T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER — Grundy Center Chamber-Main Street held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Ashes of Ivory Consignment & Gifts at 607 G Ave., on Saturday. Gathered for the ceremony are representatives of Chamber-Main Street and family members of owner-operator Steph Stolzman, at center holding scissors.

GRUNDY CENTER — A new storefront in downtown Grundy Center seeks to provide an outlet for affordable wardrobe and gifts for the whole family.

Ashes of Ivory Consignment & Gifts, 607 G Ave., held its official grand opening on Saturday, complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by Grundy Center Chamber-Main Street.

The business offers clothing and accessories for women, men and children of all ages as well as books and various gift ideas for shoppers looking to dull the hit to the pocketbook.

“In an economy where you go to the store and pay three times what you’re used to paying for milk, I wanted to be able to provide an outlet for people to be able to save money,” said owner-operator Steph Stolzman.

Stolzman’s other mission with Ashes of Ivory is to serve as an advocate for mental health, a matter which hits home for Stolzman and serves as inspiration for the shop’s creation, as she shared with a crowd gathered at Saturday’s opening ceremony.

Battling depression and coming off a knee surgery in December that would likely limit her future as a photographer at her studio, located next door to Ashes of Ivory, Stolzman found herself at a crossroads in life.

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER — The employees of Ashes of Ivory Consignment & Gifts and daughters of owner-operator Steph Stolzman, center, are pictured at the new store — Mya Stolzman, Natalia Meester, Veda Aldrich, Liz Clayton, Stolzman herself, Kathryn Bartling, Maycee Stolzman and Braelyn Schafer.

“I knew my body was not going to allow me to do [photography] seven days a week as I had been, and I really had to take a step back and figure out what the next phase of my life was,” Stolzman said. “And so with the name, ‘ashes’ represents the dark time in my life, where I felt there was no hope; and ‘ivory’ represents a clean state and starting again.”

While she admits she’s not a licensed counselor or therapist, Stolzman wants to be that helping hand to make sure no one feels like they’re on their own.

“Sometimes it’s as simple as offering a hug, a shoulder to cry on,” Stolzman said. “I want to end the stigma with mental health.”

The store was initially meant to only be a shop for women’s and children consignment, but community interest in another option for male clothing in town inspired Stolzman to open up the back room of the shop to include a variety of men’s clothing for all sizes.

Stolzman also offers options to consignors like allowing them to either reclaim unsold items or donate them to a variety of charities around the area that accept such items – consignors can also opt to have their cut of the profits from items sold donated to these charities.

Consignment is by appointment only currently, and generally speaking Stolzman is only accepting spring-related clothing items at this time – a more comprehensive, updated list of what Ashes of Ivory is and isn’t accepting, as well as a link to sign up for a consignment appointment, is available at their Facebook page, Ashes of Ivory Consignment & Gifts. Consignors can also provide contact information to be contacted at a later date for a consignment appointment.

While juggling a new business in addition to her established photography venture can be stressful, Stolzman said this new shop has been therapeutic both physically and mentally.

“Knowing that I can help others has been phenomenal,” Stolzman added.

March 1 was also the five-year anniversary of Stolzman coming to the Grundy Center area, a move she said has been beneficial in many ways, including working with a women-dominated downtown business district.

“All of us business owners have banded together in this united front,” Stolzman said. “I want the people I serve from around to state to grab a bite to eat at Landmark [Bistro], drink a coffee at Natural Grind, and shop at all the other great retail stores here, and I know the other women here would encourage their shoppers to do the same thing for me – ‘Oh hey, check out that new store down the block.'”

Ashes of Ivory will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, 10-7 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 10-3 p.m. on Saturdays.

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Contact Jake Ryder at (641) 753-6611 ext. 227 or jryder@timesrepublican.com.