That's so cool. we had recently a lady came in with this big. It was like a hand-blown, like glass sculpture. And I'm immediately like, I know, I know, this is something.
Foster:
Yeah.
Ashley:
It's like, what do you know about it? And she was like, well, I went to an art gallery in Los Angeles, and I saw this piece from this artist, and she told me the artist name, and I had never heard of it. so every day I'm learning, right? And she was like.
And so we we purchased it, and I said, how did it end up in Lynchburg? You bought it in Los Angeles, California. And then and she was like, we have just done so much traveling. And she had brought in some really cool, like, hand-blown, plates from like an art gallery in Miami. And it's like, wow, it ends up in Lynchburg. and so that's another I think every part of our business is like my favorite part. and so seeing the stuff that comes in, in the stories that people have about it, and a lot of times people just, you know, you no longer enjoy the sculpture or something and you want someone else to enjoy it. And we had a couple. I posted the sculpture on our social media and someone called from Roanoke and was like, is it still there? And they drove all the way to Roanoke. Oh, wow. And so we just get really cool things in. you genuinely never know what you're going to find.
Foster:
That's awesome. Yeah, that's that is one of my favorite things about going to like, secondhand stores is finding something like, really unique. I found these, like these cards that were embroidered, like it was paper that was embroidered and they were from, like, somewhere in England. And they're like in this, like Ziploc bag. Right? So I'm like, I like, open them up. And I'm like, oh, these are so cool. And I find like at the bottom, this note how this couple had gone on vacation together when they were very young and they had never used the cards. They were just art to them. And they were clearing out their house and they found them in the same Ziploc and they were like, I want somebody else to enjoy them, and I love them. And people always ask about them when they come over and I I'm type person. I have to limit the amount of like trinkets that I get because it's hard.
Ashley:
It's really hard.
Foster:
It is very hard.
Yeah. Especially when you have like a big, beautiful bookcase. Like I literally got the bookcase so I could put my books and my trinkets on it. Yeah. And but I love, like when I moved and I had, like, all my friends over for like the first time and they were like seeing all the new like configurations. I was like, let me just show you my bookshelf. And we stood there for like 20 minutes and they asked questions. I was like, oh, I got this from like this random store with my grandmother when I was a kid. Yeah, I love that stuff. I love hearing people's stories. That's why I like doing this too.
Ashley:
Oh, absolutely. I mean, I'm sure every week when you're interviewing someone, you learn something new about a local business or even a family story. And with that, I feel the same way about our containers. And so we have I don't even know specifically what number? But wherever. 16,000 consumers. Wow. yeah, it's 16,000.
Yes. It's crazy, it's crazy. And so we had someone the other day come in, and I immediately knew her face. And I knew her number. She was in the three hundreds. And so sometimes people would be like, how do you know my number? And it's like, girl, you were one of the first. You were like, first. and so people have. And my sister and I were obviously small when, the business started. People have literally watched us grow up and we have, like, people come in. How are your kids doing? How is your family? Did you guys have a good holiday? and so I think it's just it's just so different than going to a big box retail or shopping online. and we've seen such great support from the community. and I think in addition, like we care. We, recently got my parents a new puppy. Oh, and one of our contenders brought her, like, a little, like, gift bag with, like, a toy in it.
And so sweet. It's just like the the kindness of people, like, make you believe in humanity again when, like, you come and like you speak to like the people and the stories that we get to do see every day.
Foster:
Yeah. I think it's also being a family owned business.
Ashley:
Yes, absolutely. And, you know, you have some secondhand stores, thrift stores that they they aren't owned by small businesses. you know, some still have really fantastic missions. And one thing that I made a note in my head to say is there is a place for everyone. And I think that Lynchburg has such a vibrant and Bedford second hand community. and we each kind of have our own thing. You do. which I love. This is kind of going back to, like, you never know what you're going to find when you're out. I went to Mission Thrift yesterday and found my kids a whole tin of Lincoln Logs.
Foster:
Oh, that's.
Ashley:
All the nostalgia. I was like, you've got to be kidding me.
