Children’s Orchard Huntersville Featured in Local Magazine

Find out what drives Children’s Orchard Huntersville franchisee Shasta Webber in this inspiring article from Lake Norman Women Magazine.

My Passion? My Life!

By Leslie Ogle

With great family and friends and a successful career, things could not have been going better for Shasta Webber, owner of Children’s Orchard in Huntersville. But oftentimes, we have to deal with sudden intrusions that demand our immediate attention. Such was the case for Shasta in 2010, when she needed to remove a kidney. One week after the surgery, she suffered a pulmonary embolism (a sudden blockage of a major blood vessel in the lung) that could have taken her life.

“At the time, it would have appeared that I was most passionate about my career,” Shasta recalls. “Although I desired success, I realized I was doing a horrible job at letting the most important people in my life know they were just that: the most important thing in the world to me. Since that health scare, I’ve recognized that my life and the people in it are my passion. Even with the craziness of a new business, I make sure my loved ones know what they mean to me, and never feel like they’re ‘penciled in.’ I make time for my family because we never know what tomorrow brings.”

Shasta grew up in Catawba, North Carolina, and eventually found a career in human resources. After 20 years in corporate America, she decided to pursue two items on her to-do list—finish her college degree and own her own business. Bachelor of business administration, graduating Magna Cum Laude at age 40, check; opening her own business, check.

“My incredibly positive and motivating husband, Craig, keeps me going, as do the great people who work at the store,” Shasta says. “They have put their trust in my and the business; they work hard to make it successful. In return, I want to make them proud.

My mom has also been another great motivator and influence in my life; she is my biggest fan and an enormous part of my support system.”

Children’s Orchard, Shasta points out, is a “well-organized resale store that boasts an intuitive software,” which allows them to quickly price items at 60 to 70 percent below mall- and department-store prices. Shasta was delighted to discover an opportunity that was so aligned with her own strategies, philosophies and goals.

While Shasta never had children of her own, she and Craig have their furry babies (one dog and two cats) and are passionate about North Meck Animal Rescue and other animal rescue efforts. They also support several other charities, including Make-a-Wish and Little Smiles. Shasta would like to continue to volunteer and remain an integral part of the Lake Norman community.

“We just love this area,” she grins. “I grew up here and could not call anywhere else home. I’m amazed by the people I meet, especially the women I encounter every day. They’re constantly working to maintain the work-life balance we so frequently talk about. In order to deal with it, they must have amazing time management, support, patience, agility, among their abilities to face the challenges that life throws at them. And I’m pretty sure some of them have super powers!”

Click here to see more from Lake Norman Woman Magazine.

Chad Olson and Children’s Orchard Featured on Forbes.com

Learn about NTY Franchise Company’s merger with Children’s Orchard in this quick read from forbes.com. Find out why Chad Olson and team decided to merge, how they did it and where the Children’s Orchard franchise is headed in the near future as a result.

Secrets to a Successful Small Business Merger

Every small business merger is unique, but they all share a few common challengers, from choosing the right partner, to managing the transition, to branding and post-merger management. Here’s how five small business owners pulled it off.

Building a Franchise

A longtime franchise veteran sought to turn his prototype children’s apparel resale shop into a national franchise by merging with Children’s Orchard, a recognized brand with 32 stores.

Why Merge?
Olson’s prototype store, NTY Kids, needed a recognizable, trusted brand to grow. Children’s Orchard needed point-of-sale software to bring its stores into the 21st century—technology available through another business Olson owned.

What Happened
Olson and his team moved slowly, announcing the merger to franchisees over the phone, and not making a single change to operations until they had met with each owner face-to-face. “It was all about building that relationship and credibility with the franchisees.”

Takeaway
A merger can be a frightening prospect for franchisees because it affects how they run their individual businesses. “These people are entrepreneurs. They’ve invested money. This has been their life and blood and livelihood for a lot of years.” Patience and empathy is vital.

Read the full article on forbes.com.

What Makes Children’s Orchard Work? Find Out in This Video

Would you like to find out what makes a successful children’s clothing franchise? In this video, a store owner explains why customers buy and sell children’s clothing, shoes, equipment, toys, games and more at her store time and time again.

What makes a successful children’s clothing franchise? 

Do you prefer a text version or want to read along with the video? If so, you can find the full text transcript below.

