Heather Aal Pivots from Non-profits to Curiosity Shop with Aal Yours Consignment in Fargo's Hawthorne

Heather Aal runs Aal Yours Consignment, a consignment boutique and curiosity shop tucked into the Hawthorne Historic District in South Fargo at 615 9th Avenue South, about a block and a half south of Island Park. The space has its own local lore, originally an Island Park grocery store, and now a rotating, highly curated mix of antique and vintage furniture and home decor, with new items hitting the floor daily and the layout changing constantly. Heather breaks down how consignment works in real terms: items get 90 days on the floor with markdowns every 30 days, and sellers split net proceeds after costs like credit card fees, auction fees, and marketing. Contrary to what many assume, most of her sales still come from walk-in traffic, with additional reach through Etsy as an international seller, selective use of eBay for truly auction-worthy items, and estatesales.org for online auctions when items aren’t reclaimed after the 90-day window.Heather’s path into this world runs through Chicago consignment work, furniture refinishing, and high-end estate sales in Dallas, followed by years in the nonprofit sector, including work connected to the Better Business Bureau in Fargo and later the Essentia Health Foundation. After COVID-era disruption, she built the shop deliberately, leaning on local small business support like SCORE, SBA resources, and the Fargo Executive Club. A standout early “universe has spoken” moment involved a rare desk tied to Henry Ford and a Smithsonian reproduction story that helped cement the vision. The conversation also touches on why older items feel different, the way “joy” transfers from one owner to the next, and Heather’s next creative pivot after hand surgery ended refinishing, including experimenting with a crucible to melt down broken jewelry and obsolete metal pieces.