I've been looking for Lincoln Logs, and.
Foster:
They don't make them anymore.
Ashley:
They do, but they're expensive.
Foster:
Really.
Ashley:
They are expensive. So, I got a whole ten for $3.
Foster:
That's awesome.
Ashley:
I was like, call my husband. I was like, I found Lincoln Logs. Like, it's the thrill of the hunt. and so I frequent second hand stores in our community, too. Like, don't get me wrong, like, I think half my outfits from on second thought consignment. But you would imagine if you worked there every day, you're gonna find clothes every day. but I still like mission thrift. Goodwill. There's threaded downtown. It's fantastic. there's Lulu's, which is right across the street from us. There's so many fantastic options in the area. and in addition to that, there is enough, like, things that people need to get rid of for everyone. Like the amount of waste that happens in the amount of things that are just ending up in trash cans is insane.
if anything, if anyone takes anything from this conversation, it's please look into donating. Consigning. look at those options because it's important to, you know, give items their entire, you know, the life that they can have. Yeah.
Foster:
There's somebody that can that would love what you have 100%. And also I own TV, so it's funny when you say you went to tech, but. Yeah. Hi.
Ashley:
Hello.
Foster:
But whenever we had move out whenever. Oh, I this when I and I would stay in Charlottesville, like, pretty much every summer, I loved just driving around with my friends and seeing what was on the sidewalk. Yeah. Because that's the thing is, if you're moving, moving sucks. It is. It's awful. It's awful. But we would find, like perfectly good flat screen TVs, dressers that are in perfect condition. Like all sorts of stuff that people just like couldn't be bothered to move. They would put it out for the trash. And I think it's like a great point when if you live in a college community, go drive around during the summer and see what's out there.
But also there's a lot of different places that will come pick up your stuff. Yes, they'll come pick it up. Yeah.
Ashley:
Just even like habitat for humanity. Mission thrift has box trucks. They will come to you. and take it off your hands. I even think goodwill might do it. I mean, you literally just have to send an email, like, they they want your stuff. Yes they do. and I think I agree with you. I remember, like, the dumpsters, like, they were like good couches. I was like.
What are these.
People doing? And, like, at that point, I'm, you know, I'm already like, I'm a second hand girl for life. I'm in college of, I'm still, like, thrifting and stuff. I would like I've it's not dumpster diving if it's on like the literal, but like I have grabbed stuff before me too. I found a cure. At one time I was like, just clean it.
Foster:
But, like, don't.
Ashley:
Put it in. Please don't put it in the trash.
Foster:
I found a matching lamp to one of my current lamps sitting next to my apartment complex dumpster. I just, I grabbed it, I cleaned it, and I still have it. Yes. It's perfect.
Ashley:
Yeah, it's just crazy to think, like, people are just like, I, I and I get it. If you're moving out, it's like the mental, the mental load that it takes. Like, what am I going to do with this? I'm moving to a new city. I can't take this with me. I don't I have a little, you know, Honda Accord. but even if you if you can think ahead on stuff Facebook Marketplace, I'll just say it's free. It's just come pick.
Foster:
Up, get it.
Ashley:
Or even better, just put it on the sidewalk and say it's here first come, first serve. and I promise you, people will come get it.
Foster:
Yes, they will.
Ashley:
They.
Foster:
Will.
I've been those people.
Ashley:
Exactly.
Foster:
Yeah, well that's awesome. I think this is. This has been a really fun conversation and I think it's so cool. Like how this is what I always say about small business owners. They don't always know everything there is about business. Yes, but you have a passion and that's why you're giving this a shot.
Ashley:
That's totally what it is. and I think for my family, we each have our kind of like our expertise. And so I'm marketing background. And so when, when I was in Charlotte, North Carolina, I've been in different, different roles. And so my first job was in Christiansburg, Virginia, at an independent materials testing lab.
Foster:
Oh, interesting.
Ashley:
Very cool job. so we basically, you know, people would come in and say, hey, I need to see what this is made of, you know, building projects and things like that. And so our literal scientists, they were incredible. we had these labs. I thought it was just crazy.
