WILKES-BARRE — Kimi Reisinger never planned to own a consignment shop.
But the wheels in her head began to turn more than a decade ago when she saw in the newspaper that a spacious former doctor’s office along Carey Avenue was up for sale.
“I came in and thought: there are endless possibilities here,” said Reisinger, 63.
With that, Endless Possibilities Consignment and Beyond was born.
Located at 607 Carey Ave., the shop is made up of several floors and eight labyrinthine rooms filled to the brim with decor, housewares, furniture, clothing and more.
Reisinger later found out that the place used to belong to her grandmother’s eye doctor.
“I think that’s why I had goosebumps when I walked in here,” she remembered. “It took my breath away.”
The owner described her shop as a “diamond in the rough.” Since opening little more than a decade ago, she has built a loyal customer base. Meanwhile, new people continue to discover the shop.
“Somebody new will walk in the door every single day,” she said.
Reisinger is still amazed at how fast her inventory has grown over the years.
“The store right now is filled. It just started with nothing and a few crafts that I did,” she said.
As someone who’s been in sales her whole life — she operated a flower tent for a number of years — Reisinger felt it was important the create a space with a personalized touch.
“It’s nice to have somewhere you can come to shop for bargains, whether it’s secondhand or not, or just a feel-good place to come and roam around,” she said, pointing to a couch that sits right in front of the checkout counter.
“We call that the therapy couch,” she explained. “People come in and they sit and talk to me. It’s a personal type of shopping, which I love. There’s little shops that I love to go to for the same reason.”
With the holidays coming up, Reisinger is also gearing up for her 11th annual Christmas shopping event from 2 to 4 p.m. Dec. 7, when kids 15 years and younger are invited to purchase gifts for a penny.
Kids will also go home with a goodie bag and have the opportunity to take photos with Santa and Mrs. Clause.
For the third year, the event will be held at the Nanticoke Quoit Club at 422 Railroad St.
“I started out with five kids the first time. And now I’ve gotten as many as 500 people. It’s grown so much over the years that I can’t even have it here anymore,” she said.
Although Reisinger is wary of fanfare, she acknowledged shopping events like the one she hosts greatly benefit families in the area.
“It’s a labor of love,” she said. “And it’s important to give back to the community.”
Endless Possibilities Consignment and Beyond is open Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m to 4 p.m.
For more information on Kids Buy Presents for a Penny shopping event visit the event page on Facebook.