News Anchor: Do you have a bunch of stuff sitting around the house, particularly unused clothes that you no longer wear? Well your trash may be another person’s treasure. Reselling new or gently used items has become a multi-billion dollar industry and with a few small tips you too can get it on the craze. Kathy Wagner has been doing this for quite sometime, reselling clothing, particularly children’s clothing.

Children’s Orchard: A high end children’s resale franchise

News Anchor: First of all, Kathy, I know that some people may not know the difference between consignment stores, clothing resale franchises, and garage sales. What is the difference?

Kathy: Well, in consignment stores you take your clothing to them, they sell it and then you get your money. With a resale shop, you come in, we peruse the items, we buy what we think will sell, and you get paid right away.

News Anchor: That is fantastic. Now you have had the store for 13 years, but it has been around for about two decades. So it must really be working. We know that kids are constantly growing, so you have to get rid of old stuff and get new stuff. Why not make some of your money back on it. What do we need to know?

Low cost, high quality children’s clothing

Kathy: Well the main thing is that we want things to be clean and neat. We don’t designate for seasons, we take all seasons all of the time. We want clothes that have been washed with in a week and are neatly folded, and in good shape.

We take clothing from infant to junior sizes. We buy all brands, the less expensive the item is the better it needs to look. This is simply because people can go to the budget store and buy things on sale. 

We specialize in higher end items, especially smocks. People come in and they love to buy our smocks which can be very expensive when buying brand new. We price them at one fourth to one half their retail value. People come in looking for certain things. Like the Lily Pulitzer that you have there. We have people who come in weekly to check their favorite brands and their sizes. Same thing with our playmobils, legos, and blocks. People are coming in with a need. The best thing about our job is that we can take a need and then we can find a source.

There is no waste there which is important. So I see your tips here to turn those leftover items at home into cash.

  1. Sort through your children’s closets to find items they’ve outgrown or rarely wear
  2. Children’s resale stores want current fashion styles and trends
  3. Items should be free of wear, tear, and stains. Wash clothes before reselling
  4. Save time by having a valid ID ready, and know if you want cash or credit towards a purchase in the store

What kind of folks do you see coming in looking to sell their items? I would imagine it is people from all walks of life.

Yes, you are right. But the biggest portion of our sellers are coming from the middle of the road. They are families who appreciate a good bargain and they are looking for someone who sees the value in the things that they have put their cash and their heart into.

Children’s clothing resale franchise is a win win

Everyone wants to think that what they have is valued, and they get excited to think that someone else wants what they had. It is a perfect marriage of a need for recycling and finding the source which makes you feel justified in getting rid of items, and having someone come in and find something awesome at a price they can afford.

Well, we appreciate you being here. There is a lot of money to be made and some great items to be purchased this summer. Asses your kids clothes before the start of the new school year. For more tips and tricks, visit TWCNews.com and click on the “In depth”  tab under our News tab.

Moms Trade In and Trade Up at Children’s Orchard Cleveland, TN

Moms can make money and save money by trading in and trading up their children’s clothing, shoes, equipment and more at Children’s Orchard Cleveland, TN. Check out the excerpt from an article below to find out more. You can also read the full article at timesfreepress.com.

Bring something, take home something—the art of swapping 

By Lynda Edwards

Excerpt:

Children's Orchard Cleveland, TN, inside store
Photo by Doug Strickland, courtesy of Times Free Press

Make room for baby

But Bettieville isn’t the only local shop that trades in gently worn clothes — some focus on baby clothes and items.

Up in Cleveland, Tenn., on Paul Huff Parkway, Children’s Orchard owner Dan Black has offered customers, often women, a similar chance to save money and score a fashionable find. He buys baby clothing and accessories such as motorized rocking cradles, strollers and toys. The sellers can choose cash or a store credit. 

“We offer 25 percent more in credit than we would in cash, and moms can find cute outfits in style because we ask that the clothing be no more than five years old,” says Black, who has run the store — part of a nationwide chain with another location in Murfreesboro — for 12 years and can tell how old a baby outfit is simply by its color palette.

Black does not sell vintage clothes, so you won’t find clothes to create a grunge-rock baby in red-and-black plaid and Doc Marten boots or a Greed Decade baby in a neon onesie with 1980s shoulder pads

“I have three children of my own plus grandbabies, so I have seen infant clothes through several decades,” he says, chuckling. “In the 1990s there were parachute pants that the rapper MC Hammer wore and made popular with kids for awhile.”

