Andrew and Abby’s Closet is preparing for their biannual Children’s Consignment Sale in early March, and this time around, they selected the TLC Community Center as their primary recipient for their fundraiser.

TLC Director Angie Odom said this is a big deal for both TLC and for the community at large.

“It is wonderful,” Odom said. “We get donations in clothing, but not always in the same quality as this.”

Showcased at the Appalachian Fairgrounds twice a year for over 13 years, the Closet brings together community members from across the Tri-Cities to donate thousands of items groups like the TLC might not have access to otherwise.

“It is a different kind of donation,” Odom said. “It allows us to have larger items we do not get, like high chairs and strollers.”

Kimberly Beal said they gather hundreds of vendors for the event.

The sale itself lasts for about a week. First, a pre-sale benefit takes place Wednesday from 6 to 10 p.m. For a $5 entry fee, participants can get first dibs at the thousands of items for sale. The rest of the week is for everyone else and will be free of charge at that point. All of the entry fees collected go to the TLC, while a portion of the sales themselves go to the Closet. At the end of the week, vendors have the option to donate any items they did not sale to the organization in question, in this case the TLC. Many vendors do this, and the result in thousands of items in delivery trucks will drop the items off at the TLC for Odom to then distribute to her community who needs them.

“It is fun, but a lot of work,” Beal said. “It is worth it because it benefits the whole Tri-Cities.”

She said she and her partner Emily Hinkle love putting the consignment sale on every year because of how it brings the community together.

“A lot of people who sell will also buy,” Beal said. “It is like they are trading out clothes.”

Odom said the donations are beneficial because of the workload they get after the winter holidays are over.

“I am excited to see the quality and variety of what we get,” she said. “We get to set up a table and talk about the center, too. It is about the contact with people.”

Those interested in becoming a consignor this time around can fill out a form online at www.andrewandabbyscloset.com/. The event will take place the first week of March.