Growing older brings new perspectives, changing priorities, and opportunities to embrace life in meaningful ways. With the right resources and community support, this stage of life can be both empowering and fulfilling.
Noozhawk’s Senior Life: Living Well and Aging Wisely shines a light on the people, programs, and local professionals dedicated to helping older adults navigate the years ahead with confidence. By connecting with trusted community leaders and experts, we aim to provide helpful information and thoughtful insights that support aging well.
In this Q&A, Noozhawk spoke with Glenn Novak, owner of Moving Miss Daisy Consignment & Auction House, about how his business is helping seniors navigate life’s transitions with dignity and care.
Moving Miss Daisy’s Consignment & Auction House
Question: You have a program called Consign for a Cause where consignor proceeds benefit local nonprofits. How does that work?
Answer: Consign for a Cause allows consignors to direct a portion—or even all—of their proceeds to a nonprofit they care about. We handle everything: intake, pricing, selling, and accounting, and then the nonprofit receives the benefit directly from the sale.
It gives people a way to downsize or liquidate responsibly while supporting the community at the same time. Anyone interested can visit our website and look under the “Consign With Us” tab for full details and current nonprofit partners.
Q: How did you come up with this idea?
A: It grew naturally out of the work I was already doing through Moving Miss Daisy. I spend a lot of time inside people’s homes during major life transitions—downsizing, loss, relocation—and I saw how meaningful their belongings were.
I realized those items could continue to serve the community. Consign for a Cause turns a difficult or emotional process into something positive and purposeful.
Q: Longtime residents remember MAW’s event “May Madness.” Someone described your store and Consign for a Cause as “May Madness all year long.” What do you think of that?
A: That comparison really resonates with me. Music Academy of the West originally hosted May Madness, and they are also one of the nonprofits we support through Consign for a Cause.
We’ve had people donate items specifically so the proceeds benefit the Music Academy of the West, along with many other local nonprofits. In that sense, the spirit of May Madness absolutely lives on here—creative, community-driven, and constantly evolving. So “May Madness all year long” feels like a compliment.
Q: Nonprofits can use your space at no charge for events. Tell me more.
A: Miss Daisy’s was never meant to be just a store. We built the space to function as a community hub. Nonprofits can use our venue at no charge for fundraisers, awareness events, and gatherings.
This connects directly to Consign for a Cause and Safe Moves for Seniors. The building itself is meant to work for the community—not just commerce, but connection.
Q: You grew from 2,000 to over 17,000 square feet and created the largest consignment store in the Tri-Counties. Who are your customers?
A: Our customers range from local families and collectors to professional interior designers, stagers, and set decorators who come from Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Francisco because our inventory is so diverse and unique.
At the same time, we work closely with families downsizing estates, seniors relocating through Moving Miss Daisy, and everyday shoppers who love finding something special. That mix is what gives the store its energy.
Q: How do you decide what goes on the sales floor versus what goes to auction?
A: It’s about finding the best result for each item. Some pieces perform best on the floor, while others—rare, collectible, or highly specialized—do better in a competitive auction environment.
We research, evaluate, and place items strategically to maximize value for consignors.
Q: You can take in entire estates and do both in-store and online auctions. How does that work?
A: We handle full estates from start to finish. Through Moving Miss Daisy, we manage sorting, packing, relocating, and clearing homes. Through Miss Daisy’s, we determine what should be consigned, auctioned, donated, or directed to charitable support.
Our auctions reach both local and national buyers, which often leads to stronger results while keeping the process respectful and low-impact for families.
Q: Every Sunday there’s live jazz at Miss Daisy’s. Tell me about that.
A: Every Sunday from 2:00 to 5:00 PM, we host free live jazz at Miss Daisy’s.
People can shop, listen, or just come enjoy the space. Right now, we serve tea and cookies for the season, which makes it especially welcoming.
I’ve been performing with this group for about 25 years under the name Society Jazz.
Our pianist is John Webb, with Ruben Martinez on bass and Renée Martinez on drums. I’m on vocals along with Hanna Ross.
I don’t really have the time to go out and gig anymore, so we flipped the model—we built a stage, bar, and kitchen here so the music could come to the community while also hosting nonprofit events.
Q: Are you hiring right now?
A: Thank you—I truly have an incredible team. At the moment, we’re not hiring, but when opportunities do open up, they’re shared through our website and in the store.
Q: You also lead an initiative called Safe Moves for Seniors. What is that, and why is it important?
A: Safe Moves for Seniors is a community-based program created to help qualifying seniors relocate with dignity, safety, and respect—especially those on fixed incomes who cannot afford the cost of moving on their own.
Through my work with Moving Miss Daisy, I saw how many seniors were stuck in unsafe or unmanageable living situations simply because moving felt overwhelming or financially impossible.
Safe Moves for Seniors removes those barriers by providing professional help with packing, moving, downsizing, and setting up a new home—often at little or no cost.
The program is supported through community partnerships, fundraising events held at Miss Daisy’s, and donations generated through Consign for a Cause.
Everything works together. At its core, Safe Moves for Seniors is about compassion and making sure seniors are not left behind.
We welcome anyone with experience in development who is interested in helping to raise funds for Safe Moves for Seniors to get in touch with Glenn Novack directly –Glenn@SafeMovesofrSenior.org or call the store and leave him a message at (805)770-7715.
Click here to learn more about Miss Daisy’s Consignment & Auction House and Moving Miss Daisy.
Miss Daisy’s Consignment & Auction House is the largest consignment, auction, and estate liquidation service in the Tri-Counties. Located in the historic former Sears building at La Cumbre Plaza, the store offers high-quality consignments, estate auctions, professional appraisals, expert moving and delivery services, and community-driven events.
Through initiatives like Consign for a Cause and Safe Moves for Seniors, Miss Daisy’s blends commerce with compassion—serving buyers, sellers, nonprofits, and the community with care and integrity.