And so I would help the sales team. I would do marketing, do blogposts, all that stuff. moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Worked in some marketing agencies and then went back in-house. And so I, worked at a jeweler in Charlotte, North Carolina. And then my final job before coming back here, I worked at a plant in terrarium. So it's super cool.
Foster:
That is.
Ashley:
Super cool. Made me a plant girl. I have some that need some TLC at home, but me too. I'm like this. It's going to get warm soon, and we're gonna.
Foster:
Just hold on.
Ashley:
We're gonna perk back up. There's still green on them. and so I did all those things, but the second hand was, like, always my passion. Even in Charlotte, I would be like, let's go check out some second hand stores. And the amount of amazing, amazing things in a city like Charlotte would be. Mind. you wouldn't believe the things that people would just donate. and so I always kind of knew that there was a possibility to return to Lynchburg.
at that point, my husband and I had had bought a house we didn't really think we would. and then, like I said, we found out we were having twins. And so we we came back, and I always knew, like, if we came back, like, I really want to focus on the marketing side of things and see store signage. so anything like that I kind of handle, even if it's like flowerpots on the outside of the store, like the visual arts.
Foster:
It makes a difference because that's people's first impression.
Ashley:
Does make a difference. It really does. the fonts that you choose for your signs, the sign holders that you have, the entrance rugs, do they have your logo on them? It's little things that you don't think about when you walk into any business. But as small businesses, there's a small team and someone is doing it. And so, my sister, it it has a business degree from, University of Lynchburg, and so she she's never had another job.
She's always worked for my family's business. Gotcha. and so she got out of college, started doing that full time. she is really great at doing her schedule, staffing, things of that nature. She's really hands on. as far as entering inventory, pricing, inventory.
Foster:
Tedious things.
Ashley:
And you can't, like, I can't really give you, like, a textbook and be like, here's how you do.
Foster:
It.
Ashley:
Yeah, but my sister's name is Cymric. She is going to be like, I'm thinking this price. And it's like, why? And she's like, because you just.
Foster:
Have. You either have it or you don't. Yeah. Oh, my God.
Ashley:
All the.
Foster:
Time. Yes.
Ashley:
All the time. You either get it or you don't get it. And she just gets it. And then my dad, engineer by degree. As we said a few times, he's going to fix anything. If something's wrong, you got to call dad. Where's dad? Like a true dad.
he, builds furniture. If it needs to get done, he is going to do payroll, taxes. I mean, any of that kind of stuff. The more technical. He set up our security system.
Foster:
Wow.
Ashley:
Yeah, he's a super, super smart guy. probably probably the smartest person I know. But don't don't tell him.
Foster:
I know you're saying that so quietly.
Ashley:
Don't tell him I said that. No, I don't. Bad thing. he's just, He's going to figure it out. He's going to figure out how to do it. And that, I think, is why we're here today. and then my mom, she, was in the business full time. And then when grandbabies came along, she stepped away to wash grandbabies. And so it's literally a family affair. We're all doing something, to keep it us moving forward.
Foster:
That's awesome. Yeah, that's a lot of hard work, though.
Ashley:
It is. And it's, you know, one of the things about owning a family business that people, probably people do ask about is it's like, how how do you like, separate it, right? So my sister lives five minutes from me.
I see my mom every day because she watches my kids. I see my dad every day because I work with him. And so not all families can do it. you know, I'm very fortunate to have a fantastic family. We support each other. We're there for each other. do we have hard days? Absolutely we do. But we all have a common goal, and we all share the same passion, which really helps. It's not like, well, we're all in the business, but, like, Ashland really doesn't want to be here kind of thing. Like, we all want to be there and we all care. and that's something that you can't you can't teach. It just kind of gets natural.
Foster:
You can't really fake that type of stuff.
Ashley:
You can't. You can't fake it. No. Absolutely not. I mean, and I, I like working with my family. we we get along and I'm very fortunate because I know not all family businesses can say that.
Foster:
Yeah. And that's that's incredible.
I think your customers definitely feel that, too.
