The afternoon school bell rings, marking the end of the day.

But for Pinecrest Elementary School teacher Elina Torres, her day is far from being over.

Torres dashes to Cristi's Closet, the consignment shop she opened in memory of her daughter, who died in a car accident 14 years ago. The store raises money for the Children's Bereavement Center in South Miami, which helps grieving families.

``For me, this was about turning something horrific into something positive,'' Torres said. ``We wanted to honor her memory and at the same time, help other people.''

Cristina Garcia was 15 years old, a sophomore at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, when she was struck and killed by a car on North Kendall Drive.

For the first few years after Cristina's death, the family completed a community service project around her birthday, Nov. 29.

One year, they made supply bags for residents at a Miami homeless shelter. Another year, they made gift baskets for teenage mothers.

``We were in such grief as a family,'' Elina Torres recalled. ``We needed to do something.''

As years passed, Torres and her youngest daughter Tikki wanted to establish something permanent in Cristina's name. In 2005, they settled on the idea of a consignment shop.

It made sense: Cristina loved the theater and shopped for her costumes at local consignment stores, Elina Torres said.

The mother recalled: ``That's how I learned what a consignment store was in the first place.''

Shortly thereafter, Torres spotted a small space for rent in downtown Coral Gables.

The rest fell into place.

Elina, Tikki and other family members invested their money and energy into the store. They purchased computers and cameras, and read up on consigning.

Neither Elina nor Tikki had any previous retail experience, but they learned little by little. ``We did it as a family,'' Tikki recalled.

WIDE SELECTION

The Coral Gables boutique, located at 241 University Dr., blends the newest fashions with vintage clothes, shoes and accessories.

On a recent afternoon, an authentic Louis Vuitton handbag hung above the counter.

Tucked away among the racks of clothing: a shimmery blue gown by designer Betsey Johnson and a summery orange wrap dress by Diane Von Furstenberg.

The price tags on the lightly-used items represented a small percentage of their original retail price.

``One of my favorite things about the store is that items are always changing,'' Torres said. ``You could come in two days in a row, and see totally different things each time you are here.''

The store works like this:

People donate items to be sold at Cristi's Closet. When the item sells, the money goes to the Children's Bereavement Center, which was established in 1999.

``We didn't have a resource like that,'' Torres said. ``It is such a necessary thing.''

Items can also be donated to benefit the Junior League of Miami, or for consignment. In the case of consigned items, 50 percent of the sale goes back to the consignee. The rest helps pay the store's expenses.

Along with its pre-owned items, Cristi's Closet also sells new clothing and accessories. (Think trendy cotton dresses, colorful blouses, silver bangles and enamel necklaces.) That income, too, helps pay the store's bills, Torres said.

A REAL IMPACT

Mindy Cassel, executive director of the bereavement center, called Torres ``remarkable.''

She said Torres does more than raise money and awareness for the center.

``She's made her daughter's life go on through her work,'' Cassel said. ``When other parents see that you can still have hope and purpose -- it gives them a great deal of inspiration to go on. It gives them hope that they, too, can find a way to keep their child in their life.''

Tikki, who recently graduated from Florida State University, says her mother is her role model.

``She's incredible,'' said Tikki, 22. ``She's such a hard worker and she has such a big heart.''

Torres' commitment to community service extends beyond the store. She encourages her students at Pinecrest Elementary to give back, too.

Each year, Torres and her third-graders do a community-service project. Last year, the kids made dozens of peanut-butter sandwiches for the Miami Rescue Mission.

They are brainstorming ideas for this year's project now.

Principal Marisol Diaz said Torres brings a sense of compassion to the school community.

Said Diaz: ``She really makes a difference at our school.''

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