For Briana Garcia, children are at the center of her world — and now, the center of her business. Garcia along with her sister recently opened Preloved Children’s Clothing and More, a new resale boutique designed to fill a retail void in Carson City. The business is also built on the concept of “it takes a village,” and the sisters hope to be a hub for families — and especially new moms — to connect.
The shop offers selections of clothing, shoes and gifts in sizes across the spectrum, from newborns to pre-teens. Garcia said it was important to her to offer items for all families, with prices ranging from a few dollars for a full outfit, to $40 or $50 for name-brand specialty clothing such as Patagonia snowsuits.
So far, the response from the community since their soft opening last week has been significant, she said: “Honestly, it’s been amazing; it’s hard to keep things on the shelves!”
Garcia is a local mom of two young children who grew up in Gardnerville. She said that when it comes to raising infants and toddlers, she didn’t feel comfortable placing her children in daycare, which meant she needed to come up with a business idea in which her children could be involved.
The idea for the shop came to Garcia after yet another trip to a popular children’s resale chain in Reno — which is sometimes an hour’s trip each way. She realized that while neighboring cities like Reno and Gardnerville had dedicated secondhand stores for kids, Carson City lacked a specific place for families to buy and sell outgrown items.
“I told my husband ‘I think I have an idea,’ and he looks at me and just says, ‘Oh, here we go,'” Garcia laughed. She said while her husband is usually the “reason to my craziness,” he agreed that the idea was not just feasible, but a great idea. Garcia said she immediately texted her sister to ask if she was interested in partnering, and her sister replied, “I’m in.”
The shop is small, which is intentional; the sisters wanted to start small and grow as the need increases. But the longer goal is to create a space that can work as a center hub for families, but especially new moms, to find their “village” and support during the most difficult transition period into motherhood.
“I have a theory that postpartum depression can, in part, be connected to the question of: how good is your village?” Garcia said. “If you don’t have a village, I think it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll end up with postpartum depression, because it really is that important. It’s been huge on my heart. I want to create a village for everybody.”
While thrifting and buying pre-owned has been steadily increasing year-over-year in America, it has exploded in recent years as quality has decreased, economic pressures from inflation and tariffs have increased, and shoppers are searching for unique items while “treasure hunting,” according to Forbes.
Garcia believes that the reasons for resale shopping are even more prevalent especially when it comes to children’s clothing.
“Kids grow so quickly that they sometimes might only wear something once before they grow out of it,” Garcia said. “The industry is so wasteful and I think fast fashion is going out. I think we’re all noticing that the quality of everything is going downhill because they’re trying to make everything quick, and they’re trying to make it cheap.”
The resale structure of the shop also helps support other families and keep dollars in the community — everything sold in the shop is purchased or sourced through donations directly from within the community. In addition to apparel, Garcia gives space to local creators to sell their handmade products for pregnant customers or children.
Looking toward the future, Garcia hopes to implement community-focused initiatives such as “Free Toy Thursdays,” where children can pick an item from a donation bin. She also currently maintains a selection of free clothing for families in genuine need, ensuring that even items with minor wear can find a home, rather than ending up in a landfill.
“I want people to know that this is a place working to build a village for moms,” Garcia said. “We’re a local family business selling quality, clean clothing (where) people can feel good about buying here.”
Preloved Children’s Clothing and More is located at 1801 E. William St. Suite C in Carson City, and they are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Stay connected with them by following them on social media on Facebook or Instagram.
