Children’s Orchard Blog

Problem: Your preteen wants Abercrombie jeans for her first day of middle school, but your rational self can’t reconcile spending $69.50 on “destroyed” denim when you know a growth spurt is just around the bend.

Solution: Children’s Orchard, a resale clothing store selling high-end brands at low-end prices.

Barbara Byrne, owner of the Litchfield Park Children’s Orchard at Dysart and Camelback roads, knows this problem. As the mother of four girls, she can appreciate the importance kids place on fashion, especially when it comes to back-to-school time. But she also knows how expensive it can be to outfit those kids when every month means another mark on the growth chart. Fortunately for Byrne, her daughters’ proximity in age has allowed her to pass clothing from one girl to the next.

“I got so good at organizing and storing things by size and style that my neighbors started coming over and going through my bins,” she said. “Eventually, we realized, ‘Wow, there’s really something to this.’ “

So Byrne, a stay-at-home mom at the time, applied to the 28-year-old Children’s Orchard franchise to open a branch in the southwest Valley. Her store carries clothing from infant sizes up to size 16 in a range of brands, from Target and Kmart to Abercrombie and Aeropostale. Most of the clothing tends toward the higher-end brands.

“Gymboree is probably our biggest seller,” Byrne said.

The store only accepts items in “exceptional condition”- no stains, rips, tears or wear. Many items still carry original tags; a Ralph Lauren dress that sold for $49.95 goes for $14.95 at Children’s Orchard.

Byrne’s organizational proficiency reflects in her store. Clothing is arranged by size and brand, from least to most expensive. The boutique also sells new and used toys, which are categorized by age and displayed alongside the clothing. Most of the staff have children, Byrne said, and can help parents pick out suitable toys based on their stipulations.

For parents with smaller children, a trip to Children’s Orchard means no babysitters and no unhappy campers. Byrne staffs “grandmas” on each shift to hold babies, and employees help entertain older siblings at the store’s game corner.

Filed under: National News

Tags: Children's Orchard