He and his wife opened the store with her mother and father and, since the older couple retired, now run it themselves. As scary as the 2007 recession was, Black was pleasantly surprised that 2008 was one of Children’s Orchard’s best sales years.

“We do sell some new items like baby bottles, but customers can save so much on clothes and also strollers and cradles and bouncing chairs that are in excellent condition after another mother has used them,” Black explains.

“We have about 200 regulars who have sold us clothing more than once. As their baby grows older and too big for one size, they sell it and swap it for another larger size in the store or just buy it here.”

While Black’s tiny clients hurtle forward into the future, back in Bettieville, dancer Dorothy Demure has found a time tunnel into the past via a pair of 1970s sky-high heels. She is too young to remember the decade, so she is puzzled by the clear plastic chamber beneath the shoes’ large rounded toe. Another customer, who lived through the 1970s, explains that the shoes were known as Disco Goldfish Heels and each chamber was filled with water so tiny, live goldfish could swim in them.

Jodie Simon is older than Demure but fit and trim. She gravitates toward a sheath dress whose narrow bands of crimson and magenta give it a luxurious couture sheen; it would have looked great in Studio 54 in the late ’70s and early ’80s. But she tosses it to a friend.

“I’m just not sure my personality is bold enough for those colors — yet,” Simon says. “The good thing is, there will be another swap next month and another chance to get something great.”

Click here to see more from timesfreepress.com.

CHILDREN’S ORCHARD: Highlights from the 2016 Conference

NTY Franchise hosted its first-annual conference for Children’s Orchard earlier this week. Many hardworking and inspiring franchisees joined together in Minneapolis, MN, for store tours at the Mall of America, sessions about the NTY point-of-sale system, reporting, marketing, hands-on experience at the corporate Children’s Orchard store and plenty of fun.

The following snapshots show just a few of the highlights from the 2016 Children’s Orchard conference.

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

Children's Orchard 2016 conference

VP of Clothes Mentor Says Store Design Tells Your Story

NTY Franchise Company’s VP of Clothes Mentor Ted Manley talks with NCR Silver about how to tell your story through store design. Check out the article below or read it on ncrsilver.com.

Clothes Mentor store front

Designing a Store to Create an Exceptional Customer Experience

Experts in retail design and branding share secrets to maximize your retail space.

by: Deborah Nurmi

As a small business owner you are aware of how challenging it is to attract the customers you want to serve.

According to Pam Levine, president of Levine Luxury Branding in New York City, all good retail design is based on one premise: Retail shoppers desire an enjoyable and memorable experience.

She offered the following 5 tips for designing a winning store space:

Branding matters

Think of your store as an opportunity to develop your “Brand Culture.” Brand Culture, part magic and part lightening strike, is the totality of your relationship with your customers.

“Consider everything you say as your brand message, everything you do as brand engagement and everything you present as brand visual merchandising. See it all as an opportunity to communicate and engage with your shoppers,” Levine said.

Know your customer

Know what makes you different from your competitors and what your customers are seeking.

“Ask yourself what is important about your services or merchandise that will mean something to your customers?” Levine said.

Give your shoppers what they want then help them share it.

“Millennials and others will want to share a good experience, cool product or new store discovery with others. Encourage shoppers to photograph, tweet, use Pinterest, social media and more while inside your store,” Levine said.

Interaction is key

Harry Selfridge is the father of modern marketing, and his most important question was “Are you being served?” Use Selfridges’ philosophy and make shopping an experience.

“Hospitality and pampering goes a long way – respect your customer,” Levine said. “Interest matters. Invite them in, personalize the experience. Make them feel at home. Serve coffee, cookies or wine,” Levine said. “Remember names and get to know your customers.”

Visual marketing is your silent salesperson

Store design is all about visually stimulating your customer.

“In order to attract customers and keep them shopping longer, store owners must learn how to effectively communicate visually. If possible, hire a pro,” Levine said.

Use the concept of visual storytelling. “Remember, your product is the hero,” Levine said.

Ted Manley, vice president for soft-line products at NTY Franchise Company, believes all visual marketing is storytelling.

“Effective visual merchandising is the ability to communicate to your customer by allowing your product to be a series of storyboards to excite your customer,” Manley said.

