This Saturday at Cradlerock Elementary brings the return of an annual event put on hold by the pandemic:
It’s the Children's Consignment Sale run by the local nonprofit group CAMOM. The name stands for Columbia Area Mothers of Multiples (meaning twins, triplets, and higher order multiples.)
You don’t have to be the parent of multiples to come to the Consignment Sale, however. Admission is free and the only stipulation is that you may not bring children in strollers because of space limitations at the event. (I am now having visions of tots and traffic jams and it’s not pretty.) So leave the strollers at home, but make sure to bring along cash, Visa or MasterCard (minimum credit card charge is $25). I see on the flier that bags will be provided for shopping.
From current President of CAMOM Beth Napoda:
This is great way to buy good-quality clothes/items for multiple-aged children in a family, a one-stop shop. The club used to hold a children's consignment sale twice a year until the pandemic. We haven't been able to hold an indoor sale since Fall 2019; we're trying to make this our big come-back!
If you’re interested in the history of CAMOM (I was!) it turns out that its roots go way back in Columbia’s history. I lifted the following from their website:
HISTORY OF CAMOM
1971: The first historical mention of CAMOM was in a 1971 phone book where a group of mothers listed themselves as a “Columbia Mothers of Twins Club''.
1986: Columbia Area Mothers of Twins Club organized and created bylaws, May 1986 the organizers appeared on the front cover of Columbia Magazine.
2000: The group changed its name to reflect the group’s increase in higher-order multiples.
2011: The organization became incorporated as a non-profit organization.
2016: CAMOM’s name is inscribed on a lakefront brick below the People Tree at the Kittamaqundi lakefront in honor of Columbia’s 50th Birthday Celebration.
2017: CAMOM unveils new logo and color scheme with help from the family of member Meghan Weber.
2019: Permanent records of CAMOM's organizational history are stored at the Columbia Archives.
2021: CAMOM celebrates ten years as a non-profit and over fifty years in the Columbia, Maryland area!
A quick trip to Google suggests that twin births have almost doubled since the 1970’s and that birth of triplets started increasingly gradually at around the same time. (No, I’m not suggesting this group had anything to do with that.) I think it was a great idea to start the group when they did and its continuance confirms its relevance. If you’re interested in the group’s other activities, take a look here.
Back to the sale. Saturday, April 22nd from 8 - 11:30 am. Then, from 12 to 1 pm, all items are half price. For a $20 VIP fee, you may enter at 7:30 am to get first pick.
If you don’t have young children of your own, pass this information along to someone who does. Getting a good deal on clothing for kids can be something to celebrate, especially since they all insist on growing so quickly.
Twenty-three years ago I was sitting in a waiting room with my 13 year old daughter, waiting for an ultrasound appointment. The nurse came and greeted us. “Oh, you’re the one with twins!” she said brightly.
My teen looked at her with a hard stare and announced, “We don’t need twins.”
I was stunned. And mortified. A few minutes later the nurse returned, all apologies. The charts had stuck together. No twins for us, after all.
And that is as close as I got to being the mom of multiples.
Have you ever been to the CAMOM Comsignment Sale? Chime in with your experiences and/or shopping advice in the comments.
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