Unwanted items get new life at LaBelle Legacy

Posted: Nov. 26, 2012

City of Oconomowoc- Home improvements don't always have to entail chaos and a hefty price tag; sometimes all you need is a simple adjustment to your living space to make a big impact.

Enter LaBelle Legacy, which is celebrating its one year anniversary in the downtown Oconomowoc area.

The store offers a trifecta of options for shoppers from consignment and gift items to ideas for re-purposing furniture.

Those options allow homeowners to enjoy a makeover for a fraction of the cost involved in traditional redecorating.

"It's been exciting and we've had lots of new things were trying," said LaBelle Legacy proprietor Jean Niebler.

In challenging economic times, savvy shoppers have welcomed the opportunity to shop consignment stores, with an eye toward the quality that might otherwise not be affordable.

Niebler's store offers both contemporary and traditional furnishings and home accessories.

The first year of business has been rewarding, Niebler said.

"With the downtown area beginning to blossom with the new community center and the German Christmas Market, among other things, it is an exciting time to be a business owner in Oconomowoc. I'm very happy with where I am right now. The community and the people here have been very nice and supportive.

"We have lots of new people coming in for the first time," she added.

Niebler explains that they also can help people re-imagine a piece of furniture.

"Furniture restyling is where you take an old piece of furniture with good bones, say maybe an old oak look, or something that has been scratched, and giving it new life with some funky fun color, or distressed white," Niebler said. "I tell people to look at those as accent pieces as well," she added.

The consignment policy at LaBelle Legacy is a three-month contract and the store and the seller agree on an asking price. During the first month the item is in the store, it is sold at full price. If it does not sell in the first month, the price is reduced 20 percent; in the third month, the item is then sold at 40 percent off the full price. Items accepted for consignment must be in "sparkling condition, pet free and smoke free," store literature notes. Niebler said unique items such as small upholstered pieces, lamps, mirrors, small tables, art, serving pieces and home accessories sell especially well. For more information on rules and policies, check out the store's website at www.labellelegacy.com/index.html.

"I like the story told between the consignor and the buyer," Niebler said.

"Whether the item is being sold because the owner is moving, or it's from an estate sale, or just personal reasons," and then someone else gives it a home in theirs, Niebler explained.

"It's important to re-purpose and reuse rather than discard. There's value in old pieces, and sometimes better quality," she added.