It was Christmas time in the year 2000 when I was driving around with a trunk full of excess miscellaneous Avon products. I had been with Avon for 6 years and I returned products only if they were damaged. At that time I was servicing one customer at University Oaks Retirement Community. As a means to help the seniors shop for Christmas and possibly sell some of the excess products, I approached the Activities director about a one-time Christmas event.
To my surprise I was able to sell a good bit of my excess products in just a 4 hour period. The residents were so happy to be able shop. I had made new friends and I felt it had went well. A few weeks later the activities director invited me back again for a Valentine’s event. Then St Patrick’s day, then Easter, then Mothers Day. Then she asked me to come once a month and turned in to twice a month. She left that retirement community as the activities director and went down the road to Atria Senior Living retirement home (Now Vitality Regency) to be an activities director there. She invited me to come there too.
I was working a full time job and building an Avon team and now I had every Saturday at a retirement home. I was busy but I absolutely LOVED my Senior Citizen friends. I was providing a service. They could shop Avon’s very affordable products for themselves and their families and chat with me. They would share incredible stories about their lives and families. I was building wonderful relationships. Sadly, many friends have died over the years. My time there was not about the money, but I still had run a business. I used my profit from my customer orders outside of the retirement homes to purchase inventory for the events. I would see my complete profit when I sold the inventory. The profit was not always right away. If I did not sell at least the cost of the inventory I may not see my earnings until the next time. This had risks but it became not as important as spending time with my senior buddies. One day a team member had come to visit and I asked her if I was crazy for doing this. Her answer hit home. She said “this is your ministry. This is how you give of yourself to others.” (Thank you Phyllis Mixon!)
Fast forward a few years and I approached a third retirement community – Somerby. They were looking for an Avon Representative. She immediately put me on the schedule .
In 2015 my Arthritis had spread from one hip to the other and I had to make some changes. The set up was alot. Especially with the level 6-8 pain I was dealing with on a daily basis. My sweet husband Louis helped me pack and unpack at each location. This was getting harder and harder to do.
I approached the Activities director at then Atria Senior Living, Ladawn Moore about starting a club for the seniors. This would be a product tester club. Once a month we meet and play with Avon products. Each class they had a theme product to try. This became the Sophisticated Seniors Sampling club. In 1 hour we would talk about a product, sample it, demonstrate its use, share opinions, have a few drawings and let them shop. These events did not have an elaborate set up. This helped break up the constant packing and unpacking of products. Little did I know I would have a hip replacement surgery later on that year and another 3 months later.
That year I also earned a set of black mirrored display boxes from an Avon incentive. These boxes create a beautiful table display. Avon also introduced felt wrapped black jewelry displays. Before that the jewelry was in the boxes laying flat on the table. I created height with Avon shipping boxes. I had different color swatches of fabrics that I covered the boxes with. Today’s table set ups evolved from nothing. In fact when I started setting up I used the retirement homes table and their white tablecloth. Everything else came in time. Today’s technology you can live feed right from the events . What a world we live in.
December 2023 will be the 23 year anniversary of these events. Time has gone by so fast. I’m grateful to have had the time and opportunity to learn so much from so many people and in turn help them look good, feel good and have a friendly chat.
I work this business from the HEART.
This is just one of the hearts of my Avon Ministry
Interested in table events at retirement community or anywhere else??
June 9th 2023, University Pines Retirement Home, Pensacola FloridaI’m Angelique Agee, Avon Independent Sales Leader. February 2024 will mark my 30th year in business. Interested in starting your own Avon business? Learn more
January 2023 New York City – Avon Team Huddle