Monday, September 22, 2014

Calling All Moms

Happy Monday, all! I was going to do a Weekend Diaries today, but then I thought maybe I'd take things a different direction (sorry, Mom). Let's take a little poll. First question:

How do you shop for children's clothing? The mall? Online? Consignment shops? Thrift Stores?

When I only had one and then two kids I did lots of shopping at thrift stores. Then things got hairy, trying to make rational decisions with all the whining and grabbing and running that accompanied the kids getting bigger (and greater in number) and sprouting personalities. So we started going the consignment shop route more and more - things tended to be a bit pricier, but also more concentrated and organized in terms of sizes and quality. 

One recent trip to a local shop yielded about fifteen pieces that we really liked, but thank goodness it was "half-off" day - the total before discount was $150! This experience, along with a recent revival of my thrifting adventures (the start of the school year has allowed me to venture forth with a mere two children) got me thinking. What if there was an option that fell somewhere between the two extremes? Could there be a way to access good quality, clean, used items easily and on a budget?

Now second question: How do you feel about "shop my closet" profiles and/or hashtags on Instagram? For those unfamiliar with the practice, more and more bloggers have either set up a separate profile, or use the hashtag "shop my closet", to sell their gently used items to other Instagram users. I've always liked looking, but I find that I don't like to purchase things that I can't try on first. 


But then - light bulb - I rarely ever have my kids try on clothes (can you say "torture"?) when I shop for them. And an idea began to form... Maybe I could put my love of thrifting to good use, and start a little virtual shop to pass on the good finds that don't fit my babes.

So short story long, I'm asking if you other mothers would be interested in said shop. A curated space of gently used baby and kid's clothing, ranging in price from a couple bucks to $15 (for things like quality outerwear). All transactions would be first come first serve (not auction style a la ebay... ain't nobody got time for that), and conducted via PayPal.

So hit me. Tell me your thoughts, o wise mamas. 


12 comments:

  1. I think that would be great Mary! What an awesome idea ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Nicole! And I think we could work out a "no-shipping" arrangement for you ;)

      Delete
  2. I think its a great idea! To be honest, most of the clothes my boys have are gifts from my parents or in laws, so I don't spend much at all on clothes for them, but I love the concept especially from someone I trust online. :) That being said, maybe I will have a greater need once #3 comes along (next Easter!) -Diana A.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, diana! super excited for you! congratulations lady! how awesome!!!

      Delete
    2. Thanks you two!! We are excited! :)

      Delete
  3. Way cool, Mar. You should totally go for it! You always find the most amazing things.
    I think this may be your super niche.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Super cool idea, Mary!! And I agree with Erica that you'd be really great at this. I hope you do it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes. Mucho love-o. Shopping in person = crazy. Paying retail prices = crazier.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great idea! I'm set for my kids' clothes for the most part right now, but I'll definitely take a look. . . .

    Girl 1 has three variations on Hanna Andersson's twirl dress. It's what she wears almost every day, and I'll keep dressing her in them (from eBay) for the foreseeable future. . . .

    Another mom in my community does an awesome bi-annual clothing sale. A lot of us sell at a local consignment sale, where you get 50%of what your items sell for. So we get together ahead of time and sell stuff to each other for 50% of what we plan to sell it for at the consignment sale. And lots of people join in even if they don't plan to sell at the consignment sale. Great deals all around!

    ReplyDelete

Please leave me a comment. If you don't blog, you may not realize that comments to a blogger are like sunshine to the whole of the photosynthesizing world. What I'm saying is, each comment means a lot! P.S. If you have an email connected to your profile, I'll most likely respond there.