Storytelling with visual merchandising is a four step process:

Preparation: Understand what your product mix will look like for the display you are planning. What products are best sellers or hot right now? Spend time looking at your competition and other stores’ displays.

Advertising: What products, events or promotions is your store planning? “Decide how you want to communicate that, and then decide how you want to carry that theme into your store,” Manley said.

Development: Start with the store front. Your goal is to express the story you want to tell your customer. “Think of your windows or entry way as a billboard. You have 2­3 seconds to look at it and understand what that display or product is trying to tell you,” Manley said. Move inside and plan out your feature areas and endcaps and their stories. Consider color. “Color is the most dominating aspect of visual merchandising,” Manley said.

Execution: Your signage helps communicate key aspects of your visual story. “Signage is an art not a science. Be careful not to “over sign” your store, but don’t be afraid to tell the obvious in a sign,” Manley said. Next create in­-store displays. “Demonstrate how an arrangement of merchandise can enrich a room or home. Help the customer envision the items in their homes or wearing a great outfit on vacation or at an event,” Levine said, “but don’t overdo it. Less is more – keep your presentations simple and uncluttered.

Visual marketing is an ongoing process. Be willing to review and change as often as needed. This will depend on your traffic pattern and how often your best customers visit your store. “Customers love newness, change and stimulation. A good visual merchandising program will deliver in sales,” Manley said.

Consider all customer touch points

Customer touch points include every contact a customer has with your brand from beginning to end. These may begin with seeing an advertisement for your shop or finding your website and continue through shopping and customer feedback. Touch points create a cumulative experience for your customers, so consistency is key. Service is imperative.

“Enthusiasm, care, sincerity and authenticity touches people on an emotional level. It’s key to building brand loyalty and is positively contagious,” Levine said.

Click here to see more from NCR Silver.

How Upscale Resale Has Created a Booming Niche in American Retail

This article, originally published on huffingtonpost.com, mentions NTY Franchise as a growing company in the booming resale industry. Read on to learn why franchising a resale store is such an appealing option for entrepreneurs:

Huffington Post graphic for NTY mention resale article
Graphic courtesy huffingtonpost.com

By Yatin Khulbe

It goes without saying that finding the right balance between a successful retail strategy and an approach that sets yourself apart can be a big challenge.

After all, an increasing number of new businesses fail each year while attempting to break into the seemingly impenetrable arena of modern retail.

The wall of the booming big box and major brand monoliths isn’t entirely impenetrable, however. Surprisingly, a number of upcoming retail contenders and franchises have taken an unorthodox approach to the resale market in recent years.

They prefer to focus on cultivating an upscale atmosphere and level of service usually reserved for their conventional and big brand counterparts.

So how did “resale retail” go from a budget niche to a booming new brand of resellers with increasing interest and profit margins?

Here are some of the points which encouraged resellers in coming up with smart and unconventional strategies in recent years:

Flexible Points of Entry

The unique nature of upscale resellers as an up-and-coming industry often mean that aspiring entrepreneurs looking to break into store management or ownership can enjoy more substantive options to finance a small business.

The availability of franchise opportunities among national resale parent companies has skyrocketed recently.

Resale is a multi-billion dollar a year industry because it attracts the consumers from all economic levels.

Why are buyers are excited about resale deals?

The answer is simple.

Everyone wants to save money on consumer goods and utilize it for vacations, child education, retirement funds, and various family activities.

Breaking into franchise management can traditionally serve as a safer starting point for those getting their start in ownership across a variety of industries.

Companies looking to expand the influence of their existing resale branding have substantially increased the availability of options for management newcomers in recent years.

What does it mean?

A minor nest egg can be invested with a greater range of strategies for those looking to make the most out of their existing experience in retail and business.

Unfortunately, the majority of small businesses generally won’t expect to yield profit margins in the first months (or even years) of operation.

If a budding retail entrepreneur doesn’t find this initial period of low profits viable or attractive, a partnership with an existing upscale resale franchise can often provide valuable options for getting the ball rolling.

Consistent Consumer Experience

Traditional resellers have often relied on lower than standard profit margins and nonprofit dichotomies focus on providing a service to the local community.

On the other hand, upscale resale stores concentrate on consumer experience by understanding the needs and desires of their buyers.

