An Aberdeenshire mum is hoping to prove pre-loved kids’ clothes are good quality, and affordable, with her pop-up shop.
Katie Wade has been running her children’s swap shop, Wee One’s Wardrobe, online for almost two years and launched her website last May.
Now, she is running a pop-up shop on Saturday at King’s Church in Bridge of Don, with the hopes of making clothes even more accessible to local parents.
Anyone can attend to browse the clothes from newborn to age six, with no need to swap any items.
Everyday essentials can be bought for as little as £2, with exclusive items going for up to £6.
There will also be jackets, snowsuits and accessories available that parents can stash away in the wardrobe for when they are needed.
Miss Wade, from Balmedie, said: “I get a lot of questions about sizing, and I like that they can come and see it for themselves.
“People don’t have to swap at this event at all, so people can come and look at the clothes and it gets new people involved.”
Pre-loved helps keep costs down
The mum-of-two had always been conscious about the number of clothes her kids have – with most children going through seven different sizes by the age of two.
After learning that charity shops are being so inundated with donations that some go to waste, Miss Wade decided to do something.
She set up the swap shop so parents could donate clothes they no longer need for their children, but swap them out for something else for a small fee.
Since the website launched last year, 754 items have already been swapped.
Miss Wade, who also works as a part-time beautician, checks over the clothes, washes them, and then lists them on her website.
She wanted to keep the process as simple as possible for busy parents and keep costs down for families while reducing waste.
“It’s just going to be like a little shop,” she explained. “But, it’s still really cheap, the clothes have been checked, and are good quality – it helps everyone.
“I do think some people are still put off pre-loved, but if they do see the clothes they won’t feel that way.”
The pop-up will be held in the Rotunda at King’s Church, Bridge of Don between 11am and 3pm on Saturday.
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