Children’s consignment shop opens in Eastown

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Freshwater Whale Boutique owner Whitney Vydareny, right, and two of her daughters celebrate the store’s opening Tuesday. Courtesy Freshwater Whale Boutique

Freshwater Whale Boutique, a new children’s consignment shop specializing in items for babies through teens, opened its doors earlier this week.

Located in the heart of Eastown on Wealthy Street, Freshwater Whale Boutique offers a wide selection of gently used boys and girls clothing, shoes, books as well as local artists’ creations.

Customers can expect to find carefully selected items from brands like Crewcuts, Mini Boden, Gap, Tea, Hanna Andersson, Athleta, Patagonia and others. Works by local artists Holly Goulet and Katie Flormoen adorn the shop walls and also are available for purchase.

“I grew up in a large family, and we were avid consignors and ‘up-cyclers’ long before the phrase was coined,” said Whitney Vydareny, owner of Freshwater Whale Boutique. “Upcycling has so many benefits. It’s an economical way to outfit your family, and it reduces landfill waste as well as the amount of resources, pollution and waste associated with the manufacturing of new products. We are so excited to be opening Freshwater Whale Boutique and look forward to becoming an essential part of this thriving community.”

Customers interested in consigning items can bring freshly laundered, stain-free items in a new plastic garbage bag to the store while they shop. Consigned clothing, after the owner’s initial review and acceptance of merchandise, is set aside for a 72-hour quarantine before being priced and put out for sale.

In accordance with the COVID-19-related guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hand sanitizer and face masks will be available, and customers are asked to maintain social distancing while shopping.

The number of shoppers will be limited to eight at any time and all high-touch surfaces will be sanitized regularly. Customers are encouraged to take advantage of Freshwater Whale’s contactless NFC payment option but will accept credit cards and cash.

Freshwater Whale Boutique, at 1558 Wealthy St. SE, is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday.

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