WOODLAND’S NEW CHILDREN’S THRIFT SHOP, Little Tots and Whatnots, opened its doors in January, run by owners and family members Elizabeth Felts (with son Carson Felts), Rhiannon Parks, Becca Horne and June Althuis.
With three daughters and several grandchildren, June Althuis has seen no shortage of baby clothes over the years. Now, Althuis and her family are looking to help others get quality and affordable children’s clothes with Little Tots and Whatnots, which opened Jan. 2 in downtown Woodland.
“Mom always wanted to own a shop,” said co-owner Rhiannon Parks. “Because we have so many munchkins running around our houses, we’ve all burned through our share of things for them to wear.”
Little Tots and Whatnots offers casual, formal and outdoor clothes for boys and girls ranging from newborns to 16-year-olds.
“At the moment, we’re really stocked more for little ones than big kids,” said Althuis. “Because they grow so fast, we know how expensive clothes shopping can be every year.”
Since children can wear an outfit or item of clothing for sometimes as little as a few months, even in used condition, most clothes can be passed onto someone else, and Althuis said that, historically, that has been a common practice.
“Everyone’s been given hand-me-down clothes at one point or another if you had older brothers or sisters,” said Althuis. “What we offer is a way to have a bigger selection of things that look as good as what you’ll find on new racks, but for a fraction of the price.”
Parks added that in a still-recovering economy, parents are quick to save money wherever they can, and community co-ops and exchanges are becoming more common as inexpensive alternatives to buying brand-new wardrobes for children.
“It can get really spendy depending on what kids need, so we like to have as wide a variety as we can and we just brought in two more racks,” said Parks. “The good thing is that we’re getting a lot of people coming in and we’re changing out inventory pretty quickly.”
Little Tots also has a limited supply of clothes for moms, as well as custom refurbished furniture from Parks’ sister Becca Horne.
“I’ve been doing it for a long time, working with my aunt,” said Horne. “I like being able to take a piece that might be destined for a junkyard, touch it up and make it something that can get new life in a home.”
Horne’s work includes everything from dressers to custom playsets, depending on what she can find.
“It’s all stuff that can be reused as long as it gets a little care,” said Horne. “I’d rather see a child be able to use a small dresser or a desk for their room than see it just get thrown away.”
Since opening, Althuis said the feedback she and her daughters have received has been predominantly positive, especially with where their location is in the old home of another Woodland thrift store, Things-and-Stuff.
“Being downtown is a plus because people don’t have to go out of their way to find us,” said Althuis. “We’ve already been visited by our neighbors and got a warm welcome, so we hope to be here for a while.”
Being next door to her sister Lorelei and her furniture consignment shop, though, creates an interesting dynamic.
“It’s funny to think that we’re on either side of a wall from each other,” said Althuis. “At this point, we don’t need to have a family reunion anywhere else.”
Little Tots and Whatnots accepts trade-ins of clothes for store credit. They also sell gently-used toys and children’s furniture but cannot accept cribs or car seats due to safety regulations. The store is located at 141 Davidson Ave., in Woodland and is open Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sun., noon-6 p.m.
The store will hold a semi-formal “Hello, We’re Here” opening on Sun., Feb. 2 during normal business hours. More information is available at their Facebook page or by calling (360) 903-8448.
