What to Do with All of Your Stuff in the Corridor

Since giving birth last November and losing almost all of my baby weight, the majority of my pre-pregnancywhattodowithstuff2 clothes fit me again. I say the word “fit” very loosely. Yes, they fit, but they fit differently than they did before. Shirts hug my mommy belly that won’t go away, and pants and shorts are tight around the hips and thighs. Also, our house seems to be overtaken by toys and baby stuff, and we are running out of room for a lot of things that we don’t need anymore. Eventually we will have an overwhelming number of kids clothes, shoes, and toys that we will need out of the house as well.
whattodowithstuff

I’m not the type to spend the time having a garage sale. It’s too much work, in my opinion, for a little return. In the past, I’ve always brought my stuff to Stuff Etc. to consign, and then any items they don’t take I bring to Goodwill. I began to wonder if there were other places in the area that I could spread the wealth, so to speak, with my used stuff. Turns out, there are several other places in the corridor to both consign and donate to. Plus the consignment shops might be great places to check out for play clothes and baby toys (items that I’m quickly realizing as a first time mom are not worth paying full price for). Check out the list below!

Iowa City Area

Donation Spots

*North Liberty Community Pantry

www.northlibertycommunitypantry.org

89 North Jones Boulevard North Liberty, IA

The North Liberty Community Pantry is an outreach mission of First United Methodist Church of North Liberty. They offer food and clothing for families of the North Liberty area. Children’s clothes, shoes, and outerwear can all be donated. Adult clothing donations are limited to coats and other cold weather outerwear.

*Habitat ReStore

www.iowacityrestore.com

2401 Scott Blvd SE Iowa City, IA

Proceeds from sales at ReStore support Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity, who build homes for families in need. They accept a variety of home items from appliances to cabinets and everything in between. For a full list of items that they accept, check out their website.

*Johnson County Crisis Center

www.jccrisiscenter.org

1121 S. Gilbert Ct. Iowa City, IA

Donations benefit individuals in Johnson County experiencing any type of crisis, ranging from needing food on the table to leaving an abusive relationship.

 *Potentially Yours Thrift Store

www.potentiallyyoursthriftshop.com

1705 S 1st Ave Iowa City, IA

Sales from Potentially Yours benefit Reach for Your Potential in Iowa City. Reach for Your Potential provides services for individuals with disabilities in the Iowa City area. The thrift store accepts clothing, housewares, CDs, books, furniture, and more.

 

Consignment Stores

*Kidworks

111 Stevens Dr. Iowa City, IA

Kidworks takes gently used kids’ clothes, shoes, and toys.

*Revival

www.revivaliowacity.com

117-119 E. College St. Iowa City, IA

Revival specializes in stylish, modern clothing, and accessories for women. They look for items that are currently in style and in season.

 *The Second Act

www.secondactic.com

538 Olympic Court Iowa City, IA

Known as Iowa City’s first consignment store, The Second Act has been open since 1985. The Second Act accepts gently used and new men, women, and children’s clothing. They also take shoes, purses, hats, belts, sunglasses, jewelry, and scarves. They also have vintage clothing and costumes for sale and to rent.

*The Savvy Boutique

https://sites.google.com/site/thesavvyboutiqueiowacity/

320 E Benton St. Iowa City, IA

Savvy only accepts women and junior clothing and accessories. Their sizes range from petite to maternity wear and only accept name brand clothing. They also look for current style clothing (within the last two years).

*Midwest Kids Market

www.midwestkidsmarket.com

B, 4261 Oakcrest Hill Rd, SE Iowa City, IA

Midwest Kids Market has a large consignment sale twice a year (fall and spring) at the Johnson County Fair Grounds. The fall dates are set for October 1-3. Information on how to consign all children’s clothes, shoes, toys, etc. can be found on their website.

 

Cedar Rapids Area

Donation Spots

 *Habitat Restore 

http://www.cvhabitat.org/cvhfh/restore/ 

350 6th Ave SE Cedar Rapids, IA 

Proceeds from sales at ReStore support Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity, who build homes for families in need. They accept a variety of home items from appliances to cabinets and everything in between. For a full list of items that they accept, check out their website.

