Greenfield store passed down to the next generation

A Greenfield business of nearly three decades has been passed down to the next generation. Suzanne Wagner recently made the decision to hand Country Consignments and More off to her daughter, Ashlee Nelson, effective April 1.

At the end of 27 years owning and operating the business, Wagner said she knows it’s time for new blood to step in and take the consignment shop that is well-loved around the area into the future.

“I’m kind of sad, but I’m ready to be done. It’s time for me to step aside and let her take over,” Wagner said. “She wants to, and she does an excellent job. We’ll keep the same name and keep it moving on.”

With her husband, Kirk, as a long time Fareway employee, the Wagners traveled a lot earlier in life. Once they planted themselves in Greenfield, Suzanne thought about her love for consignment shops.

“I thought, ‘This town needs one!’ It was scary because I hadn’t ever had a business before and thought, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’ I had another store help me get on the right track,” Wagner said. “That was Teddy Bear Turnaround in Winterset. She helped me a lot with pricing and book-keeping on it.”

Over the years, Country Consignments and More has stayed in the same location but experienced the building of a new, expanded facility. In the basement, the Wagners have apartments they rent. Suzanne says the new facility, which opened in 2006, was a great upgrade for their store.

In 2015, the store went computerized, which greatly streamlined the book-keeping process for them.

“My book work would take me a good day. Now we just run the sheets and we’re all good. I had to pay Ashlee to do the store because I was doing book all day,” Suzanne said, adding that consignment shops are still labor intensive because of all of the handling you have to do with the merchandise.

While clothes are their main focus, the store carries items of all kinds, and there are name brands available in nearly every department.

Nelson has worked with her mom for 17 years and feels well-equipped to take the business over.

“I’ve been working with my best friend. She’s taught me a lot, has grown the business and it has really taken off,” Nelson said. “I thought we might as well keep it in the family. It is a lot of work and can be overwhelming, but it’s that way with anything. For the most part, I love my job. I love seeing our customers, and we have a lot of regulars. We have a lot of support from around the area.”

Country Consignments and More is closed Sundays and Mondays, open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays.

Wagner also resigned from the Greenfield City Council, as well as many of the other boards she has participated on. She and Kirk are planning to enter an entirely new season of life together soon.