Modernized resellers provide no restraint shopping experience to the customers. It allows for more competitive price points while still retaining the attractive benefits of a resale outlet experience. Resale businesses with a focus on this above-par shopping experience include growing resellers such as NTY (New To You).

Why modern resellers overpower traditional counterparts?

It’s win-win for both the parties.

Consumers lock down lower prices while still enjoying the experience and atmosphere that come with new goods retailer.

The benefit doesn’t extend solely to customers.

The smooth shift towards an upscale customer experience means that owners and franchisees can expect to enjoy an operative experience and keep up with the steadily rising revenue of retail frontrunners as well.

Strong Support Systems

Breaking into uncharted territory doesn’t mean that resale franchises are going alone. In fact, a vast majority of resale stores rely on the framework of support networks that allow them to fall back on training opportunities, marketing materials, and more.

The main question arises:

Why are they helping each other?

A range of prospective overhead costs is saved which require a lion’s share of time and money.

As a result, this support mechanism allows room for innovation.

Lower Overall Risk When Taking the Leap

The idea of kicking off small businesses looks very attractive, but it often leads to lower than anticipated profits. The standard new retail venture without well-timed market research means failing within the first year or even less timeframe.

On the more optimistic flip side, from the very beginning, resale retailers break into the market with the convenient advantages.

For example, reliance on inventory that stems from donated clothing, furniture, or even the computer hardware take away the pain of investing in new stocks.

Without investing deeply in product purchases on the front end, the same investment can be allocated for primary concerns such as property and operation overheads.

Click here to see more from The Huffington Post.

NTY Franchise’s Veterans Opportunities Featured in April Issue of Franchising USA

NTY Franchise Company COO Chad Olson on cover of Franchising USA standing in Device Pitstop store

NTY Franchise supports veterans with several opportunities and incentives for franchising its resale stores. Read the Franchising USA article about this topic below, or click here to see the article on franchisingusamagazine.com.

NTY Promises New Challenges, Opportunities for Veterans

One franchise that is in the business of turning the old into the new again wants to help entrepreneurial veterans start a new chapter of their lives.

NTY, standing for ‘New To You’ is a company that owns the franchising rights to five brands in the resale retail industry: Clothes Mentor, Children’s Orchard, Device Pit Stop, New Uses and NTY Clothing Exchange.

“Our main goal is to sell franchises and then support the franchisees that we sell them to,” NTY’s chief operating officer Chad Olson said during a recent interview from the company’s headquarters in Minneapolis.

Clothes Mentor, which buys and sells used women’s fashion and accessories, started franchising in 2007. Currently, it has 140 stores open and 43 stores sold and awaiting opening.

Acquired by NTY in early 2014, Children’s Orchard buys and sells gently used kids items. It currently has 27 stores open with two sold and awaiting opening.

Device Pit Stop, meanwhile, has 11 stores open with another 10 sold and awaiting opening. NTY acquired the brand’s franchise rights in the fall of 2013. It buys and sells used electronics.

Buying and selling used home goods like furniture, artwork and small appliances is the business model for New Uses. The brand has 11 stores open with one sold and awaiting opening and it’s been around since 2011.

And with two stores open and four sold and awaiting opening, NTY Clothing Exchange, which buys and sells clothes in the teen and young adult market, started franchising in Mid-2014.

The Need for Used to New

In a world that is increasingly looking for environmentally friendly ways to deal with everything, all of NTY’s brands offer that coveted green alternative for people’s old clothing and other items, Olson said, giving people the option of getting cash for the stuff they’re no longer using rather than just throwing it away.

And with consumers often being highly cost conscious, NTY also gives them a way to save money, with products selling for, on average, 70 percent less than they would be sold as new.

All of the NTY brands make sure the items people bring them have resale value. It has to be in good condition and, in the case of apparel, it also has to be in style. Each brand will evaluate a product and they all have a pricing matrix they use to make sure they’re selling items at a price that gives value to the customer and also the business.

In the Beginning

Clothes Mentor was founded in Columbus, OH. with a store in that city and another one in Canton, OH. Olson and his father, Ron Olson, decided to go into business together, both having Resale/Retail franchising experience with another company.

When they began looking at what opportunities were out there for their own business, they found out about Clothes Mentor and noted the two stores were doing quite well. From there, the father and son negotiated the franchising rights to that brand and have been adding to the NTY family since.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

While their franchisees come from all walks of life — from teachers to former professional bull riders — they all have one thing in common and that’s the one thing NTY wants in a franchisee.

