Monday, January 21, 2013

Shopping Around

I have been checking out various children's stores around town. Not looking for anything just yet, just seeing what shops there are and which ones are worth more visits. It has been fun to check out all the stuff, but has also been overwhelming! There is so much stuff out there and it can be hard to figure out what is really necessary. Luckily I have some good friends who have had kids in the last year and have baby stuff still fresh in their minds. Another thing I have come to realize is that baby stuff is pricey, its like wedding stuff. You are going to need some of it so they can just charge whatever they want really. I have never been a big resale or goodwill shopper. No real reason,I have always just prone to buying new. Babies are opening up a whole new shopping world to me. I have really taken to the deals you can find at resale shops. At first it was frustrating cause they can be a mess, but I have started a small list of things that would be best to get at these and I think going in with a plan of what you are wanting is going to be key. There are a lot of shops around town, I am going to try to keep track of the ones I visited here, for easy reference. Some are resale, some are not and some are a combination of both.
 
 
Once Upon a Time (Queen Anne) : All new stuff, pretty high end items for the most part. It was a good size store. They have a huge toy selection for all age ranges. Steve had a really great time looking at all the fun toys there are.
Childish Things (North Ballard) : This looked like a good shop, but it is small inside and has a ton of things. We didn't have anything in mind when we were in here so it felt overwhelming with all of the stuff. It was a combination of resale and new items, mostly resale. I think it could be a place for great finds once we know what it is we are looking for and how to find it in the store.
Me 'n Moms (Ballard) : This was the first store we checked out, it is all resale. We didn't spend a lot of time in here, as it was early on in the pregnancy and we just went in cause it was next to where we had brunch. I am sure I will visit this shop some more, as it is in our neighborhood. But it did feel really messy inside and I could see it being frustrating because of that.
Tottini (South Lake Union) : Loved this shop. All new stuff, higher end but still has reasonable items too. We got to check out the stroller I have picked out and almost walked out with a glider that was on sale. It was grey with white polka dots. Too cute! Steve really got into the gliders in the store and is excited to shop them now. They also had some cloth diaper options and cute wall decor that gave me some nursery ideas.
Paron's Closet (Wallingford) : This has been my favorite resale shop. It is small, but really well organized. For the first time a resale shop didn't overwhelm me. I also made a purchase! I picked up two Moby Wraps for $15 each. I am taking one to St Louis in a few weeks to my friend Bethany. Moby Wraps are $45+ new, so this was a great find. The one I got for Bethany looks never used too. The one I got looks like it had been washed a few times, but I loved the orange color. I tried it out on Yuri later that night.
 
Isn't he just so cute?! He actually loved it. I took him out but didn't take the wrap off and I sat on the couch and he climbed on me wanting back in. He chilled in it for a good 30 mins then. 

 
Those are all the shops we have checked out so far. There are a few others I have in mind and some I have seen on Yelp if we are in their neighborhoods I am sure we will pop in.
 
I can't do a post with Yuri getting face time and not post a Chewie picture as well. It just wouldn't be fair. :) Chewie's favorite pregnancy/baby item so far is the Snoogle - a pregnancy body pillow. He gets excited about it when I move it from room to room and loves to cuddle up in it alone or with you. Here he is all wrapped up in it with me on the couch.
Such a sweetheart!

1 comment:

Kim said...

you will definitely LOVE the resale shops and hand-me downs when you realize that every 3 months you have to buy an entire new wardrobe for them! Its ridiculous how often you HAVE to buy new clothes... fun, but expensive!