Yellowknife moms Lyric Sandhals and Amy Allan are moving their online business – Boreal Kids Co, a children’s consignment store – to a physical space in the 50-50 Mini Mall.
Their motivation to create a kids’ consignment shop, which started operating online in September 2020, began when the two had children of their own and saw how quickly they go through clothes.
Sandhals said the store is trying to provide “an affordable option for families in Yellowknife, and trying to put a little bit of money back in their pockets, too” by encouraging consignment: families can hand over used but good-condition clothes for the store to sell.
The Yellowknife friends saw the “limited” amount of kids’ clothing in the town and are now trying to fill the gaps for families.
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“You can’t get sleep sacks in town, and affordable rainsuits are difficult to find in town, that kind of thing,” Sandhals said.
“We’re trying to fill some of those voids, and we try to keep those items in stock so families can get them quickly.”
While online shopping is useful for many parents, Sandhals and Allan saw the need for an in-person store.
“Sometimes online shopping is hard,” Sandhals said. “You don’t know the colour exactly or the texture of the clothes, so I think it’s nice to have that option for people to come in and try on.
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“As kids get older, they get pickier about their clothes, they want to pick them out. So, now they get to come in and pick out their own clothes.”
Given how quickly kids go through clothing, parents are welcome to bring in clothes no longer needed that are in “good, clean” condition. Upon selling the items, the shop gives 40 percent of the sale to the consigner. (If you live in or around Yellowknife, you can email the store to consign items or drop them off during store hours. If you live elsewhere, email the store for mail-in instructions.)
Boreal Kids Co offers free pick-up and delivery in Yellowknife and free shipping across Canada on orders over $100.
The in-person store is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10am-4pm in the 50-50 Mini Mall in downtown Yellowknife. The store’s website will remain open, too.
Sandhals and Allan hope to hold a grand opening for the store in June.