Ashley:
Yeah, I think so, too. And, you know, if I'm there and my sister's not there and my dad's not there, people ask, you know, they ask about the others. And, it's funny sometimes there is a lady the other day and she thought I was my sister. and I was like, no, no, no, like I'm Ashlynn or like, sometimes because Zimmer has been in the business for kind of long, longer than I have because I left and came back. people will be like, there's two. And I was like, yeah, yeah, that's hilarious. I'm the younger one. but people just see, you know, two girls with blonde hair. They don't know who's who.
Foster:
No, I have the I'm actually very similar age gap with my sister over two years apart. Okay. And we both, we look similar. We don't look entirely like. Yeah. Like we have a height difference. Yeah.
We have very different vibes. Yeah. But people still confuse us. And if we're, like, turned away from them, they hear our voice. Our voices are really similar. But yeah, it's it's fun. I answer her name. She answers to mine.
Ashley:
Yeah. Pretty much. Or sometimes people, if we're really busy, people will be like, can I talk to Cymric? And I'll be like, I'm her sister. Like, what can I do for you? Because I can promise you, our answers are going to be the same. Yes. You know what I'm saying? And if it's not going to be the same, like, at that point, I'll grab her, but, like, we're probably slammed busy. So, like, I can help, I promise.
Foster:
So if people are interested in coming by, what are some cool things that are at the store right now? Oh, I know not to put you on the spot.
Ashley:
Oh. It's okay. I. I have the first thing that came to mind.
We had a new consignor come. this probably was a month ago and came in and was like, I have glass. And immediately I'm like, no, glass is hard to sell. Right. you can go to other thrift stores in the area. There are books and books of the Crystal in the glass and the China. and so I'm like, do you have pictures of it? She has it in her car, but doesn't want to bring it in if we don't want it. And she pulls her phone out and I'm like, oh, this is really cool. Blue glass. It's like Fenton and Murano and hand-blown and just stuff that like, I'd never seen before. And so obviously we ended up taking like all the blue glass she had because, you know, people can describe it to you, but then you see it in person and you're like, oh yeah.
Foster:
That's beautiful.
Ashley:
That's beautiful. And she brought it in. We have a whole like bookshelf display of just blue glass like light blue glass, dark blue glass, hand-blown glass, just like stuff that you're not gonna see.
So that's definitely one of them. And then the other one that came to mind. We get a lot of art in. And I think some, some of it is just like your Hobby Lobby art, but other stuff is like genuinely art. And we had a lady come in and she was like, I have these two original paintings. we get originals in pretty often, and a lot of times they're local artists, which I love even more. And she was like, we were renovating our office and the people, like, I guess the co-workers were just going to throw these pieces of art away, Blows my mind. Oh my God. And they are like the most beautiful garden scenes, and they're like big pieces of art. You can tell they were hand painted and the amount of time that went into these, They have a card on them that gives you information on the artist. I love that kind of stuff. So. So it's kind of one of those things. It's like no one else is going to have this.
And if they do, it's going to be 1 or 2 other people. and so any time we get like the original stuff in, that glass sculpture I talked about earlier, it sold. But that was one of the coolest pieces we had in, was that hand-blown, piece. I think it sold to someone else in Roanoke, not the original people who came in. and then on the clothing side, obviously it's it's different because it's closed, but we have so much like Lululemon, Free people, Anthropologie. And what I love about that is we don't have those stores here. And so you're going to have to, to drive to like Richmond, Northern Virginia to find those brands. Or you can come buy it secondhand, at some really great prices. A lot of the stuff oftentimes is new with tags. but we also have something for everyone. So like, those brands are, you know, 20s to 30s, 40s people are wearing that stuff. but then we have Chico's, Talbots, J.Crew, Lands End, Patagonia, all those brands we get in every single day.
and like I said, I think my entire outfit is from on second thought.
Foster:
Yeah. I think whenever I'm, I'm always, like, fighting with myself when I'm going through your clothing section because I find so many of, like the shirts that you have on that are like the thick kind of like jean shirts and oh my gosh, I don't know if you can have too many in your closet.
