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Divorcées Selling Belongings To Move On In NYC

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A special sale kicked off at the Mondrian Soho Hotel on Friday aimed at helping divorced women turn their pain into profit. They're cleaning out their closets and leaving their pasts behind.

Business started in May of this year for The Divorcée Sale, and the sales are held in different locations throughout the country, but this is the first divorcee sale in New York.

"For me it was like I don't want to get rid of anything but I had no choice. I was moving from a larger home to a smaller place after my divorce and I didn't have the closet space, so it was essential that I shed a lot of excess baggage so to speak," Karen Todman told CBS 2's Cindy Hsu.

Todman had been married for 22 years.

That's where Jill Alexander came in. She sells that high-end baggage on consignment. She comes to your home, helps clear out your closet, and helps the women move on.

"To get a fresh start whatever the new life is," she told Hsu. "You know some women need to sell their clothes for financial reasons, some for emotional, it's all different."

As for the money, 45 percent of the profits go back to The Divorcée Sale, 30 percent to the woman who put the products up for consignment, and 25 percent is donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

You'll find lots of designer names from Chanel to Cartier at 30 to 70 percent off what you'd pay for retail.

"This is a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress with lip prints. We sell this for $125, where in stores you would find it anywhere from $300-$400," Alexander said while showing Hsu some of her inventory.

"You can see the soles, never worn," she said, describing Gucci boots. "We're selling them for $345 and the consignor originally paid $1,000 for them."

Prices range from $7,500 for a diamond and gold bracelet to about $30 for costume jewelry.

The ladies said it's about divorcing your past and moving on with your future -- a new beginning for everyone.

While it's called The Divorcée Sale, it's expanded to include single and married ladies who are ready to sell their stuff.

What do you think of The Divorcée Sale? Sound off in our comments section below…

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