Consignment shop found guilty of consumer violations

A now-defunct Springfield consignment shop and its former president have been banned from selling merchandise on consignment in Missouri and ordered to pay restitution and other penalties.

In April, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster sued Scrapscrap Inc., which operated as Queen City Emporium at 200 E. Commercial St., and its former president, Jayne Wilson, for allegedly violating the state's consumer protection laws. The store sold handmade merchandise such as jewelry, clothing, food items, health care products and art works obtained via Internet sellers of homemade goods. Sellers allowed Queen City Emporium to resell their merchandise on a consignment basis.

According to a Sept. 10 news release from Koster's office, Greene County Associate Circuit Judge Dan Imhof on Aug. 27 found that Queen City Emporium and Wilson had violated Missouri's consumer protection laws by failing to pay consignors after selling their merchandise; failing to return any or all of a consignor's unsold items; and failing to provide consignors with monthly statements.

Imhof's $29,000 order comprises $12,300 in restitution, $11,300 to the state for civil penalties, and $5,400 to the attorney's general office for investigation and prosecution costs, as well as funding to be used for consumer education efforts, the release said.

Prior to the judgment, Koster's office recovered more than $85,500 in merchandise from Queen City Emporium, and it has to date returned more than $53,000 of that merchandise to consignors.