Ashley:
I know what you mean. I know what you mean. I'm a sucker for, like, any cozy, like, cozy.
Foster:
Yeah.
Ashley:
And I was talking to my manager and I was like, I gotta clean out. It's like it's so hard to be like, I don't need another cozy sweatshirt, but it's like, what do I do? And so sometimes it's like. But it's such a good deal.
Foster:
Yes.
Ashley:
And you have to take a step back and be like, but do I need it or am I going to be part of this overconsumption problem that we're seeing? and so it can be hard.
I mean, all of the girls that work there, you kind of have to separate it and be like, we have some super cute stuff coming in. but my mentality is like, I'm going to let someone else enjoy this. Yes. And it has to go on the floor. Yes. Yeah.
Foster:
Well, you guys always have nice stuff. You always have great coats and. Yeah, the furniture side. I mean, I had to literally wrestle myself away from a white Sherpa couch that you guys had a while back. Yeah. Oh, my gosh, y'all knew what you were doing. Putting it next to the door. It was so comfortable. It was. It was. Yeah.
Ashley:
And so with the furniture we have a mix. And so we have brand new furniture. We get some stuff from manufacturers. and then other a lot of the stuff is also, can consigned. We have someone we work with. He is out of Bedford, and he reupholstered old chairs.
Foster:
Oh, that's really nice.
Ashley:
And so if you come in and you see some really like, they're usually wingback chairs with just fine prints and fabrics, we know, like that's going to be this gentleman. and he's doing the same thing that we are. He is finding pieces that need love and he gives them new life. And that at the end of the day, that's what we're all about.
Foster:
That's really cool. It's almost like you have a bunch of, like, small businesses within your small businesses. Yeah, like they're frequent flyers.
Ashley:
Absolutely. Yeah. And a lot of people choose to. The lady who was cleaning out the blue glass, she was helping her mom clean out. And we have a lot of that, too, of, like, people come to us sometimes and they're like, I don't I don't know what else to do. Like, can you help? And you know, we with the like people who are just like, I just need to get rid of this. We have sad stories coming of like, hey, like, I, I just like, my wife just passed away.
You're like, my mom just passed away. And you have to handle each situation so differently. And there are a lot of situations that we have. You have to have empathy for the people. And, I think we we do a really good job of that. And let's say we have a situation like that of a, you know, a gentleman who just lost his wife and she collected something he's saying, and I don't know what to do with it. we make sure that we take really good care of those customers because they're going through a hard time. and just being gentle and having empathy. it's one one of them. Probably the most important things to me is treating our customers with just kindness and respect. And like I keep saying empathy. and I don't know if you're going to get that everywhere.
Foster:
Yeah. Ashlyn, this has been an awesome conversation. Yeah. If people want to get in touch with you, if they want to learn more, or just speak with you and learn more about the store, what's the best way to do so?
Ashley:
Yeah, absolutely.
So we are on social media. On second thought, consignment. You can visit our website. On second thought says we have a contact form. You can reach out. if it's about consignments, just about what we do. General questions I obviously love to chat about who we are. you can reach out. You can also stop in. I tell people between me and my dad and my sister. There's going to be a combination of us there. So just stop and give us a call. we are open Monday through Friday, 10 to 530. Perfect. Monday through Saturday, 10 to 530.
Foster:
I was like, hold on a second.
Ashley:
No. Saturdays we are closed on Sundays. Only day we're closed.
Foster:
Perfect. And what is the address of the new store?
Ashley:
So it's 201 Gristmill Drive. and so our old location was in a strip mall on Forest Road, there's an intersection. You just go straight through the intersection. We're behind Eminem Cleaners, over in that area right next to Yamada.
Foster:
Perfect. And I'm sure it's. We didn't even talk about this, but I'm sure it's so nice to have everything in one space rather than bookending the building.
Ashley:
The best I did, I will say I used to get my steps in because it was like, we need help here, we need help there, we need to get money. It was just like back and forth constantly, but it's so much nicer to pop your head around and just be like, are you guys okay? You need me? Yeah, it's been a game changer.
