From San Mateo Daily Journal
Lovely Bump provides clothes for kids
By Heather Murtagh
When Beth O'Connor was pregnant with her first child Shea, she realized it was hard to find affordable maternity clothes.
She gathered hand-me-downs, scoured the Goodwills and Salvation Armys in the area but eventually broke down paying full price for jeans and ending up purchasing much more than the pair of jeans she set out to buy. The experience left O'Connor wondering where all the second-hand maternity stores were. In the absence of any, O'Connor opened her own.
Lovely Bump, a resale maternity boutique, opened its doors on San Mateo Avenue in San Bruno on Mothers' Day 2006. O'Connor, now 37, planned to focus her efforts solely on maternity clothes. The large space, however, allowed her to expand the merchandise offered to include clothing, gear, toys and books for infants, children, teens and moms-to-be. The idea is the ultimate way to go green, O'Connor explained since there is little to no packaging and items can be passed along to others.
"How often do you get something that you never use?" she said.
Often times what ends up in the store fits such a description, O'Connor said. All items are clean before hitting the floor. Customers will find a collection of new and second-hand merchandise. Another perk for moms is the kid-friendly environment.
Ashlyn, 4, and her 15-month-old brother Aaren Sales explored the toys around the store while their mom shopped. Eventually Ashlyn whispered a request to see Oliver and Toots - O'Connor's dogs which are often on-hand at the store excited to visit with the tiny customers.
For Jamie Sales, Ashlyn and Aaren's mom, the shop also offers a great place to find unique things like older wooden toys and cute stuff for the kids, she said.
O'Connor is now a mother of two - 6-year-old Shea and 3-year-old Finn. She brings a motherly innovation for cleanliness and a comfortable setting to her store. Looking ahead, she hopes to create a more interactive online forum for local moms on her Web site to share ideas for reusing items.
The packages that hold baby wipes or the plastic bags that hold bedding, for example, are great for holding toys, she said.
O'Connor also acts as an in-store designer offering a line of personalized clothing for kids, which she makes in store.
Lovely Bump is located at 509 San Mateo Ave. in San Bruno. Lovely Bump also acts as a donation dropoff point for Parca - a private, nonprofit organization serving people with developmental disabilities and their families. For more information visit www.lovelybump.com.
E-mail Heather Murtagh at heather@smdailyjournal.com |
