CLEVELAND — Many teachers end up buying supplies for their classrooms out of their own pockets, which can be very costly, but one woman is finding a way to bring that cost down while giving other teachers a chance to earn a little bit of cash.
What You Need To Know
- 2nd Semester sells classroom supplies of all kinds for grades Pre-K through 12th
- Teachers may donate or sell their supplies to the store
- 2nd Semester offers tutoring services for students
Monica Grays is a teacher. She has spent the past 24 years in the classroom, but she has also found a new life outside of the classroom.
After a position change a few years ago, Grays had a lot of classroom supplies she didn’t know what to do with, but an idea from her husband led her to owning her own business.
“My husband said, ‘You know what, how about take your things to a consignment store,’ and I thought that was quite interesting because I’ve never heard of a consignment store for educators. So, I looked it up and there was not one nowhere in the country. So, he said ‘Well, let’s open one,’ and about three months later we were open.”
Grays opened her store in the Cleveland suburb of Wickliffe 4 years ago. She sells items for all grade levels pre-k through 12th but said most items are geared toward primary grades.
She said the most popular items are books and hands-on games and activities, and, as many parents are taking on the role of teacher because of the pandemic, Grays said she’s seeing more parents shop her store.
“You can find just a world of things to help educate your child,” said Grays. “A lot of parents coming in to look for items to use at home. They are trying to create a classroom environment for their child, so they’ll come in for posters and helper charts and things that they can use at home with their child.”
Some of the items Grays sells are donated to her, but she is also happy to spread the wealth a little.
“People will bring items to resell. So they’re consigners and once their items sell they get 40 percent,” she said. “And then some people, we started this probably about a year-and-a-half ago making offers. That way the store makes a little more but the consigners they get their money and they’re out the door.”
2nd Semester Consignment also offers tutoring services. Grays said there are currently 10 tutors on staff who are all certified teachers. The tutors help students in grades pre-k through 12th grade in whatever area they need help in.
“I like to do a pre-assessment because our program is not a cookie cutter program,” Grays said. “We don’t have a particular curriculum that we use. We strictly assess the child, identify some concerns and needs of that child, and we create a program around that child’s needs.”
The store has the goal of helping children, parents, and teachers all at the same time. More information on tutoring services, may be found here.
