Over the summer a local bookstore owner sold her shop to a new lady in town, and urged us all to donate to help this new gal out. Being friends, Christians, and homeschoolers who want a local store carrying used curricula, many of us pitched in--I far moreso than I would normally have done. I took 100 items over to the new resale shop. The deal was that I'd get half of what sold--simple book consignment. Since I contribute to our monthly budget nearly every month, it was a worthwhile venture even though I generally focus on selling skin care/cosmetics and ebaying.
Whenever I stopped by the store, however, it was closed more than half the time. No sign, no notice, just closed. Hard for folks to shop when a store is unreliable.
Fast forward from Oct to Dec and I had a balance and was told the check would be mailed to me. The end of Dec came, and no check. In January word got out that the store was closing and we only found out because a friend of mine stopped in and found everything boxed up. Here it is February and I've not heard back from the owner about my books or money even though I've emailed her numerous times.
It turns out I am not alone in this experience. It is appearing as though a scam artist came in to town, took advantage of some gullible Christians, and moved on. She may have been overwhelmed with the store and closed, or she may have planned this. Who can know for sure? She has remained silent. I'm the type to try to give the benefit of doubt, but we've all had hard times and in this era of internet and cell phones, reaching out is not difficult. Not reaching out is intentional.
As Christians we're to be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves, and in this case, many of us were not shrewd.
The consignors are owed an explanation and the opportunity to get their materials back. The silence has gone beyond "we made a mistake in buying the shop and are in financial trouble". It now appears that dishonestly is in play and people have been taken advantage of. Most people in this town would understand a poor business decision, hardship, marital trouble or the like, but we should have been told us what was going on with our items and the store. The items were not damaged or stolen by a thief who broke in the store. In good conscious, we all should have been given the opportunity to retrieve our materials because the store owner did not uphold her end of the deal, which was to provide a venue and reasonable time for the items to sell.
My guess is that most of the families who brought their items to the shop needed the money, yet by now they probably would just appreciate honesty and integrity more than cash or their books. But I am also willing to guess that is not the case for everybody.
You only get one chance to make a first impression, but that does not negate righting wrongs.
