Children’s boutique introduces sustainable ‘pre-loved’ section

St. Petersburg’s Little Llamas Boutique, a children’s clothing store specializing in eco-friendly and designer brands, has recently launched a ‘pre-loved’ section – a move to further its commitment to sustainable fashion and offer budget-friendly options for families.

The pre-loved section aims to address the growing issue of textile waste in the fashion industry, particularly in children’s clothing. 

Jon Brett, who co-owns the boutique with his wife Alison, explained the rationale behind this initiative: “The idea is to get fewer things that are going to last longer. As long as you take care of them, and there’s not any big rips or tears or stains, you can bring them back, and we’ll give you store credit to work towards new or used items.”

This approach aligns with the slow fashion movement, which emphasizes quality over quantity and encourages consumers to make more thoughtful purchasing decisions. 

The growing ‘pre-loved’ section at Little Llamas Boutique. Photo: Alison Amick Photography.

The Bretts’ journey to opening Little Llamas Boutique is rooted in their shared experiences and passion for sustainability. The couple met over 13 years ago when Alison was working as a marine biologist and Jon was running a fishing media company, sparking a connection that eventually led to marriage and a shared vision for sustainable fashion and eco-friendly living.

It wasn’t until Alison began her photography career and started shooting family and children’s portraits that the idea for a children’s fashion boutique bloomed.

“We had our daughter about seven years ago, and she started putting Riley in a lot of the brands that we’re carrying here in store,” Jon explained. “There are no local places to find them,  so she would have to go to Miami or Atlanta to find another retailer that carries them. She was also buying a lot of our kid’s stuff online or second-hand in Facebook groups, because it’s really hard to find some of this stuff. So over time, she was like, ‘Hey, Jon, we need to open a kid’s boutique. There’s nothing in St. Pete. There are 400 pet stores, but there’s not a single kid’s boutique.’”

Little Llamas Boutique opened in summer 2023, carrying sustainable, organic and ethically-produced baby and children’s clothing from brands like Pink Chicken, Bobo Choses, Tiny Cottons, Lorna Murray and Mini Rodini.

The introduction of the pre-loved section comes at a crucial time, as the fashion industry grapples with its environmental footprint and consumers are becoming more aware of how their shopping habits impact the world around them.

“St. Pete is this bustling, really amazing place that’s very green-oriented,” Jon said. “I was a little nervous about opening a brick-and-mortar in the retail apocalypse, but at the same time, I think St. Pete needed this, especially in comparison to similar Florida markets.”

He added that the section has been a huge hit so far, with parents like Taylor Brown seeing the benefits for both the environment and her budget.

“Our kids grow out of things so quickly, and it’s nice to be able to go find items in Alison’s store, and then to be able to resell them to other families or for other families to resell them so that other people can buy them,” Brown said. “There’s typically still a lot of life left in the items the kids grow out of, especially because they’re such high quality. It’s an exciting concept for the St. Pete community and I think everyone can benefit from it.”

Little Llamas will accept items purchased from their store or similar brands for its pre-loved section, which the Bretts hope will continue to grow. In addition to kid’s clothing, they’ve recently added baby wraps and hope to introduce shoes to the pre-loved section soon, giving shoppers more options that are better for their wallets – and the planet.

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