Consignment Gallery and Estate Sales of Beaufort

Over the course of four or five years, I have left approximately 150 items for *** at both locations of Ms. businesses in *** - *** and *** on *** and the original store at ***. For the first two years, I was pleased with the sales and the revenue they generated. My checks were mailed to me automatically as requested. After a while, however, when the checks stopped coming, I had to drive from *** periodically to pick them up. Then, I was told that the checks were not processed at that location and I would have to go to the *** location to pick them up. When I went there, I was told that Ms. had not left any for me. At that time I requested a meeting with Ms.. The meeting was held at *** in mid-January 2017. I brought all my paperwork to show that I was due money. Since we were on out way out of town, my husband accompanied me. . Ms. readily admitted that her paperwork was "lax" and handed me $400 in cash for prior sales that had not been properly recorded.
Around this time, Ms. moved her business from the *** location for reasons she did not announce to her clients or consigners. When I asked how she had transferred consigned items, she said that she had boxed them up in any way that she could (NOT by consigner!!) and moved them to a storage area. When I asked if I could claim my items and remove them,,she said that it was impossible since they were mixed in with items belonging to other people in unlabeled boxes. When I asked how she was planning to fit all the merchandise from the much larger *** location into the smaller store on ***, she said she would simply open one box at a time at random and place items for sale.
Although, at that point, I would rather have retrieved my items and placed them in another *** shop, I felt I had no option or recourse - other than to open, empty, and repack all the boxes in an effort to find my things, to which she wouldn't agree!!!! - but to leave them in her care and hope for the best. At our meeting, Ms. agreed to a better system of organization of items in my account (specifically the method of numbering consigned items so that I could account for sales on my end) and to letting me know of any sales so that I could pick up my checks. After a period of no communication, I called and emailed. Ms. with no response. Finally, this past Fall, I drove by the storefront on *** only to find it completely empty with no notice on the door of where the business had moved or how to contact Ms..
I have used the contact info available to me (telephone and email) to contact her again about the status and whereabouts of my belongings. She has not contacted me in return. I am holding her in clear and blatant breach of contract since the terms spelled out in the paperwork and agreement between the business and consigners clearly states that the items left in *** remain the possessions of the consigner until they are sold. There were about 100 items belonging to me that were in those mixed-up boxes stored at ***! Because they are legally still mine, Ms. did not have the right to donate, dispose of, trade, sell, or surrender to creditors any of my belongings.
Despite having all my contact information, Ms. never communicated her intention to move her business or to go out of business. There was no notice and opportunity for me to reclaim my possessions. Their approximate value - according to Ms. own evaluation and pricing, even considering damage, theft, and lost - is near $3,000. This is not a small amount of money for me. Now I have neither my possessions nor the income from any sales. This is serious enough that in the continued lack of communication, explanation, and offer of restitution from Ms., I may have no other choice but to take her to court.
I have a more detailed explanation and timeline that I am willing to provide to you or to her in order to resolve this problem. Perhaps you will tell me that she has moved her business to another local location and I will find my belongings there. Perhaps, after you inform her of this complaint, she will reach out to me. Perhaps, she will ignore both my complaint and your inquiry. I must rely on you for further communication as she has not responded to mine. Thanks for helping me recover what is mine or what is owed to me.