Downtown’s WHO kNEW? Consignment will turn 10 years old this month — and everyone is invited to its birthday party.

The Front Street consignment shop will organize a two-weekend event to celebrate the milestone, which will kick off in conjunction with the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce’s Easter Eggstravaganza Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the following Saturday, April 15, owner Kris Soenen and her staff will host an anniversary celebration at the business, offering treats, activities and discounts for families.

Soenen will invite former Kincheloe Principal and local children book illustrator Dan Smith to the event on April 15, who will draw caricatures for visitors.

There will also be games and activities aimed at children, including “pin the face on the emoji” where they can put an expression on the face of a blank yellow face to resemble one of the popular emoticons commonly used in text messages and on social media websites. Parents can take a photo of their children next to the face after it is finished, Soenen said.

The staff will also serve treats, including cupcakes, during the celebration.

“You can’t have a celebration without cupcakes,” Soenen said.

In addition, customers who stop by the store the next two Saturdays may pick out a plastic egg from a basket when they check out. The eggs will contain discounts, determining a certain percentage the customers gets off when they pay, Soenen said.

From April 8 to 15, customers can register to win a $100 gift certificate at the time of purchase. People can register one person per day through April 15.

The festivities are a way for Soenen and her staff to thank everyone who have made WHO kNEW? a success since the owner opened the shop for business in April 2007, she said.

“If it wasn’t for all our great shoppers and consigners, we would not have been here for the past 10 years,” Soenen said.

Soenen, who moved to
Dowagiac from Chicago in 1995, opened the consignment shop inside the former Majerek’s building, located at 119 S. Front St. The store sells gently used children’s apparel, from newborn to juniors and young men, as well as baby gear, youth furniture and maternity wear.

As the name implies, the store’s clothing is sold on consignment. People bring in apparel they wish to place on sale, earning a percentage of the proceeds when the items are sold to customers.

The model allows the store to sell high quality, name brand clothing at a third of the cost that customers would pay if they purchased them new, Soenen said.

In an interview with the Dowagiac Daily News published shortly before the store’s grand opening, on April 3, 2007, Soenen said the name WHO kNEW? means, “Who knew I’d be doing this? Who knew in Dowagiac there would be such a cool store? Who knew you could save so much money on great-looking clothes?”

The success of WHO kNEW? prompted Soenen to open a second downtown store, Refine Women’s Consignment, a few blocks away, at 2010 S. Front St., in 2014.

Soenen is also an active member of the Dowagiac chamber, and serves as the treasurer of its board of trustees. She is also the longtime organizer of Dowagiac’s annual Ice Time Festival, as well as the Rod & Roll Classic Auto Show.

For more information about the store, people may visit WhoKnewConsignment.com or by calling (269) 782-9800.