“We want people who have that entrepreneurial spirit,” Olson said.

They must have motivation and they must also have accumulated some wealth in the past that they’re able to invest.

While the company has just a handful of veteran franchisees at the moment, Olson is looking to change that, as he knows veterans have a stellar reputation as franchisees.

Veterans’ dedication and commitment to carrying out the processes they’ve been taught is what makes them good franchisees, he noted.

“That’s what franchising is all about, taking the business model and the processes that we have proven to be profitable and teaching it to others,” Olson said. “People who have had that military experience following processes fit really well into a franchise system because they will take those processes that we have developed to run and execute a successful business model and follow those processes to a tee.”

NTY has just submitted its application to join veteran franchising organization VetFran. Currently, veterans receive a $2,500 discount off any NTY franchising fee.

As an added incentive — and this goes for any franchisee — three of NTY’s brands also offer a $40,000 jump start program.

Any franchisee that opens an NTY Clothing Exchange, a Children’s Orchard or a New Uses will receive a $20,000 marketing contribution from NTY when their store opens. In addition to that, every six months after their grand opening, they will receive an additional $5,000 marketing contribution from the parent company over a two-year period, totaling a $40,000 contribution toward marketing from NTY.

Training and Support

NTY helps franchisees find the right real estate, helps them procure financing, and brings them to Minneapolis for three weeks of comprehensive training in every aspect of running their business.

The company also offers support on site when franchisees are building out their store and getting it ready to open to ensure it’s being built out properly, they’re acquiring inventory properly and their employees are being trained properly. Then they’ll let the franchisee start running their store and come back out to help franchisees with their grand opening. NTY representatives will visit again 90 days after grand opening, a minimum of three times in that first year to check on inventory, customer service and if franchisees need any additional training.

Each brand has its own regional operations managers, which are assigned to franchisees. Each regional manager has about 20 or 30 franchisees in their region and their main goal is to be a small business consultant. They have monthly consultation calls with franchisees and answer any questions they have and visit franchisees at least once per year.

Expansion and Experience

All of NTY’s brands are open to expanding anywhere in the United States. The collective experience of everyone who is involved with NTY is a huge incentive for any frachisee to choose one of the company’s brands for opening a business, Olson said. Each brand has a vice president in charge of it, he explained, and all of those vice presidents have over 20 years of experience in the retail resale sector. His father, who is president of the

company, has 30-plus years of experience in the sector and when you add in Olson’s 22 years of experience, that’s a lot of knowledge for new franchisees to draw from.

For veterans who are looking to make a new start in life, NTY gives them an opportunity to make that new start a success.

See more from Franchising USA.

Latest Children’s Orchard in Murfreesboro is Opening Soon

Check out an article from Nashville Parent about the upcoming opening of Children’s Orchard Murfreesboro, Tennessee:

Children's Orchard Murfreesboro store, clean and neat and organized with clothing and toys and stroller, open floor plan

While it sounds like an outdoors activity for children, it’s quite the opposite. The Children’s Orchard is a children’s clothing resale shop from [Minnesota] with a Murfreesboro location underway.

After moving from Minnesota, following their children to Tennessee as they pursued their college education, Angie and Jeff Geldert decided to open a store of their own. “We love living in Murfreesboro and want to give back to our new community and helping them by providing economical but stylish clothing options for their children,” says Angie. “Our store is an upscale resale store of children’s name brand clothing (sizes 0 – 14), shoes, toys, books and accessories such as bouncy seats, high chairs and strollers. We do not sell car seats or beds for safety reasons. We sell items at roughly 30% of the retail price. We offer a serviceman discount for military, police and fireman,” she adds.

If you want to sell your items to them, start prepping your stuff! They are still in the process of remodeling their store front to fit their needs, but they will open soon — hoping for the store build-out to be completed by March 4, open to buy clothing and other items by March 7 and a hopeful opening to the public in April. The location is set for 2705 Old Fort Pkwy., Murfreesboro. They will be open seven days a week Mon – Sat 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sun 12 – 6 p.m. Call 615-410-7610 or visit childrensorchard.com/stores/murfreesboro.

This article was written by Kiera Ashford, associate editor of Nashville Parent and mother of two. See the article on the Nashville Parent website here.