Just around the corner in East Tennessee's Karns community is a small but no less professionally run event that makes casual yard sales seem like a thing of the past. Buyers and sellers are getting so savvy that Tammy Akard and her family have decided their
Growth Spurt Consignment Sale has much to offer. A website and signage direct shoppers clearly to the residential location, where the family and friend-run venture looks little like a yard sale. You'll find a boutique section that includes new, handmade children's items. Rows of newer baby gear and brightly colored toys attract your attention from the street. Under weather-ready shelter, racks and bins of clothing are neatly sorted and labeled. Akard, with a media background, works on promotion. Sister-in-law Kathy Akard, with retail experience, has done much of the organizing. Growth Spurt works the same as the larger sales, with consignors allowed to sell items for a split with organizers. Akard says, "We really wanted to have high-quality children's items that were gently used to offer to our community." She says they like to use the marketing expression that, "We sell the clothes right off their backs" because kids outgrow them so fast anyway. This spring is the fourth successful sale for Growth Spurt.
