As They Grow

Families in Daphne, Alabama with kids who outgrow clothes every few months have a specific kind of shopping problem, and As They Grow was built to solve it. The consignment boutique, tucked into a suite along US Highway 98, deals exclusively in gently used and new clothing, shoes, and accessories sized for babies, children, and teens, positioning itself as an upscale alternative to both retail price tags and the unevenness of a typical yard sale find.

Since opening in 2023, the shop has built its selection around curation rather than volume. Items are chosen individually rather than accepted in bulk, which keeps the racks stocked with pieces still in good condition instead of the worn out basics that can make secondhand kids clothing shopping feel like a chore. That editing shows up in the range of the inventory, which stretches from newborn layettes and baby shoes up through clothing sized for teenagers, along with accessories in between.

The consignment model also gives the shop a second role in the community beyond simply selling clothes. Parents can bring in outgrown items to sell rather than throw away or store indefinitely, turning a closet clean out into both a decluttering project and a bit of extra cash. That two way relationship, buying from local families and selling back to other local families, is part of what the shop points to when it talks about sustainability, framing the business as a way to keep good clothing in circulation rather than in a landfill.

For shoppers, the appeal is straightforward. Kids clothing budgets stretch further when a significant share of the wardrobe is bought secondhand, and a curated consignment shop removes much of the digging required at a traditional thrift store. The suite along US 98 puts the shop within easy reach of the rest of Daphne’s retail corridor, making it simple to fold a stop here into a wider afternoon of errands.

As They Grow has also built a following through social media, where the shop posts new arrivals as they hit the floor, giving regular shoppers a reason to check back often rather than treating the store as a once a season stop. New inventory turns over quickly given the nature of consignment, so the shop rewards customers who make a habit of visiting rather than waiting for a specific need to arise.

In a stretch of Daphne dominated by larger retail chains, As They Grow offers something smaller and more personal. It is a shop built around the reality of childhood, which is that clothes and shoes rarely get the chance to wear out before they are outgrown, and it has turned that reality into a resource for families across the Eastern Shore.

The boutique also carries a selection of maternity wear and nursery items on a rotating basis, catching a stage of parenting that many resale shops skip over entirely. Staff tend to know the current stock well enough to point a shopper toward a specific size or style on request, a level of attention that is harder to find at a big box store’s children’s section. That personal service, paired with the steady churn of consigned inventory, has made the shop a regular stop for parents across Daphne and the surrounding Eastern Shore communities rather than an occasional destination, and the shop has become part of the everyday rhythm of raising kids on this side of Mobile Bay.

The shop also runs periodic sales tied to seasonal changeovers, clearing out summer sizes as fall stock comes in and vice versa, which keeps prices moving even lower for shoppers willing to time a visit around those windows. For a family with more than one child, that kind of turnover can mean outfitting an entire wardrobe change for a fraction of what new clothing would cost at a mall storefront.