The economy has everyone looking for ways to save money and stretch a dollar. Deann Gauntner is no exception.

"I always say that I am that girl with the champagne taste on a beer budget," she said jokingly. "I'm always looking for good buys."

The economy is also the reason Mrs. Gauntner decided to start her clothing consignment business, Poor Little Rich Girl Productions. "I thought if I was looking for great fashion at good prices, other people must be as well."

But Mrs. Gauntner didn't want to be tied to a fixed location with a traditional brick and mortar store. As the mother of four young children and another baby due at the end of April, she wanted the flexibility to be able to spend time with them.

"I came up with the idea for women to get together and buy clothes, more like an event instead of going to a store. But I still wanted to set it up like a shop so things would be easy for them to go through," she said.

This past week, Mrs. Gauntner, of the Summer Hill neighborhood in Pittsburgh's North Side, had her first five-day "production" when she set up a temporary shop in an empty storefront at the Mount Nebo Shopping Center in Ohio Township.

"I wanted to locate the production in the North Hills because [it's] the area that I am most familiar with, but it needed to be a place that I could rent temporarily," she said. "I just drove around looking for places and it was almost like a sign when I saw that I could rent this space for just a few weeks."

Her greatest expense came when she purchased the fixtures. "I had to buy the display racks, hangers, bag and tags -- things that would make it feel like a real fashion shop."

The storefront allowed Mrs. Gauntner to display the clothes and shoes she had collected, including women's and juniors' clothing from casual to more formal wear and even some designer fashions. "I have some really lovely things, but also jeans," she said.

A major part of Mrs. Gauntner's business is her charitable cause. "I will choose a nonprofit and raise money for that organization at each of my events. For this event, it is Animal Friends," she said.

Mrs. Gauntner, who says she has always had an interest in fashion and has worked in retail in the past, began collecting clothes in late September. She advertised in a local magazine, posted fliers "just about everywhere" and spread the word that she was looking for clothes to sell on consignment.

"At first, I took everything, but then I realized I just couldn't do that," she said. Deciding what to take, and what to turn down for the sale soon became the hardest part of the new business for Mrs. Gauntner.

"This has been my biggest challenge. I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by telling them I didn't think their clothes would sell well, but I just couldn't take everything."

She stored the clothes in the enclosed porch at her home. "I call it my 'studio.' My husband just laughs at me, but that is what I call it."

A self-described "fashion enthusiast" and consignment shopper herself, she priced clothes based on what she had seen in other shops and by researching on eBay. "I have an idea of what is out there and it isn't too hard to find out what clothes will go for," she said.

Several women wandered through the temporary shop on Friday afternoon during what Mrs. Gauntner deemed "one of our slowest times." The racks and shelves held such bargains as a Versace sleeveless top for $40; jeans from $15 to $50, and fashion skirts for $15. One customer tried on a pair of Burberry boots while others looked at sweaters and coats.

"I heard about it on the news last night," said Jennifer Hardt, of the North Hills. "Everybody is trying to save their money. This is the perfect way to do it."

On Sunday evening at the close of the sale, Mrs. Gauntner estimated she had sold about a third of the clothes she had collected. "I learned a lot. I know what will and wouldn't sell," she said, "I should get better at this for the next time around."

Mrs. Gauntner's next production will be "Steals and Deals" Jan. 24-25, when local boutiques will gather at the Holiday Inn Pittsburgh on McKnight Road in Ross to offer season end bargains. Her "Promtique" will be held the following weekend at Stairway to Style in Hampton. "Women and girls can offer their prom and formal dresses for consignment. Everyone has those prom dresses that they buy then just hang in their closets," she said. "This is a good way to get some money back for them and maybe find some great deals as well."