(This is long, but if you have time – we will tell you our story)
Bear Market Consignment Sales is owned and operated by Roger and Jill Halverson. Back in 1988, new parents of two beautiful little girls and living in Gillette, Wyoming – Roger and Jill found their lives changing.
Roger had done heavy equipment operating, plumbing in the coal mines, and electrical installations in the coal mines in Wyoming. But in 1986 he was employed by Pacific Power and Light at a power plant in Gillette that operates off of coal. This was a very good job with benefits – but did involve shift work of all hours and days.
Jill was employed with Kerr McGee Coal operations at Clovis Point Mine and up to that point also was working shift work all days and all hours.
What happened was Kerr McGee chose to close down the Clovis Point Mine and Jill lost her employment. It was at that time that she realized that living in the cold windy climate of Wyoming (where she was born and raised) was not where she wanted to spend 30 years of paying off a mortgage and retiring. Also, raising the children and both working shift work was not how they had hoped to raise their family.
Another very important part of this story is that Jill had become a saved Christian and was being led by the Lord in these decisions.
When Jill confronted Roger with the idea of moving where it was warmer, there are trees, water, and no wind. He said that the only way he would leave his work was if they had their own business.
So….with the help of a weather atlas and looking at their options, Roger and Jill chose the Lake of the Ozarks area, sight unseen.
It was Jill’s responsibility to find a business that they could run, that would support their family, and not include late nights and shift work. This involved lots of traveling, prayer, prayer, and more prayer. But one day she drove into the little community of Camdenton and there was a burst of energy and she knew that this was where they were to be.
At first they looked into purchasing other businesses that were already in progress. But nothing was right. Then after returning to Gillette, Wyoming Jill went to shop at her favorite store – Value Villa. She had the most fun taking her little 2 and 3 year old daughters there and letting them pick out their own clothes. They could afford any of the clothing on display – and then the girls loved wearing what they had picked out themselves. It was always fun.
Jill spoke with the owners of Value Villa and for a fee, they agreed to train Jill how to run a consignment service.
The first location of Bear Market was on North 5, just one block from the square now the location of Arrow Mart Furniture. There was only 2,000 square feet available, but it was a start. (At that time there was a NAPA auto parts store and a CPA accountant also using space in that building).
Roger helped move Jill and the children to Camdenton. He built shelves and racks and then left for Wyoming. It was his income that would support the family until the business was successful (they hoped). Occasionally Roger would visit from Wyoming – about once every 3 months or so. And, it was 2 long years before Bear Market had enough cash flow for the family to reunite.
It was in 1992 that they obtained a lease on the building they are presently in, on West Highway 54. There was 12,000 square feet available at that time and that was when Bear Market really grew. The building had been vacant for a long time, there had been broken windows and dead birds and cats in the back. The East end of the building was later vacated by other renters and the roof on that side leaked water really bad. Then the grocery store next door went out of business, leaving Bear Market alone in the shopping center. Leaking roofs, and the building was for sale.
God does provide – it is amazing to look back and realize how so much of the roof leaked, but Bear Market, a little box in the middle of the center, didn’t leak. The merchandise was always safe from harm. Then a new Landlord came who purchased the building and fixed the roof and let Bear Market expand another 8,000 square feet. This was good .
A few years later, the building sold again, and again Bear Market was allotted another 10,000 square feet which is the present size, of approximately 30,000 square feet. This new landlord resurfaced the front of the building with stucco, and paved the parking lot and really blessed Bear Market again.
We got to have our family around the table at night for evening meals, and we got to go to their school programs and have the life we dreamed of.
So, here we are. Bear Market will be 20 years old March 1, 2008. Our children are grown and moving away.
Bear Market is very proud to let anyone who is interested (and will read this far) all of the charities we are able to support. We want our customers to know that their money spent at Bear Market is not making some stingy person rich, but instead, being used to benefit many needs around the Lake of the Ozarks.
First of all our employees. We have 9 full-time employees, and 4 part- time employees. We do not pay them
minimum wage, we want them to be happy and healthy, to the best a re-sale store
can supply.
Update November 2011:
The falling economy caused families to need to sell items to have
income....and many people who would have never shopped resale are learning how
to make ends meet with our re-sale prices. We now have 18 employees, six
are part-time. March 2012 will make Bear Market 23 years old! We
have an employee that has stayed with us 18 years, one for 15 years, one 9
years, one 8 years, two 7 years, one 6 years and more. We have not
increased our contract percentages since we opened - but we have had to change
sizes and quantity of items consignors can bring in because of trying to serve
everyone.
We closed for a week in September 2010 and added pine
trees and a mountain scene. Mary Lou Meyer (Jills mom) came and taught the
employees painting and the employees painted all of the walls to look like
forest and sunsets while Mary Lou painted the beautiful mountain scene and some
bears fishing in a stream. We also have a Kodiak bear in a big display
case. We have a little black bear from Wisconsin that had been hit by a
car. Since then we have been adding wildlife to our store every month and
asking customers to find the newest animal to win free shopping dollars.
We try to make Bear Market a fun place to shop for all!
These are local charities we support – many every month:
Child Advocacy Council
C amden Christian School Helping
Hands
Homeless
Shelter
Childrens Miracle
Network
IHS Ministries
Kids
Harbour
Lake Pregnancy Crisis
Lighthouse Ministries
Hope House Lake Regional Hospital Foundation
KCVO Christian Radio Lamb
House
Laclede Cowboy
Church
Orion Center
Ozark Food Harvest
Ozarks Habitat for Humanity Show-Me Youth home
Woman to Woman ministry
These are charities we help outside of the community – mostly 1 or 2 times per year, but a few of these are monthly too:
American Bible Assoc. Police and Sheriff assoc’s(varied)
American Heart Assoc Alzheimers Disease Research
American center Law and Justice American Cancer Society
American Red Cross Christian Coalition
Crown Financial Ministries Childrens Miracle Network
Christian Motorcyclists Concerned Women
of America
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Doctors without Borders
Easter Seals Feed the Children
Find the Children Focus on the Family
Guiding eyes for the Blind Kidwish
March of Dimes Muscular Dystrophy Assoc
Missouri
Operation Smile Operation Blessing
Wonderland Camp Special Olympics
Springfield Victory Missions
Veterans of Foreign Wars World Wildlife
Youth with a Mission many other missionary outreaches
Thank you for visiting our web site and reading our history.
Please come to Bear Market for shopping fun, and perhaps we can sell items for you too.