My Biz: Fia’s Finds offers upscale consignment store in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — Sophia Joseph said a customer walked into her consignment shop recently and told her she knew a visit to Fia’s Finds would “make her soul happy.”

Joseph said it’s the greatest compliment she could receive.

Joseph, 41, owns Fia’s Finds, an upscale consignment store offering everything from housewares and décor, to clothing and shoes, purses, jewelry, collectibles, furniture and more.

She said her goal in opening the store a few months ago was to make it a wonderful experience for those coming in to check it out.

“The store is clean, organized, curated, transparent and welcoming,” Joseph said. “And integrity is at the top of everything we do.

“My vision is to make this a place where people want to spend their day off, that it’s a place you enjoy being.”

Fia’s Finds opened March 1 and has steadily gained shoppers and consignors.

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Store in Bahamas

And while Fia’s Finds is new to Cedar Rapids, Joseph is not new to the thrifting and consignment world.

She operated a consignment store in the Bahamas for many years.

“When I moved there, I realized how expensive everything is living on a small island,” she said. “And you couldn’t find used goods. I knew moving there that I wanted to start a business, but I wasn’t sure what that was until I realized the need for a thrift store. I grew up thrifting and was very excited.”

The store grew in popularity quickly and soon expanded.

“Finders Keepers was the name of the store, and it was like a calling. I loved that store, and I loved the people.”

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Connections

Joseph, who also owns the Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop franchise in Cedar Rapids and is an independent financial adviser, is excited about the way Fia’s Finds connects her to people after moving back to the states a few years ago.

“People were the No. 1 thing missing from my life when I moved back from the Bahamas,” she said. “So I woke up one morning and realized I could have something like I’d had there. And things moved fast after that.”

Joseph found the large open space on First Avenue East, leased it in November and began planning how she wanted to the store to be put together.

“I am very particular,” she said. “I want to make sure everything we do meets my standards. … Talking with customers and consignors just feeds me.”

Thrift shopping is popular now, thanks to people being more concerned about inflation and the environmental impact of buying new/discarding old.

“And we have a whole new generation of people who are using things in a whole new way,” Joseph said. “They buy a cool piece not just to add it as part of a collection but because they appreciate how it looks and want to use it.”

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‘Fia’s way’

Joseph said she’s taught her team of about 12 employees “Fia’s way of doing things.”

“When you have 10,000 items in a store, having them displayed as I’d like them to be and keeping up with that can take a lot of time and energy,” she said.

Joseph also handles all the marketing, operations, H.R. and policies and procedures.

“Our pricing is unique. I’ve played with that over a lot of years,” she said. “And you’ll notice the way that our showroom is set up is unique, too. We are always changing things around and inventory is always fresh because we constantly have new things coming in.

“One of the biggest things I hear from people is they have never seen it transform so quickly. The store always looks different.”

Items are full priced when they are first set on the floor, then begin being marked down to 15 percent, 30 percent and then 50 percent off as time goes on.

“It’s great now that we have been in business for a few months that we have a real assortment of prices. There’s something for those that want the fresh hot item and those who want the best bargain,” she said.

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Selling things

Consignors — some 425 already — do not need an appointment to drop off items.

“We don’t really have a limit on what we take,” Joseph said. “We are really focused on the quality of the item over the quantity or when it was made.”

She said that when people bring in quality items to consign instead of having a garage sale, they tend to make about the same amount of money for less work on their part.

“We want to help you sell the good stuff, things that are unique, desirable and sellable,” Joseph said. “We want to have prices that are ideal for consignment. But at the end of the day, our goal is to get things sold, to get the best price we can in a short period of time.”

Know a business that should be considered for a “My Biz” feature? Let us know by emailing mary.sharp@thegazette.com.