VANCOUVER, Wash. — Divine Consign has been a fixture on Vancouver’s downtown Main Street since 2005, for nearly 20 years filling a sizable storefront — and it will keep its doors open, as the plan announced last month to shut it down just flipped.
“We came in here expecting to do a story about your closing; good news: you're not,” said KGW’s Tim Gordon, as he learned the news from executive director Linda Glover.
“It is great news that we're not; it's such a relief for us and such good news for the community,” replied Glover.
Divine Consign has been a community store, operating as a nonprofit and accepting donations and consignment items to sell. It’s spent proceeds to help good causes, giving nearly $2 million to other local nonprofits.
But the business model was having trouble surviving, and so, they planned to close down at the end of August.
“The ending of this is very emotional for all of us, and it's emotional that we won't be able to continue on helping the community ... now knowing that it's going to be saved, that's made it a little bit easier for us,” said Glover, who described the group of volunteers that have devoted themselves to the operation as a family.
The save comes courtesy of a volunteer vendor, an antiques dealer in Vancouver, with The Height Antiques.
“His name is Jay Sanchez, and he said at the end of last week, 'I just can't let it go. I just love the place so much.' We said, 'That would be wonderful,' so he's going to take it on,” recalled Glover.
Divine Consign will no longer be a nonprofit, so some community benefits will go away, along with the volunteer staff. But at least the 10,000 square foot store is not closing.
That pleases longtime customers like Dee Amundsen, browsing with her sister on Tuesday.
“Vancouver knows about this place because it's so unique, and so when I heard that somebody stepped in to save it, I was just like, 'Thank goodness; that's so wonderful,'” said Amundsen.
Along with furniture, there's a basement floor filled with vintage clothing, antiques and other collectibles. It will remain a draw that brings people from all over to downtown Vancouver, and that's a win on Main Street.