Foster:
Awesome. Well go buy, check it out, find something good for yourself and maybe someone. A couple things for somebody else. Yeah. Well, thank you so much again for joining me today. This is.
Ashley:
Awesome. Yeah. Thank you so much.
Foster:
Of course, you're listening to Not Just Buildings, hosted by the Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce and produced by Media Squatch. There are so many great people working together to make the Bedford area a great place to live, work and do business.
And we hope that by telling their stories, our listeners are able to become more connected to our community. After all, there are so many hidden gems, services, resources and amazing opportunities just waiting to be seized right here in the area of Bedford, Virginia. If you like this interview, I have great news for you. New episodes come out every week, and we have lots of episodes for you to catch up on in the meantime. Episodes are available on Mediawatch plus, our producer's local streaming app, as well as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, our weekly newsletter, Facebook and website, and anywhere else you can find podcasts. If you want to learn more about us at The chamber, we encourage you to check out our website, Bedford. Com or give us a call at (540) 586-9401. Thanks so much for listening, and keep an eye out for the next episode of Not Just Buildings.
Time Stamps:
Podcast Rebranding & Introduction (00:01:07) Host introduces the new podcast name, "Not Just Buildings," and its mission to tell local business stories.
Upcoming Chamber Events Overview (00:01:54) Overview of upcoming Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce events, including the annual kickoff and other programs.
Annual Kickoff Event Details (00:02:49) Details about the chamber’s annual kickoff event, its purpose, and who can attend.
Startup Toolbox Marathon (00:03:46) Announcement and description of the Startup Toolbox Marathon for entrepreneurs, including partners and event logistics.
Career Technical Education Expo (00:04:45) Brief on the March career technical education expo for Bedford County 7th and 8th graders.
Spring Job Fair Announcement (00:06:44) Information about the April spring job fair, its location, and benefits for employers and job seekers.
Transition to Main Interview (00:07:43) Host introduces guest Ashley Markland, owner of On Second Thought Consignment.
Ashley's Background & Family Business Origins (00:08:26) Ashley shares her personal background, family’s move to Lynchburg, and the founding of their secondhand store.
Consignment Business Growth & Resilience (00:11:02) Discussion of the business’s growth over 21 years and its recession-proof nature.
Consignment Process Explained (00:15:17) Ashley explains the difference between consignment, thrift, and buyout, and details their consignment process.
Community Donations & Impact (00:18:58) How unsold items are donated to local organizations, supporting the community and reducing waste.
Unique Finds & Customer Stories (00:20:44) Stories about unique items, customer experiences, and the joy of discovering secondhand treasures.
Family-Owned Business Dynamics (00:25:35) Discussion on being a family-owned business, community support, and the importance of local secondhand stores.
Encouraging Reuse & Donation (00:27:16) Emphasis on the importance of donating and consigning items to reduce waste and support the community.
Family Roles in the Business (00:30:20) Ashley describes each family member’s role and expertise in running the business.
Balancing Family & Business (00:35:05) Challenges and rewards of working closely with family, and maintaining harmony in a family business.
Customer Relationships & Empathy (00:43:14) The importance of empathy and kindness in customer service, especially during sensitive situations.
How to Connect & Store Information (00:44:43) Details on how to contact the store, hours of operation, and the new store location.
Podcast Closing & Community Connection (00:46:15) Host wraps up, encouraging listeners to connect with the chamber and listen to future episodes.
Key Words:
Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce, Not Just Buildings podcast, Chamber Vibes, local businesses, non-profits, Bedford Virginia, Foster Garrett, Ashley Markland, On Second Thought Consignment, community events, annual kickoff event, Startup Toolbox Marathon, Career Technical Education Expo, Spring Job Fair, entrepreneurship, economic development, local job seekers, secondhand shopping, consignment store, unique items, community support, family-owned business, marketing, furniture consignment, thrift stores, sustainable shopping, overconsumption, local economy, small business stories, consumer experience, empathy in business, glass art, local artisans, community connections, recycling, donation, hidden gems, local resources, podcast episodes, Media Squatch, local streaming app, community engagement.