"When I started, I assumed my upper-middle-class moms would be my sellers and I would have to market to lower-income moms. I had my fliers translated into Spanish," said Laurie Owens, who runs a sale in Flemington, N.J. "I found that really wasn't the case at all."
Nelson's recent sale also represented the melting pot that is Los Angeles, with stay-at-home mothers in $165 jeans frantically searching crowded racks elbow-to-elbow with screenwriters and nannies. Some came from 30 miles away or farther.
Most shoppers were also sellers. Burbank mom Lisa Manocchia brought seven boxes brimming with about 180 items -- including Thomas the Tank Engine bedding, a Harry Potter game, dishes, clothes and a Spider-Man backpack -- which she expected would fetch about $400.
She planned to turn around and spend just as much, outfitting her 4-year-old son with new-to-him things for summer.
"He accumulates a lot of stuff," said Manocchia, who works in the corporate office of Louise's Trattoria.
"If he hasn't played with it for six or seven months, I bring it here."
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jennifer.oldham@latimes.com
