We have to give it to them. Moms know what we’re good at. It’s a well-earned right after their life’s work of raising us.
For roughly 160,000 hours our moms
-studied our likes and dislikes so we would choose to eat the food on our plates,
-discerned our strengths and talents so that they could guide us into activities where we would not be mocked in middle school, and
-assessed our future hopes and dreams to turn us into successful grown adults.
Even though it was so dang hard to admit high school (and sometimes even in college), when moms have a recommendation for us, they typically know what they are talking about. Thank goodness Chelsey’s mom, Cindy, lived up to being a mom who knew what her daughter needed…even though Chelsey is an adult with children of her own.
They live several hours apart down opposite directions of Texas highways but Chelsey and Cindy have maintained a very close relationship. Cindy says if she hasn’t heard from Chelsey by midmorning, she’ll start to wonder if Chelsey is doing okay. They usually talk on the phone multiple times a day.
On one call home, Chelsey excitedly shared about a recent children’s consignment sale she had shopped for her young boys. Chelsey bubbled on about the great quality, the low prices, the easy finds. She reported that she was able to pick up everything on her kids’ back to school clothes shopping lists—even the brands they wanted!—and stay within her budget. What a relief for a single mom of two! The best part, Chelsey added, was that not only could she buy at the consignment event, she could also sell her boys’ outgrown clothing to earn extra cash too. How much better could it get?
As Cindy listened to Chelsey’s excited report, she was grateful for such an opportunity for Chelsey. And she wanted the chance to stock up her own house for the treasured visits and spoiling of four grandchildren. Cindy started to dream about giving this opportunity to young moms and grandmas in her West Texas community.
Cindy’s idea gave Chelsey an idea: what if, together, they opened up their own Rhea Lana’s Children’s Consignment franchise in Lubbock.
Sure, Cindy’s involvement in the community made her an already busy wife, mom, and grandma. But owning a vet clinic, directing a nonprofit, and having an active social life weren’t drawbacks to a Rhea Lana’s business. They were the relational assets that set the foundation for their new business serving the local families they already knew and loved. And even though Chelsey lives several hours away, she could manage the social media and digital side of the business while her mom worked the grassroots of continued connection.
They decided to go for it. It has been hard work. But it’s been work that is more than worth it. Their very first Rhea Lana’s consignment sale is happening this week, proving their confidence in a mother/daughter co-owned business.
Chelsey thinks the best part is getting to work side by side with her mom and spending the hours invested together helping to strengthen other families while they strengthen their own. Cindy can’t believe that it’s truly become a reality to receive emails from moms and grandmas, share phone calls with them, and then finally get to love and serve them in person during this sale event. What a joy to hold those tiny babies they talked about shopping for and see the shining Mimi’s and Gigi’s faces as they pick up goodies for a weekend with the grands.
In true Rhea Lana’s fashion, Rhea Lana’s of Lubbock is choosing to give back to their community in even more ways. They’re hosting a shopping event for foster families to shop items for free. And also partnering with the Guadalupe Economic Services Corporation to help even more families make comfortable homes for their children.
Chelsey and Cindy are happy to provide other moms on a budget the means to not just give their children what they need, but to be able to proudly bring home a bag of the goodies they want too. All moms want to be able to provide for their kids in this way. Now it’s a possibility for families in the Lubbock area too.
