“Childish Things” a third in a series of kids resale shops, by Edy Kizaki and assistant Madeleine Anthony.

Right off the busy Holman Road in Greenwood you will find Childish Things, a small high quality children’s and maternity store.  After struggling to find parking in the small lot outside the store, I walked into a most organized and clean resale boutique.  It is such a nice little store, at first glance it seemed like all new items.  New toys racks are the first you see in the store, and as you continue to browse, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the used toys as they are of such high quality. Not only the toys are in such nice condition, but even the used clothes are steam cleaned and ironed every day so as to appear new when hanging on the racks.

The girls that work here do an exceptional job at choosing items to buy from consigners and they believe this is because their consigning system is different than other resale store in Seattle.  Childish Things “buys outright” which means that they offer people store credit or 75% cash on the spot. In this system, they must be really selective on what they put on the racks in this store otherwise they would lose too much money for the business.

The girls that work here love the fact that they are all so different because their differences allow them to choose a wide variety of toys and styles of clothes to resell in their store.  They also have a great selection of used and inexpensive maternity wear.  There is a whole separate room filled with maternity clothing as well has shelves above filled with educational books for both parents and kids.  It is important to have such a resale store in this neighborhood because families come from all over the Seattle area to visit Carkeek park which is just a few blocks up the road from Childish things.  You might even consider making a day trip out to Greenwood—do some shopping at Childish Things and then go play at Carkeek Park.

Madeleine Anthony, Young Seattle Mom and Real Estate Assistant

“Kids on 45th” is second in a series on Seattle Kid’s Resale Shops by Edy Kizaki and Madeleine Anthony.

The highly desired Wallingford neighborhood is full of resources for a family lifestyle, and N 45th Street, the walkable shopping corridor through the heart of the neighborhood, offers a great kid’s resale shop!

For twenty four years now, this tiny store in downtown Wallingford has been jam packed with great new and used items for kids.  Although a whole lot smaller than other resale stores in Seattle, you can be sure to find good stuff at Kids on 45th.   Larger items are more limited than other resale stores and are sometimes lost under the disorganized chaos of the used clothing racks, but with such a small space it’s hard to expect much better.

One of my favorite things about this store is the dollar rack.  When clothing items do not sell in thirty days they go straight to the dollar rack no matter the quality.  In wandering the store I spoke briefly with a grandmother who lives in the Wallingford neighborhood and is a regular at Kids on 45th.  She walks everywhere in the neighborhood so stops in all the time to check the dollar rack.  On this particular trip she found several cute tops for her two granddaughters in almost new condition.  I also love the mixed up toy bin in the way back by the shoes.  Here you will find bags of miscellaneous toys for super cheap deals.  Sometimes these bags have toys that are missing parts or have some other minor defects however, they are often filled with great learning tools such as blocks or fun musical instruments that are loved by kids just the way they are.  Kids on 45th is located at the perfect location especially for pedestrians.  It is smack dab in between the two most frequented parks in Wallingford (Wallingford Playfield and Meridian Park) and less than a mile from the Woodland Park Zoo.  If you’re out walking through the neighborhood and you’ve forgotten a ball or lost a shoe, it is really easy to stop in and find something good on your way.   Although a little more chaotic than other children’s stores in Seattle, you can find great deals here with just a little patience. Visit their website for more information .

Me N Mom's in Ballard

Me ‘N Moms, a Labor of Love in Ballard, First in a series on Seattle Kids’ Resale Shops by Edy Kizaki and Madeleine Anthony
It’s incredibly hard work but totally worthwhile to run the largest children’s resale store in Seattle. With over 9,300 consigners and over 500 new items to go through every day, Me ‘N Moms has by far the largest volume of resale children’s products in the area.  According to Wendy, the owner since 2001, it is really important to have such a “recycling center” in the neighborhood.  “To have a resale store with high quality products allows families to save as much as 70%, and that really helps many people,” she

