Check Out Lauren Elmore’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Elmore

Hi Lauren, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It started in 2010 when I discovered a tiny consignment store looking for help on Thursdays. Newly unemployed, I was intrigued. I had a decade of retail management and corporate training under my belt but I had never experienced consignment. So I took the job. Shortly after I started, the owner asked me if I wanted to take over the business. The current location along with the owner living out of state, the store was severely underperforming. But I saw potential! So I took on the new role of small business owner. My first step was moving the location from a mid-town strip mall to downtown Durham. It was almost immediately a success. Within a year we were bustling and the thought was swirling in my head to open a second location in Raleigh. So I started looking at retail spaces and found a great spot in the Village District in Raleigh. We opened in August 2011 and it was a hit! Fast forward 10 years and I saw an opportunity to rebrand from the original name to my own name, logo and website, MODE Consignment Boutique. That same year, our shopping center in Raleigh was undergoing construction and changes and we had to relocate within the District. I thought that changing the name of the store and moving locations simultaneously would be a challenge that I wasn’t sure we could overcome. Through lots of hard work, construction, missed deadlines, and stress we did it! We re-opened in October 2022 with our new name and in a new space. All was well with both stores for about a year. In October 2023 I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Life came to a halt. Over the next 8 months I had major surgery and was receiving treatment. There was a point while undergoing medical care where I couldn’t even picture myself back in my favorite spot, my stores. During this time, my team stepped in and stepped up allowing me the space and time to receive treatment and heal my body (and mind). I am now cancer free and back in the stores working with my amazing team and smiling customers once again! The stores are a part of me just like if they were my child. I’m so humbled and proud everytime someone says “Oh, I love shopping in your store”. It didn’t happen overnight and we still grow and learn every day. I now truly understand the saying “big risk, big reward”.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Sometimes smooth and sometimes rocky. Rebranding was interesting and fun and scary. I thought, what if people don’t like the name or logo??

Construction is always a challenge! Also, construction around us with vertical development downtown has been challenging.

Being diagnosed with cancer at 44 years old while owning a business was extremely difficult.

We lived through the pandemic. Closed for 2 months and then reopening with little to no guidance. That was a nightmare.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are an upscale consignment boutique specializing in feminine fashion. Some things that set us apart are that we do not take appointments so anyone can walk in with their items and we will go through them on the spot. We are not vintage. We specialize in quality, current fashion and trends. Being a consignment store, we are able to sell brands that are not found in our area like high-end luxury brands and couture. Our consignors are able to shop using the credit that the accumulate by selling with us or they can pick up a check and have cash to spend how they want.

Extremely proud that in 2023 we won Small Business of the Year with Business North Carolina Magazine! It was such an honor.

What matters most to you? Why?
When it comes to business I think it is most important to be fair. Treat everyone equally. Be fair and compassionate when making decisions. Also, my employees are so important to me. They are the heartbeat of the stores. They. are the faces and smiles that people see when they enter the store.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.modeconsignment.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modeconsignment/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modeconsignment/