Starting with phone calls and e-mails and ending with cold, hard cash, the fifth consecutive Hidden Treasures children’s consignment sale is already in the preparation stages.

The sale will be Sept. 3-5 at the C-K Community Center in Kenova, W.Va., and will give people a chance to unload their baby stuff and make a profit.

“Our consigners that sell with us make 70 percent of the profit and that helps families make extra money,” said Melissa Triplett, co-founder of the sale.

Triplett, a 30-year-old mother of two, along with friend Bridget Trent, also a 30-year-old mother of two, was looking for a way to get some income and started the sale hoping to help other people in the process.

“We were both stay-at-home moms and we needed to make extra money to help provide for our families,” Triplett said. “It also offers other families a way to buy children’s things that don’t cost a lot.”

“It’s better than a consignment shop because you make your money in three days instead of waiting a whole season,” Trent said.

Another benefit of the sale is the social aspect of it.

“They have a chance to make some extra money and meet new people,” Triplett said.

“We’re a very friendly environment, very personable with our consigners,” Triplet said. “It’s a way to socialize while saving money and making money.”

Trent and Triplett do the preparation work themselves, with the help of their families.

“Lots of planning, email, phone calls, making sure we have all the supplies we need and making sure there’s enough room,” Triplett said. “With every sale we grow with more and more consigners and we need to make sure we have room.”

Triplett said people interested in selling can call or sign up through the website now and they will receive a consigner number and instructions on how to begin tagging and pricing their items.

Trent said the items sold are clean and in good shape.

“We carry anything you would need for a child or baby,” she said.

“Our last sale had a huge turnout, doubling all the other sales,” Trent said. “It’s getting much better each time.”

Trent said the biggest piece of advice she can offer people interested in selling items is in the pricing.

“Think reasonable,” she said. “Think, ‘If I went in and looked at this shirt, what would I pay for it?’ Think realistically.”

Anyone interested in more information can visit the website www.hiddentreasuresale.net or call Melissa Triplett at (740) 479-1901 or Bridget Trent at (304) 617-6949.