Local Treasure Trove

By: Olivia Hamel

As it is so often heard of in a small town, teen and children residents often complain that there is “nothing to do.” Living in a town with a dismal population of 5,000, this accusation of “there is nothing to do” sometimes seems to be the truth to the younger people stuck within the boundaries of the town due to the lack of a driver's license. However, recently an interesting company was established right in the middle of the town of Hopkinton, N.H. Located at 874 Main Street, the company that was so recently established is called Contoocook River Consignment Gallery.

To one who is unfamiliar with the term “Consignment Gallery,” it simply means that it is a store that sells items that have been recently and lightly used, and remain in wonderful condition. More times than not, consignment galleries put most of the items that they receive, up for sale, rather than critiquing the items that are brought to them, and keeping only the best for their customers. However, this is where the Contoocook River Consignment Gallery differs from the other consignment stores out there. The owner of C.R.C.G, Susan Gagnon, has firm consignment policies that she keeps on a sheet to hand out to wondering customers or future “vendors.” I went into C.R.C.G on day contemplating how she ran her business and simply asked her and she, excited at my curiosity, not to mention tremendously friendly with me, handed me one of the Consignment Policies fact sheet. On this fact sheet all of the important information is provided such as the store hours (Wednesday through Friday, 9am to 5pm). Along with this important information one of the most important Consignment Policies is the one that states, “Clothing must be clean and in excellent condition.” This one policy makes C.R.C.G enormously different from other stores of the same genre because of the fact that Susan cares tremendously about the quality of the products that she sells. This shows that as a small business owner, Susan cares immensely about her customers. However, it is not only the older customers that she cares about but she cares a whole lot about the younger customers and dedicates a whole room to teenager attire.

Overall, Contoocook River Consignment Gallery focuses on customers wants, along with quality. As a teenager myself I find this specific shop to be a great place to find treasures along with clothing, that I have purchased there and wear frequently. The Contoocook River Consignment Gallery feeds my curious appetite and gives me something to do within the small borders of my town, of Hopkinton N.H.