 *Mission of Hope

www.missionofhopecr.org

1700 B Ave NE Cedar Rapids, IA

Mission of Hope provides meals, clothing, shelter, etc. to former offenders and others in need. They accept men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing and shoes, coats, and new undergarments and socks. Donations may be dropped off at their location during regular business hours. Mission of Hope is always looking for food for their food pantry and personal hygiene items as well.

 *Crossroads Mission

www.crmide.com

1006 2nd St. SW Cedar Rapids, IA

Crossroads Mission serves members of the Cedar Rapids community. They currently support 4,500 family units (approx. 12,000 individuals), 49% of which are children. The mission is always looking for clothing from newborn to seniors for the appropriate season, as well as personal hygiene items and items for their food pantry.

 *Treasures

www.treasurescr.com

405 8th Ave SE Cedar Rapids, IA

Proceeds from sales at Treasures benefit Bridgehaven Pregnancy Support Center. They accept quality new or gently used women, men and children’s clothing, jewelry, accessories, toys, baby equipment (new or under 2 years old), home décor, lamps, CDs, books, and more. See their website for a full list of items.

 

Consignment Stores

*Weetail 

www.weetailconsignmentsale.com

4400 6th St. SW Cedar Rapids, IA (where sales are)

Similar to Midwest Kids Market, Weetail is a seasonal consignment sale held at Hawkeye Downs in the fall and spring. Fall dates have been set for August 27-29. For information on how and what to consign check out their website. Bonus—if you consign you receive a ticket to the presale before the public dates. I speak from experience: this is HUGE. A lot of the good stuff goes quickly at the presale.

*Top Drawer

www.shoptopdrawer.com

1016 3rd St. SE Cedar Rapids, IA

Top Drawer takes furniture, antiques, home décor, lighting, artwork, mirrors, costume jewelry, and more. Furniture should be less than 10 years old, name brand, and in excellent condition.

*Polka Dots & Denim

www.polkadotsanddenim.com

4333 Czech Lane NE Suite B1 Cedar Rapids, IA

Polka Dots & Denim is an adorable store that has gently used, new, and handcrafted children’s clothes from zero to six years old. They also carry a selection of new toys. For consignment purposes they only accept gently used boys and girls clothing ranging in sizes newborn to six years.

*Rags to Riches

www.ragsmarion.com

246 7th Ave. Marion, IA

Consignment at Rags to Riches is by appointment only. They take women’s clothing, shoes, handbags, and jewelry that are two years old or less. Rags to Riches also accepts home furnishings, decorative items, mirrors, artwork, lamps, pillows, etc.

*Puddle Jumpers

www.puddlejumpersmarion.com

260 7th Ave. Marion, IA

Puddle Jumpers is locally owned and has been in operation since 1991. They accept boys, girls, and baby clothing that is no more than 4 years old. Spring/summer clothing is accepted from January through May and fall/winter items are taken June through November. They also will take toys that are no more than 4 years old and in working order. Call ahead to schedule your drop off.

*The Daisy

www.shopthedaisy.com

712 3rd Ave SE Cedar Rapids, IA

The Daisy accepts name brand women’s clothing and accessories purchased in the last two years. They want items that are in excellent, like-new condition and limit consignment of 50 items per day. They also accept home décor and accessories (lamps, wall art, art pieces, mirrors). After a 90 day selling period, if items remain in the store, they donate proceeds to Young Parents Network.

 

Do you have any others to add to the list? Add them below!

 

Elizabeth Kreher
Elizabeth is a personable, outgoing mom living in Cedar Rapids and working as a high school counselor. She met her husband, Ryan, in high school, but were friends for several years. They started dating while they were both at the University of Iowa and have been married since 2009. After enjoying 5.5 years as a married couple with only a dog to be responsible for, they added to their family in November 2014 when their daughter Elin was born. They welcomed their second daughter, Myla, in October 2016. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys being outside, reading, traveling, attempting to be crafty, running, cheering on the Hawkeyes and spending time with family and friends. She’s loved seeing Cedar Rapids through the lens of a mom and all our city has to offer for families.

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