TAKE A LOOK AROUND — Boston Avenue kids’ consignment store made over into Freshly Dressed
Published 12:24 am Friday, December 3, 2021
Ashley Shackelford, right, John Painter and Julianna Harris stand outside of Freshly Dressed, located at 1144 Boston Avenue. (Chris Moore/The News)
Those in need of shoes for small children can find pairs for both boys and girls. (Chris Moore/The News)
Patrons can find an assortment of toddler items at Freshly Dressed. (Chris Moore/The News)
Freshly Dressed uses donations or second-hand items that are sold for the owners. (Chris Moore/The News)
Freshly Dressed offers “gently used” clothing for small children. (Chris Moore/The News)
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NEDERLAND — Ashley Shackelford often shopped at consignment stores, and now she owns one. Known as Freshly Dressed, the store was previously called Kids’ Kloset before Shackelford took ownership. It is located at 1144 Boston Avenue.
“I wanted to be my own boss,” she said. “That was what it all boiled down to. I worked at a law firm. I wanted to do it on my own. This fell into my lap. I heard a rumor that she was trying to sell. I came up here and started volunteering in August, and in October, I told her if she wanted to sell, I was ready to buy.”
Shackelford said the store is a “gently used” kids’ consignment shop.
“We go through everything as it comes in and process it,” she said. “We have stuff from the higher-end boutiques like Matilda Jane. Of course, we carry a lot of other things, too. We carry a lot of infant clothes, and that is important, because a lot of people don’t carry infant clothes, especially in consignment. That is a majority of our purchases. We get preemie all the way up to 2T. That is the majority of our sells.”
The shop also offers shoes and toys for younger children. There is also a rack of holiday-themed clothes.
“I was a consignor here when my daughter was about 1,” Shackelford said. “So, me and the owner knew each other. I worked at a boutique down the way. This is an industry that I like. My family can be together all of the time. If I worked all the time, I never got to see my husband or the kids. We decided to go into business and be our own boss.”
Shackelford’s husband, John Painter, said the location will shutdown for a little more than a month for renovations.
“We are going to pull up the carpets and repaint,” he said.
The store will be closed from Dec. 24 at 2 p.m. until Feb. 5. Painter said the store will have a soft opening afterwards.
People can also donate to the shop, Shackelford said.
“All of our donated clothes stay locally in the community,” she said. “We have teamed up with other local retail shops. Whatever we feel like we just can’t keep, we give to them. We are here to help the community. We have extra clothes and breast pumps and baby bottles to where if they need it, it is there for them and the store comes out of the pocket on that. We want them to have whatever they need for their baby.”
Shackelford wants to expand in the future but does not have any immediate plans to do so.
The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
