Laurie Ferguson always liked the idea of a shop where people brought their beloved furniture and customers could find artsy bargains. As a newlywed, Ferguson couldn't find anything that fit her design sensibilities and budget. Big chains such as RC Willey and Granite Furniture were her only options. Instead, Ferguson decided to open her own consignment shop. On a trip to California, she visited dozens of such shops, consciously noting those that had the most appeal. She stuffed her one-bedroom apartment and a rented storage unit with one-of-a-kind antiques and collectibles until she opened Finer Consigner in March 2003.

"I actually started calling people who had furniture for sale and asked to consign them even before we had a building," Ferguson recalls. "And they let me."

Soon the store in Cottonwood Heights was filled was every possible household item, from an old Asian wheat churner to a vintage Coca-Cola machine and a Cambodian china cabinet, from an antique child's rocker to Kaiser porcelain, super-collectible fairy-tale dishes and a vintage sewing table.

But now, in the midst of economic turmoil and environmental concerns, such recycling seems even more important, she says.

Most items are priced at less than half their retail value. For example, the store currently is selling a dining set for $3,000 that would cost about $20,000 at one of the higher-end furniture stores.

"Consignment is a strong concept in a time when people are having to downsize," says Kate Glennon, one of the co-managers at the Cottonwood Heights store. "It's a place [where] people can bring their used items and attempt to get healthy financially through help on the other end."

Each item remains in the store for 90 days. If it sells, the store gets 50 percent of the price. If it doesn't sell, the original owner can take it back or donate it to a local charity. In addition to selling fine furniture, wall art, pillows, clocks, frames and rustic benches, Finer Consigner sells the services of its in-house interior decorators. The store offers 30 minutes of design advice for free, and charges only $35 an hour for in-home consultations.

It's a fun place to work, Glennon says. "Being able to offer great pieces at great prices and being able to give people a chance to buy things they couldn't afford anywhere is so satisfying."