You may have noticed that the selection of kids clothing here at the Fair Tide thrift store has increased in both quality and quantity over the past year. Our shoppers buying for little ones can thank kids consignment shop, Sweet Pea for that. We took a moment to share a bit about them, and our partnership.
What is Sweet Pea?
Sweet Pea is a children’s consignment store located in the heart of Portsmouth. Having only been open a year and a half, its infant status has quickly matured, growing into the successful enterprise it is today. Owners Amy and Kelly strive for sustainability and eco-friendliness. They saw a need for high quality kid’s clothing to be reused, most of which is still in excellent condition after becoming too small for its original owner.
How does Sweet Pea partner with Fair Tide?
Kelly and Amy want the items they have in store to stay local and benefit the community. Any clothing brought to them that they cannot put on the floor, or that remains unsold, is donated to one of their local partners, like Fair Tide. Sweet Pea strives to partner within the community as much as possible. They share how good they feel seeing their own unpurchased clothing being sold at Fair Tide in support of our mission to reduce homelessness.
How did Sweet Pea hear about Fair Tide?
Both Amy and Kelly live locally, so they are incredibly in-tune with what’s happening in the community. They learned about Fair Tide through word of mouth and news articles which inspired them to reach out and begin our partnership. Kelly also mentioned that she became familiar with Fair Tide’s mission through purchasing our One Warm Night (OWN) mittens. She explains how the handmade mittens were her go-to holiday gift for her family and friends last winter!
Do Amy and Kelly shop thrift themselves?
Yes! In a world where many possessions are thought of as disposable and are discarded after short-term uses, Kelly and Amy make it their mission to recycle, repurpose, and reuse as much as they possibly can, thus living their values of sustainability and eco-friendliness. They point out that buying new clothing encourages the increased production of smog-spewing machines, requires fuel to ship items across the country, and increases pollution from fertilizers and chemicals used during cotton production. A much better alternative is to reuse someone’s perfectly good outgrown/unwanted apparel for a fraction of the cost!
Does Sweet Pea ONLY sell kid’s items?
Yes, but… (drumroll)…. they’re about to open a sister store, dedicated entirely to women’s clothing! Their new store, The Co.Co. Consignment Company, will open on November 22nd in the west end of Portsmouth. The idea for this venture is to provide busy moms with comfortable, functional, and affordable clothing. The store plans to focus mainly on athleisure items.
We know what you’re thinking: What the heck is “athleisure”?
Athleisure is a combination between athletic wear and leisure apparel. It’s defined as, “a trend in fashion in which clothing designed for workouts and other athletic activities is worn in other settings, such as at the workplace, at school, or at other casual or social occasions.” What does this look like? Think joggers, yoga pants, leggings, cute oversized hoodies, canvas sneakers, flowy cotton shirts, and baseball caps. It’s a wardrobe based on comfort and practicality because who wants to run around town doing errands with their kids in a dress and heels?
Will The Co.Co. function separately from Sweet Pea?
Although both stores accept and sell very different styles and sizes of clothing, many aspects of the two businesses are alike, including an alignment with their mission of sustainability through reusing clothing. Kelly and Amy also predict that many of their customers from Sweet Pea will be attracted to and shop at The Co.Co. After letting their kids pick out some new clothes, it’ll be mommy’s turn! Another awesome shared feature is the store credit earned from bringing items to consign. Money made from the purchases of your donated items will be stored on your account and will be redeemable at either store.
Make sure you visit both Sweet Pea and Co.Co., and come on in to Fair Tide to check out our great selection of kids clothes! We owe a huge thank you to Amy and Kelly for keeping our children’s section tip-top for our customers!