Article In The Lee’s Summit Journal, 01-12-09
All over Lee’s Summit, people are finding ways to cut back on their spending. Whether it’s brewing a cup of coffee at home instead of buying a $4 latte, carpooling to work to save a little gas or eating at home instead of at a restaurant, Lee’s Summit residents are saving where they can.
Many residents are also taking advantage of stores that sell gently used clothing, usually at a fraction of the original price. Children’s Orchard, located at 1551 N.E. Douglas, specializes in resale children’s clothing, toys and equpiment.
“Business is doing great,” said Julie Easterla, owner of the Lee’s Summit location of Children’s Orchard. “We outgrew our old store and for a year now I’ve been promising our employees that we were going to expand. We finally were able to.” Children’s Orchard will be celebrating its expansion, which doubled the size of the original store, with a grand opening and “Big Brand Event” sale on Saturday.
“We’re having a ribbon cutting and the Explorer Girl will be here,” Easterla said. “With our Big Brand event, we’ll be putting out around 1,000 pieces (of clothing) that are name brand; we have new Gymboree, and resale Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Gap children’s clothes. We’re expecting around 200 shoppers to take advantage of the sale that day.”
Easterla said business has been booming in recent years.
“You used to see customers come in and spend $100 at a time,” she said. “Now, customers are shopping differently; they have a budget and are aware of what they can spend. That’s why we’re doing so well, you can buy more with the same amount of money.” Children’s Orchard specializes in resale children’s clothing from infant to size 14. They also sell gently used toys, shoes, accessories and equipment, including cribs and strollers, when they have them in stock.
“Our big items fly off the shelf, so to speak,” she said. “But we do have a wish list; if someone wanted a crib but we didn’t have any in stock, we put their name on a list and call them when we get one in.” Children’s Orchard stocks its shelves with items that are brought in to sell from the public. Sellers can either use the walk-in appointment times, available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or make an appointment on Monday, Friday or Saturday.
“We have regulars that clean out their closets seasonally and they’ll bring a laundry basket or two to sell,” Easterla said. “Or, we’ll have a mom whose children are too old for baby clothes and she’ll bring three boxes.”
Easterla said Children’s Orchard also buys children’s furniture, equipment and toys, though some items may not be bought because of recalls or safety issues. The store will pay cash or, if a customer decides to take the payment in a form of store credit, they’ll add 25 percent. The buying price for the gently used items is based on condition, name brand and type of item. Any items the store can’t use are donated to Midwest Foster Care.
“We partnered with Midwest years ago,” Easterla said. “They’re kid-related and easy to work with but we also get a lot of foster parents in the store and we know their budgets are extremely tight.”
After being bought, the clothes are processed, hung, steamed, sized and priced. Most clothing items are priced between $3.99 and $7.99–a fraction of original prices–Easterla pointed out.
“Our clothing is 40 to 80 percent below the retail cost,” she said. “I think with a lot of moms, with their firstborn, they’re pickier and will probably buy those pricier items. But by the time a second child comes along, they know how important it is to budget their money. (Children’s Orchard) helps them save a little money but also buy those clothing items parents want.”
The Children’s Orchard grand opening and Big Brand Event will take place at 9:45 a.m. Saturday, at 1551 N.E. Douglas. Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 816-524-7303.
To reach Journal reporter Emily Jarrett, call 282-7018 or e-mail ejarrett@lsjournal.com.
© Copyright 2009, Lee’s Summit Journal, A subsidiary of The McClatchy Company