In the heart of Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, founder Joey Ghioni and the team at Ballard Consignment have built more than just a furniture store—they’ve created a vibrant hub of discovery and community. What started as a local consignment shop has grown into a 30,000-square-foot destination where vintage enthusiasts, bargain hunters, and style seekers converge to find unique furnishings and decor.
Joey's entrepreneurial journey began with a clever insight and a big leap of faith. “I was doing a work-study job in college, and I just wanted to find a way to make an extra $500 a month,” he shared. Joey realized that with a keen eye for value, he could source local items people were eager to part with and sell them to local buyers who prized them highly. In the early days, Joey’s home filled up with these treasures in transition, and he had a steady stream of people dropping in for great finds. When he had the opportunity to take over a lease for retail space, he hesitated: “I thought, ‘I don’t really know anything about this.’” But his wife encouraged him. “‘You know, you should do this,’ she told me. ‘We can make it so nice.’ I didn't really believe it, but we went ahead, and that was the big leap. From then on, the business grew.” Joey and his wife knew they were onto something. “On our first day, we did far more business than I ever thought possible. I remember thinking, ‘My life's gonna be completely different after this.’”
Ballard Consignment added more space to its footprint when the high-end furniture store next door closed. Joey’s beautifully-curated showroom expanded, creating more space to spotlight cherished items and furnishings from around the community. “We went ahead and added that space, and it turned out to be exactly what the community needed.”
Ballard Consignment’s ever-changing inventory is a reflection of the growth and change in the community itself. “We get new pieces every day,” Joey says. “Ballard is growing, Seattle is growing, and that creates this constant stream of people and things moving in and out. The key for us is to have a big enough footprint to accommodate a lot of inventory.” Beyond its retail appeal, the store is a symbol of ingenuity, resilience, and hard work. “I have never met a successful person whose most important attribute hasn’t been hard work. Work really hard at something, and the opportunities will arise.”
More than just a business, Ballard Consignment and its four expansion stores in neighborhoods around Greater Seattle have become cornerstones of their communities. “The community is what makes this work,” Joey says. “We’re not just selling furniture. This is a retail location, but it's also a service. That makes it unique from most retail locations. When you have things you want to get rid of, what can you do with them? A lot of people make a good living just consigning here.”
Joey’s stores bring together a diverse clientele and provide a platform for locals to share their treasures and stories. It’s a thriving microeconomy, where quality goods are continually recycled and upcycled within these growing communities. Joey sees his vision and the community aspect of his business reflected in OfferUp, too:
“OfferUp is tailor-made for our business. It’s like having a thousand of these stores at your fingertips. There are a lot of benefits—you go on OfferUp and you can find an extremely good deal. You can go to one source where there are hundreds of items available in your area. Whether we’re hunting for items or selling what we have, OfferUp is the perfect marriage for us.”
As Small Business Saturday approaches, we celebrate entrepreneurs like Joey, whose creativity and dedication strengthen the fabric of our communities. Businesses like Ballard Consignment remind us of the power of shopping locally, where every purchase supports not just a store, but the people behind it and the neighborhoods they call home. “I am a believer that we really do live in a land of opportunity. If you work hard and you make good decisions and you do something people around you value, that’s all you need.”
To learn more about Ballard Consignment, visit their storefront on OfferUp or stop by their iconic Ballard location to find your next treasure.