Tell us a little about you and your family.

I’m Lindsey, a stay-at-home mom married to Caleb, a doctor who works at our local university in Johnson City, Tenn. We moved here for his residency five years ago and fell in love with the mountains! We have four kids: Gabby, 10; Emerson, 7; Amos, 3; and Rory, who just joined us last month. Our area has tons of outdoor adventures available and as a family, we love to take advantage. We also never miss a Friday night pizza night!

Did you have challenges getting started selling?

As with anything new, there was a learning curve! I took it pretty slowly. I first started selling my own kids’ (just two of them at the time!) clothes. As time went on, I began snagging consignment and thrifting treasures and eventually took on clients through word of mouth to sell their kids’ clothes. Along the way, I learned a lot about professionalism, photography, and communication. I have definitely made mistakes, but I’ve found that being honest with your buyer goes a long way—they are usually so gracious!

 

What advice do you have for someone looking to start their own Kidizen shop?

My best advice (beyond the typical “list every day”) is to overcommunicate on your listings and with your buyers. Take more photos than you think you need in a well-lit area (it doesn’t have to be an all-white background to sell, but light makes a lot of difference!). Note any flaws in the listing—even if you list something as play condition, you should describe the flaws as it’s not always obvious. Make any policies you have concerning bundles or discounts as clear as you can. If it’s taking you longer than normal to ship an item, communicate that with the buyer. All of this protects you as a seller and makes for an easy experience for the buyer, one that they’ll remember.

 

Tell us about your shop and the types of items you sell.

My shop is full of all kinds of items as I sell for several friends, pass on consignment and thrifting finds, and sell my own kids’ clothes. My kids love all kinds of stuff from Patagonia to Tea Collection to Fin and Vince. I will say that my daughter just grew out of the brand that started it all for us: Mini Boden. I started selling her clothes because I wanted to be able to buy more Boden! She was in a size 3/4 then and now she’s just growing out of 11/12. It’s bittersweet!

I feel like I’m definitely a middle-of-the-road shop. I have a fair amount of inventory and list often, but this is also not a career for me. I take breaks from time to time and come back to it when I can—you really can make it whatever works for you!