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Auction and Consignment Shop Lets Customers Do Well while Doing Good
bill mallette, business, ebay, maria garcia, net-workz, northeastern community development corporation, technology,
If you’ve got the urge to purge, Net-Workz can help you turn those unwanted items into cash – for yourself or your favorite community organization.
Net-Workz is a store and an online retailer that stocks a wide range of merchandise, including vintage collectibles, clothing and pottery. Most of Net-Workz’s inventory is consigned by local residents, who can choose to keep the proceeds from their sales or donate them to a nonprofit agency in the area, says Bill Mallette, who manages Net-Workz.
The idea for helping nonprofits through Net-Workz was the brainchild of two local women – Maria Garcia, head of the Northeastern Community Development Corporation, and Pat Youngblood, director of the Hopeline program for abused women and their families. The idea came about as they were looking for new ways to assist nonprofit organizations with fundraising and make an impact on the community.
Mallette encourages nonprofit organizations to register with Net-Workz for contributions and then spread the word among their supporters to help solicit donations.
“I think it is a good example of people working together and benefiting in different ways,” Mallette says.
Net-Workz’s retail storefront is in the Virginia Dare Arcade. Northeastern CDC and Hopeline started the business in the spring of 2005. Along with in-store consignment, Net-Workz markets customers’ items on eBay for an additional fee.
“We are providing a real niche service with the eBay store,” Mallette says.
“It can be tough work to put an item up for eBay auction on your own. With us, you bring the item in and we do the work, from digital photos to monitoring the auction, to receiving payment and fulfilling the shipping.”
Story by Warren Denney, Cindy Sanders and Dan Markham
