Michelle Reeve- the owner of Rhea Lana’s of Barton Creek sits down with us and talks all things business and personal from her vision of where she’ll be in 5 years and all about being a single mom by choice! Welcome Michelle!
Hi Michelle- so glad to chat with you today. Can you tell our readers a little about you and your business
Hey y’all! I’m Michelle Reeve. I am a single mom by choice and have one son named Neil. I moved to Austin when I was 20 months old and grew up in South Austin when William Cannon was as south as Austin went and was a one lane road each way that only took us to the Oak Hill Baseball and Softball fields and of course Sonic that was across the street. I became a Registered Nurse in 2002 and worked over a decade in ICU at the old Brackenridge Hospital. I love to cook. I love to learn about world cultures through their foods and strive to make authentic worldly dishes. I also love to travel and get a glimpse of life as a local in wherever I am traveling. I want to experience the country. I loved playing backgammon with the waitstaff in Istanbul. We didn’t speak the same language but we could play the same game and I loved that connection.
Can you tell us a little more about Rhea Lana’s? What’s the history and mission behind the business and what drives you to expand in Austin
Rhea Lana’s of Barton Creek is families helping families. That is our mission and you can truly feel that mission when you engage with RL of Barton Creek. Our consignors are local families all around you selling their no longer needed, gently used children’s items. Our traditional consignors earn minimum 65% of their sales with our top Fall 2025 consignor taking home $890. Our shoppers save 60-90% off retail prices on quality children’s items. Every item is quality checked and we do not accept recalled items. When you choose Rhea Lana’s of Barton Creek, you are supporting local families.
We first have free foster family shopping and then the rest of the items go to Lifeworks Austin and Heartening Austin. Our Spring 2026 Event will be our 3rd event. We have two events a year, Spring and Fall. We literally sell everything child related from newborn through age 17! That is clothing, shoes, sports gear, toys, bikes, slides, cribs, bassinets, books, games, puzzles – just to name a few categories.
As a nurse, I have an innate desire to help people so when I discovered Rhea Lana’s and literally felt the mission in progress before I even knew the mission statement, I knew this was a business I wanted to continue to engage with. What I didn’t know was that there wasn’t one in Austin, AT ALL. So I brought Rhea Lana’s to Austin and specifically to the area where I grew up. I want to help Austin families through children’s consignment. You may have experience children’s consignment but if you haven’t experienced Rhea Lana’s then come experience the difference in children’s consignment.
Our mission is to Give Moms the Gift of Time — What are your best time-saving tips/resources as a mom?
1. One of our consignor favorite time savers is our VIP Consignor program. Our VIP consignor program is open almost all year round. I do have to close it about 3 weeks before the event and it opens back up 2 weeks after the event. As a VIP Consignor, when you clear out your non longer needed, gently used children’s items, I come and pick them up! I process them for you and take to the next sales event. Your earnings start at 35% with options to earn up to 45%. And if a month later, you clear out more, I can come by again and pick up more. I break down the consignment process into easy steps. I also give time saving tips on how to store unused items for the next event so the process goes super fast once it is time to prep the items.
2. For our shoppers, you can get almost everything you need for the entire season in one place! And the items are put together!!! That water table that takes 2 hours to put together – guess what it is already put together, you just saved 2 hours. And all our battery-operated items must come with working batteries, so you don’t have to wonder if you have that size battery at home on hand. What I love too, is the kids can play with and interact with some of the toys so you don’t go home and find out the image and description on the box was more exciting than the actual item. Children can decide, I like this doll better or this car better. I had a father test out a bath seat to make sure his child wouldn’t be averse to sitting in it. That saved so much time! Imagine getting it and your child doesn’t like it, now you have to take it back. It is a family experience and I want the entire family to come and enjoy the event.
3. Another gift is we hire for our events. So moms can earn extra money seasonally. You don’t have to go through long onboarding process and the training is simple. Also, I hire processors for my VIP Consignors. So moms who want extra income and also need the time flexibility to be available to attend their children’s events, these moms can process VIP items in their own home and be present for their family and earn 30% of the VIP’s sales. Yes, we are truly families helping families in every way.
Any promotions or events that you want to share with our community?
Our Spring 2026 Sales Event will be March 1st-7th, with Pre-sale February 27th-28th at SOUTHPARK MEADOWS! The event will be in the prior Party City space, next door to Old Navy. This is shopper heaven! So if you have never consigned, now is the time. We are next door to Old Navy, across from Target, a Carter’s is in sight as well as the playground!
AND – Greater Austin Moms will be the first to hear this surprise. Livie and Luca, after 20 years had to make the difficult decision to close. Rhea Lana’s was able to purchase some of their remaining inventory. So at our Spring 2026 event, we will have brand new Livie and Luca shoes that are no longer available. I haven’t even opened the box yet because I want us all to see the beautiful shoes together. I will go live with the reveal on Feb 8th! Follow us on FB to get the announcement and to tune in!
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your business?
There are over 120 Rhea Lana’s in the nation but zero in the Austin area. So introducing who we are and what we do to the community has been the biggest challenge. Our business model is unique, having two sales events a year, so starting off with the brand awareness and building that foundation takes time. Then the next step is families engaging with my business to experience the difference in children’s consignment. Moms talk! Moms talk about what works and what doesn’t work for their families. I hear that moms are talking. I received a message on IG from a mom surrounded by piles of Little Sleepies and she messaged me, “Everyone is tell me you are the person to sell my items.” My focus has been one mom, one family at time. Giving quality service to my consignors and shoppers and know that moms will talk about their experience.
Where do you see your business in the next 5 years?
Our last event we had a little over 5000 items for sale from 40 consignors. In the next 5 years, I see us having at least 50K items for sale being able to offer a truly one stop shop for families while not losing our quality or our service.