from A to Z, everything you may need and more

tells me.   It is tons of work going through all the junk people bring in, but Wendy picks out the best stuff as she aims to move along 70% of the items she takes in within two months.  She refers to her work as a labor of love and in talking with her it is clear that she truly loves what she does.  She’s really proud of the community and the concern for recycling.  Shoppers and consigners of Me ‘N Moms are “down to earth people who really care”.
Located at the north end of downtown Ballard on Market street, Me ‘N Moms boasts the most extensive and most organized store I have found yet.  Lots of street parking as well a large parking lot make it easy to pop in and out stress free.    If you know what you are looking for, it will be easy to find in this store.  Furniture and larger items such as strollers, cribs, and rockers are found on the upper level immediately when you walk in.  Little neon colored signs are posted all around the store indicating which area you are in.  New and used toys are found in abundance.   Of all the resale stores we’ve visited Me ‘N Moms has the largest and most organized selection of clothes with sizes clearly marked and separated.   Along with stylish items for all seasons there were some really great Halloween costumes as well.  We left with a handful of nice books from the $.25 book bin.  The labor of love has surely paid off with the success of three other stores around the Seattle area all owned by different members of the same family.  Check the website Me N Moms for more information on any of their three stores .

Madeleine Anthony, Young Seattle Mom and Real Estate Assistant

Seattle Farmers Markets are a local tradition, and each neighborhood has one with a little bit of it’s own special character.  Here is the all-inclusive list of the markets.  You don’t have to limit yourself to one because many of them are on different days of the week.  Two of my favorites are the Fremont Sunday Market and the Ballard Sunday Market, and of course the Granddaddy of them all, Pike Place Market itself.

BALLARD: Sundays 10-3 year round, 5300 Ballard Ave NW

BELLTOWN:  Thursdays 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. July to Sept, 2901 Western Ave

BROADWAY:  Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May to December, Broadway & Pine

COLUMBIA CITY:  Wednesdays 3 p.m. to 7  p.m. April to October, 37th Ave S & S Edmunds

GEORGETOWN:  Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June to October, 6000 Airport Way S

LAKE CITY:  Thursdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. June to October, NE 125th & 28th Ave NE

MADRONA:  Fridays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. May to September, 1126 MLK S

MAGNOLIA:  Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June to October, 33rd Ave W & W Smith St

PHINNEY:  Fridays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. June to October, 67th & Phinney Ave N

PIKE PLACE MARKET:  Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year round, 1st & Pike

QUEEN ANNE:  Thursdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. June to October, W Crockett St & Queen Anne Ave

U DISTRICT:  Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. year round, University Way & NE 50th

WALLINGFORD:  Wednesdays 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. June to Sept, 1815 N. 45th St

WEST SEATTLE:  Sundays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. year round, 44th Ave SW & SW Alaska

Below are some photos taken at the Fremont Sunday Market.  Come and shop, enjoy, taste, listen, people watch, and I guarantee you’ll be back!

Fremont Street, busy and laid back all at once.

"Let's meet over by the Rocketship in front of Burnt Sugar."

Fremont rocket ship provides landmark for any kind of path finding necessary.  Shopping starts here.

More Shopping as you round the corner and stroll south toward Fremont Bridge and the Queen Anne side of The Cut.

Willow & Bloom for lovely gifts and flowers.

Dream in Fremont, always something perfect.

Dream of Fremont offers Spring fashion and window reflects the twilit street.

Dream and street.

The Triangle Lounge in Fremont. Squeeze through the door and you're in!

Outside El Camino in Fremont friends chat before snagging a table for Happy Hour.

They rave over the unusual gifts and vintage furnishings at Burnt Sugar

Get peeks of Henry in Fremont, Ballard, and...where will we see him next?

Keep an eye out for further Fremont walks, including Theo Chocolate Factory, the country’s first organic and fair trade chocolate factory, the Ship Canal, the Fremont Sunday Market, the Solstice Parade float warehouse, and much much more.

