CHILD'S PLAY: Sunflower Kids blooms

New resale shop sells toys, clothing, handmade quilts

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When Kristie Wakefield got tired of buying and selling things on online, she didn't realize it would mean opening her own resale boutique. But just a few months later, that's exactly what she ended up doing.

Almost immediately after coming up with the idea to open her own children's resale boutique, Wakefield called her longtime friend Corrina Rhodes and asked her if she wanted to go into business together. The resulting business, called Sunflower Kids, opened in Henderson a little less than a month ago.

"I used to buy and sell clothes, and everything else, on eBay, but I started to get tired of that," Wakefield said. "So I started checking out resale shops in this area, but I didn't find much, so I thought about opening my own. I wanted to provide a better alternative for the Las Vegas area."

Both women were stay-at-home moms before starting the business, and both felt it was important that they would be able to bring their kids to work occasionally, and the idea of a children's resale shop was born.

"I thought about it for a while, and I decided it would be perfect," Rhodes said. "It would give me something to do while my son was at school and it would bring in a little extra income, and my husband was very supportive of the idea."

So Wakefield and Rhodes decided to divide and conquer, with Wakefield traveling to California to check out resale shops while Rhodes did research in Utah. Then they returned to the valley and took up the tough business of finding a location, getting the required licenses and permits for their shop, and then getting the shop itself ready.

"When we got this space it wasn't ready yet," Rhodes said. "We worked our booties off all through Christmas to get the flooring in, get the painting done and to get all the merchandise in."

Along the way, getting Sunflower Kids fit for customers turned into something of a family affair. Wakefield's sister Tiffany Hedger of TLC Designs did all of the interior design, while Rhodes' husband helped build the walk-in playhouse that anchors the store. Fitted with toys, books, a flat screen TV and VHS and DVD players, the playhouse is meant to ensure that children also have a good experience at Sunflower Kids.

"We ordered the playhouse from back East because we wanted our kids to be comfortable here, and we wanted the same for our customers' kids," Wakefield said. "It something fun for kids to do while their parents shop."

In addition to children's clothing, toys and furniture, Wakefield and Rhodes have recruited several area moms to help provide new, custom pieces for sale at the shop.

"We wanted to bring in the special niches you can't find anywhere else," Wakefield said.

Among those special niches are handmade rag quilts, knitted baby blankets, embroidered bibs, custom cut-out picture frames and "quiet books" made of cloth.

Wakefield and Rhodes said before opening Sunflower Kids, they shopped for many of the items that currently make up their stock themselves, and received donations from friends, family and community members.

"We filled our garages, we filled our houses and the we filled two storage spaces so we'd have enough stuff to fill the store when we opened," Wakefield said. "Now we're looking to buy most of our merchandise from community members that bring it in because we don't have as much time to go looking for stuff."

Customers are welcome to bring children's items to Sunflower Kids with or without an appointment.

Wakefield and Rhodes said they set their buying prices based on the quality, condition and brand of an item, and also consider how many of a certain item they already have and how quickly the item is selling.

In addition to paying cash for the items, they give sellers additional store credit good for that day.

Sunflower Kids buys and sells children's clothing in sizes from newborn to size eight, and also buys and sells toys, furniture and accessories for kids.

Sunflower Kids, 90 S. Stephanie St., Suite 110., is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 6 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store is closed Sundays.