It’s an exploration to shop here, everything may resemble the sweet rolls and pastries you are used to in the American counterpart, but the resemblance fades at the first bite.  This is the real thing.  What’s good?  Everything from the cardamon bread, the fruit and custard and cheese twists for breakfasts or brunch, the cakes, available or to order, pastries, amazing cookies, tarts, little green frog cakes, and on and on.  The coffee on the other hand is far from Italian and I can rarely get through a whole cup.  It’s better than 7-11 coffee anyway, but other than that, this place will bring you back again and again just to make your way through the many wonders and new and tempting sweet breads and pastries they offer.  And if you are in need of a wedding cake, they do that as well, including one modeled after The Kiss by Gustav Klimt.  And they keep very nice hours, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and from 6 a.m. on Sundays.  Let me know what you think!

Oh, and if you have kidlets, there’s oodles of frosted cookies, cupcakes, marzipan pigs, and the ubiquitous slices of fine white cake better than most you’ve ever had.

At 24th Avenue NW and 85th, is such a corner.  And one of the treasures to be found here is the Fresh Fish Co.  Now I am not claiming this is the only wonderful little fish store in a Seattle neighborhood.  This is the Pacific Northwest and we love our seafood!  There are several shops scattered throughout the neighborhoods of the City that offer the freshest and best of the catch, and I vote for visiting them when you pass by.  But this one is so full of character and delicious seafood that it is worth even a detour.  The pickled herring, boiled crabs, wonderful halibut, smoked salmon, sausages, thick bacon and steaks, select very fresh vegetables, make for resources that will end your search for what to fix for dinner in a very satisfying manner indeed!  Not to mention the freshly made cioppino which can be eaten at a couple of little tables right there in the store.  Don’t miss it!

Sisters Antiques

I discovered Sisters Antiques while shopping on Craigslist for cheap furniture.  Patty Green of Sisters Antiques manages estate sales for families whose elderly parents have passed on.  These homes are often stuffed full of belongings and furnishings accumulated over decades.  You’ll find great bargains and great selection on the first day of any sale.  The prices drop on the 2nd and 3rd day of a sale, but you risk missing the best items.

PATTY’S MOTTO
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life…

Professionally restored chandelier

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS?
I’ve always loved garage sales, and started when I was really young.  I started as a “picker” – selling garage sale items to dealers – in 1990 after moving here from California.  I was in a little antique shop in Issaquah on a Monday after a weekend of shopping.  I told the shop owner that I recognized something that was at a sale that past Saturday.  She remembered me from the sale, I remembered her from the sale, and so I started buying for her.  Next, I became an antique dealer in 1992.  Incorporated in 1995.  Opened SISTERS ANTIQUES in Issaquah in 1997.  I started doing estate sales before 2000 and with the downturn in the economy, I have done more and more over the years.

Lots of Silver!

WHAT DO YOU MOST ENJOY ABOUT THE BUSINESS?
I would say that most of the time the satisfaction I get from helping someone who has no idea where to turn… is the real reward!

ADVICE FOR FAMILIES
Every sale has its own story and if I could impart any bit of wisdom to a family before they start going through things, I would say NOT TO THROW ANYTHING AWAY UNTIL WE GET THERE.  It’s really sad to see what family deems is trash and what they think is the good stuff!  We just finished a very dirty “digger” sale and the family was thrilled with the results.  We’ve also done sales where absolutely everything was pristine.  And a whole lot in between.

SISTER ANTIQUES (Antique Shop and Estate Sales)
Proprietor Patty Green
615 NW Gilman Blvd, Issaquah, WA 98027
(425) 392-7373
www.sistersantiques.com

Love Among the Ruins

Located just off the corner of x and x, this little neighborhood is worth a special trip to get acquainted.  I’ll blog about the other fun spots here asap, but for now I wanted to share this amazing find with you, Bella Umbrella.  Indeed beautiful, and bound to make you realize how much you need an umbrella or several.  And if you are a bride, this will make your wedding something to remember!